Ireland Luxury Lodging: Where to Stay in Ireland

These Ireland luxury lodging properties range from inns, to large hotels, to medieval castles. Each place exhibits its own distinct luxury travel characteristics.

Thank you to Failte Ireland, Ireland’s Blue Book, and various properties for hosting us.

Ireland Luxury Lodging: Where to Stay in Ireland

The Killarney Park Hotel

Ireland’s #1 luxury hotel rated by TripAdvisor is The Killarney Park. Shall I repeat that? The Killarney Park is the #1 luxury hotel in Ireland. OK, I did. Wow. The Killarney Park hotel is a member of Leading Hotels of the World and holds a AA 2 Rosette designation for culinary excellence.

The vibrant and cute town of Killarney is right outside the front gate of The Killarney Park hotel. It is a super convenient location. One of my favorite Killarney spots is Murphy’s Irish bar.

See our video of our amazing suite at Killarney Park Hotel. Click here for best Killarney Park Hotel rates.

Killarney Park Hotel: Town Centre, Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland | website

Also see The Best Things to Do in Killarney Ireland

Kilkea Castle

Recently completed modernized and renovated, Kilkea Castle is a 12th century castle in County Kildare. Parts of Kilkea Castle (pronounced Kill-Kee) date to 1180, making it one of Ireland’s oldest inhabited castles.

Of course I asked if Kilkea Castle is haunted. I loved the response of, “what great castle is not haunted?” The ultra-luxury castle rooms are scheduled to open for public bookings at end of October 2017. The 180 acre grounds include a homage to Ernest Shackleton, the Antartica explorer, who was from the area.

McCool Travel tip: the Sir Walter de Riddlesford room overlooks the magnificent gardens and is definitely not haunted (at least while I stayed there).

Click here for best Kilkea Castle rates.

Kilkea Castle: Kilkea, County Kildare, Ireland | website

Harvey’s Point

Selected as Ireland’s #1 hotel for 5 straight years by TripAdvisor, Harvey’s Point in County Donegal is magnificent. Recently awarded the AA Red Star, an elite designation as one of the best hotels in the British Isles. The “Swiss made in Ireland” focus of Harvey’s Point encompasses the luxury spa and activities, renowned cuisine, and palatial lodging.

See our video tour of our palatial suite at Harvey’s Point. Click here for best Harvey’s Point Hotel rates.

Harvey’s Point: Lough Eske, County Donegal, Ireland | website

The Shelbourne

Dublin’s largest five star luxury hotel is also one of Ireland’s most historic places. The Shelbourne played a prominent role in the 1916 uprising and Michael Collins led the drafting of the Irish Constitution here.

The 193 year old Heritage rooms facing St. Stephens Green underwent a complete refurbishment and modernization three months ago. Conde Nast readers rank The Shelbourne as the #5 hotel in Ireland. Restaurant Association of Ireland named The Saddle Room as the Best Hotel Restaurant in Dublin. Visit separate websites for Shelbourne Dining and Shelbourne Spa.

McCool Travel tip: take a ride on Ireland’s first elevator.

Click here for best The Shelbourne rates.

The Shelbourne: 27 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin, Ireland | website

Castle Leslie Estate

Only a few Irish castles remain owned by the original family and Castle Leslie in County Monaghan is one. It is in a great location, about an hour from Dublin and Belfast. Queen Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII, granted the Leslie family 50,000 acres for saving her life.

The current 1,000 acres surrounds Glaslough, a preserved Irish lake popular for pike fishing. Miles of trails—designed for equestrian activity but great for hiking also—meander through the magnificent woods.

In 2002, Castle Leslie hosted the wedding of Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. Request the Red room, where Sir Paul stayed, also historic for being the first place in Ireland with indoor plumbing.

Click here for best Castle Leslie rates.

Castle Leslie Estate: Glaslough, County Monaghan, Ireland | website

Newforge House

Located only 30 minutes from Belfast, Newforge House is a five star country guest house offering luxurious rooms and cuisine in a tranquil setting. Operated by a young, passionate couple—John and Lou Mathers—Newforge House counts Best Country House in Ireland and Culinary Haven of the Year among their many awards.

Onsite gardens, orchard, and chickens means super fresh and organic food all year round. With only six rooms, Newforge House is the smallest Ireland luxury lodging property on this list but also the one with the most individualized attention.

Newforge House is a great place!

Click here for best rates at Newforge House.

Newforge House: Magheralin, County Armagh, Northern Ireland | website

The Bushmills Inn

Parts of the large Bushmills Inn date to around 1608, the year that Ireland’s oldest distillery (Old Bushmill’s Distillery) was founded. A massive renovation in 2009 added a conference center, cinema, and more rooms.

Current awards for Bushmill’s Inn include Hotel of the Year in Northern Ireland and Best Boutique Golf Hotel in Ireland. Ask about the Secret Library and Flag Room.

Two miles away is Giant’s Causeway (“built” by my cousin Finn McCool) and closer than that, in the village of Bushmills, is a tavern called Finn McCool’s. Bushmills is McCool homeland!

Bushmills Inn, Northern Irleland

See our video of our suite at Bushmills Inn. Click here for best rates at The Bushmills Inn.

McCool Travel tip: notice the two flags, one changes every day to honor the guest living the furthest away (it was us during our stay!).

The Bushmills Inn: 9 Dunluce Road, Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland | website

Ghan House

Located an hour from Dublin and Belfast, Ghan House sits next to the castle in the medieval walled seaside village of Carlingford, County Louth. The cuisine is top notch; Ghan House annually earns 2 AA Rosettes (since 2012) and leads the Good Food Ireland movement.

The Georgian style manor built in 1727, now has 12 rooms for guests, elegant gardens, and is capable of hosting weddings and events for 150 people. Walking the grounds, I imagined the property looks about the same as when people traveled by horse and carriage. Very cool!

Click here for best rates at Ghan House.

Ghan House: Carlingford, County Louth, Ireland | website

Adare Manor

Located in the gorgeous village of Adare in County Limerick—home to some must-see thatched roof houses—is the amazing Adare Manor. The new owners bought Adare Manor three years ago and set out to create the most luxurious property in Ireland.

Everything is being restored, every tile removed and remodeled. Minstrel’s Gallery is the second longest hall room in Ireland (132 feet). The main house has 365 stained glass windows, 75 fireplaces, and the only La Mer spa in Ireland and UK (and 9th in the world).

Adare Manor is 30 minutes from Shannon airport and 2.5 hours from Dublin; their motto is Beyond Everything.

Adare Manor: Adare, County Limerick, Ireland | website

Ashford Castle

One of the most prestigious and coveted Ireland luxury hotels is Ashford Castle. I have not yet stayed there so if you have, let me know what I am missing. Click here for best rates at Ashford Castle.

What are your favorite Ireland luxury lodging properties? Can you suggest other places to stay in Ireland?

For more information on luxury accommodations in Ireland:

Ireland’s Blue Book represents 48 unique and distinctive properties: website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Leading Hotels of the World: website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Discover Ireland: website | Facebook | Twitter

Discover Northern Ireland: website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Tourism Ireland: website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

AA Rosette recognizes exceptionally high standards in culinary excellence across Ireland and the UK: website

Mention McCool Travel when booking any of these luxury lodging options in Ireland—or any lodging around the world. They will often provide additional amenities or discounts for referrals plus it helps the travel world recognize our Travel Happy mission! Thank you.

Ireland luxury lodging. Photo and article by Charles McCool for McCool Travel.

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40 thoughts on “Ireland Luxury Lodging: Where to Stay in Ireland”

  1. Great writeup. Ireland has been on my coffee and whiskey bucket list for a while. Hope can across that off sometime! Would want to probably experience lodging at a castle.

  2. I have been trying to decide which Castl- I mean, hotel, HOTEL! I like the most. I can’t quite make up my mind!!

  3. What an amazing collection of hotels. Next time I go to Ireland I’m definitely going to find a castle to stay in!

  4. These are great recommendations for Ireland accommodations. I loved my stays there several years ago. Now I’ve got new ideas for the next visit. Would love to check out The Shelbourne in Dublin.

  5. Ireland is one of the few countries in Europe that I have not visited. We’ve been talking about going in 2018. All the places above look great, but I am totally in love with Kilkea Castle. That’s where I want to stay!

  6. Wonderful post, Charles. I’d love to visit Ireland, but the right opportunity has not yet presented itself. Hopefully, sometime soon …

  7. Kind of digging the post with all of the videos and photos and information, oh my…..all about Luxury hotels in Ireland! I wasn’t feeling like I missed anything by not attending TBEX, until this post!

  8. I’d be interested in staying at the castle, but I’m scared of ghosts so maybe that’s not a good idea. The Shelbourne Dublin looks luxurious. It has a great view and a fancy bathroom!

  9. What a great list of places!! We unfortunately didn’t get to stay in any of these while we were in Ireland (for a 9 day driving trip) but we did travel through the adorable little town of Adare. Will have to my list for the next visit!

      • Great reviews. I have very happy memories of the Shelbourne, but it has been extensively refurbished since I was last there. Time for a return visit.
        Feel the need to point out that Adare and Co Limerick are not in the UK. The UK is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Co Limerick is in the Republic of ireland, a separate country.

  10. Some of the best luxury we’ve seen is in Cairo, Egypt, Hong Kong and Bangkok, Thailand. Great report Charles!

  11. Wow.. Imagine staying in an actual castle – even for a night or two! Kilkea Castle seems pretty awesome. Good thing that you didn’t witness any paranormal phenomenon, probaby would ruin the stay. But, who doesn’t love a scare or two, right? LOL. Nevertheless, Ireland does have amazing accommodations for those wanting luxury comfort. 🙂

  12. Ireland really has some great luxury lodging properties, and this is a great list. Some were are already on my to stay list, and now I have some new ones! Looking forward to my next trip to Ireland, and glad we got to say hello in person. 🙂

  13. Ahh these royal castles in Ireland! Every time I look at them I think how powerfu and impressive they look. Amazing! I love love to stay at every single one ofthem. Will add them all to my “places to stay at in the future” list 🙂

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