THREE IRISH HOTELS have been named among the world’s Top 10 in the 2016 Condé Nast Traveler’s [sic] Readers’ Choice Awards.
Ballyfin Demesne, in Co Laois, is the world’s number one hotel according to over 300,000 readers of the influential New York travel magazine.
The magazine describes the Laois hotel as being located “an hour and a half north of Dublin”.
An hour and a half north of Dublin would bring you to approximately Newry, Co Down, a town (or, since 2002, a city) decidedly lacking in five-star hotels.
(There is, however, a luxury boutique hotel in Warrenpoint, about a 90 minutes’ drive from Dublin.)
Ballyfin was chosen ahead of foreign hotels such as COMO The Treasury in Perth, Umaid Bhawan Palace (Taj) in India and Virgin Islands Hotels Chicago.
Butler
Waterford Castle was named in seventh place in the list of luxury establishments, while The Lodge at Ashford Castle, a four-star hotel, was placed ninth.
“If you’ve ever dreamed of summering at a country house, you couldn’t do much better than this stately, 20-room Georgian home, about an hour and a half north of Dublin,” Condé Nast says of Ballyfin House in Laois.
It adds:
Beyond the regal four-poster canopy beds, gilded mirrors, and richly textured wallpapers, there are 614 acres of secluded private gardens begging to be strolled.
But the real highlight? Having a butler row you out on the lake before enjoying a sumptuous lunch at the picnic house.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are believed to have spent part of their 2014 Irish honeymoon at the 200-year-old Ballyfin.
“We are so proud, thrilled and excited,” Ballyfin management said on its Facebook page.
Ballyfin scored a 99.11 rating from readers. Waterford Castle received a 98.6 rating, and the Lodge at Ashford Castle scored 98.38.
The five-star Ballyfin charges upwards of €560 per room midweek, with full-board rates rising to €1,700 per night in its top suites. It re-opened in 2011.
Condé Nast said readers voted on 7,394 hotels, submitting millions of ratings for its awards.
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