Recommended romantic hideaways in Ireland
Ireland abounds with hotels ideal for your St. Valentine’s tryst. A few we can recommend are:
Pine Lodge Country Home, Co. Offaly
Provides the perfect place for a romantic break with an indoor heated pool, massage and aromatherapy treatments plus long walks through the almost soporifically beautiful, unspoilt countryside of Co. Offaly.
Tel: 00 353 506 519 27.
Ghan House, Carlingford, Co. Louth
For an impossibly romantic setting you couldn’t really better Ghan House in Carlingford, with the Cooley Mountains as a backdrop and the Mountains of Mourne sweeping down to the sea just across Carlingford Lough.
The 18th Georgian house is discreetly hidden behind high walls — some of which are the remnants of the old 12th century Dominican friary — and is ideal for a Valentine’s romantic stroll.
The establishment is run by the Carroll family with style and flair and has been recommended as one of the Best 100 places to stay in Ireland with its romantic, snug bars, intimate dining rooms and open fires and candles.
A wealth of beauty and history to provide an unforgettable backdrop for a romantic weekend break.
Tel: 00 353 42 937 3682 or visit the website www.ghanhouse.com
Tinakilly House, Rathnew, Co. Wicklow
An 1870s mansion overlooking the sea. This haven just 30 miles from Dublin has dozens of romantic, wind-tossed walks to choose from before retiring to the sumptuous Admiral’s State Room equipped with log fire, or your four-poster bed for a pre-prandial cuddle.
The menu itself is geared towards luxury with game, oysters and fish. Stoke up for long walks with the house dish of steak and champ (spring onion and mashed potato).
Tel: 00 353 404 69274; e-mail reservations@tinakilly.ie.
Temple Country House & Health Spa, Horseleap, Moate, Co. Westmeath
Recently voted Irish guesthouse of the year. This lovely old former farmhouse lies at the end of a winding boreen. Out back a small health spa might make you feel better about the lashings of rashers served in the morning, but you’ll have to pick your way through a farmyard and shoo the hens out of the way — rustic romance.
The rooms in the main house are cosy with fireplace and rugs.
Tel: 00 353 506 35118.
Merriman Hotel, Kinvara, Co. Galway
This hotel offers a Valentine’s Night deal for ¤50 per person sharing, including full Irish breakfast. Kinvara is an almost impossibly picturesque fishing village on the shores of Galway Bay with a plethora of pubs to choose from. Fine restaurants, nice pubs and bracing sea-shore walks.
Tel: 00 353 91 638222 or visit www.merrimanhotel.com
Slieve Donard Hotel, Newcastle, Co. Down
Set against the Mourne Mountains, the Slieve Donard is named after the highest peak in the range. The luxurious hotel has grand public areas decked out with chandeliers, giant paintings, black-and-white photographs and memorabilia from more than 100 years worth of previous visitors.
The rich and famous have been visiting since the hotel opened in 1897. On the ground floor, the giant Chaplin Bar serves snacks throughout the day and the library, the drawing room and the Oak Restaurant all look out towards Dundrum Bay. In addition there is a health club with gym, a steam room, a jacuzzi and a beauty salon.
Tel: 028 4372 3681.
Cullintra House, Co. Kilkenny
A 200-year-old farmhouse where honest and affordable accommodation is spiced with local idiosyncrasy. Dinners are by candlelight and a singsong in the conservatory inevitably follows. There are four rooms, a family suite of three rooms and a barn apartment — each decorated with real flair.
Tel: 00 353 51 423614.
|
