Adare Manor
Adare Manor is set on 840 acres of formal gardens.

 

On a recent trip to the Emerald Isle, we toured Adare Manor, a 19th-century residence-turned-five-star hotel that is right out of a fairy tale. Set on an expansive 840 acres of streams, fields and perfectly manicured gardens in the heart of County Limerick’s picturesque Adare village, the Manor dates back to 1832 when it was home to the second Earl of Dunraven. The arrival experience alone merits praise as you wind your way around gentle green hills before entering.

Among its many room categories (62 bedrooms in the Manor; 46 villas on the grounds; 11 Clubhouse bedrooms; and 22 Townhouse rooms), the ones most touted are the Dunraven Staterooms, notably Room No. 301. This room was fully refurbished and redesigned in July, and is the largest in the Manor House at 947 square feet. Guests take in views over the French formal gardens and the River Maigue. Celeb Sightings: Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones were the first guests to stay in this room. Other VIPs of the hotel have included Hugh Grant, Sharon Osbourne, Samuel L Jackson and John Travolta.

Nice Touch: There’s no bad seat in the house. Each room offers spectacular views, whether they are of the French formal gardens or the River Maigue and golf course. Butler service is also available to all guests.

Each part of the Manor adds a historical touch to the experience. For example, the spa, also known as The Elemis Treatment Rooms, is housed in a cottage that used to serve as the coachman’s home. We hear the most requested treatment is the Elemis Skin Specific Facial. It is recommended to book treatments a couple of days in advance to arrival.

The Presidential Suite is the former bedroom of Lady Caroline Wyndham
The Presidential Suite is the former bedroom of Lady Caroline Wyndham, who commissioned the Manor’s building in the 1830s.

Following an afternoon of pampering (or golfing, horseback riding, fishing, whiskey tasting), we recommend tucking into a meal in The Oakroom, which not only overlooks the river, but also has an impressive colonnade that provides an incredibly romantic setting. Note: The dim candlelight has made this the spot of dozens of marriage proposals (to which all answered yes!). The eight-course tasting menu is recommended, which can be accompanied with any of the roughly 300 wines cellared at a time at the property.

We’d be remiss to not mention golf—it is Ireland after all. Adare Manor is home to an 18-hole championship golf course, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., who, we hear, deemed the layout the most perfect and natural for a course that he had ever seen.

Getting There: Adare Manor is just 25 minutes from Shannon International Airport. Shannon is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility, which means it has pre-clearance facilities for U.S. travelers.

Luxury travel advisors can contact Sales Manager Gillian Griffin ([email protected]; 011-353-061-605-223).