Can you recommend a castle in Ireland or Scotland to stay in for a couple of nights?
Posted by
Virginia
46 posts
I haven't stayed in a lot of castles, but of the few we stayed in, we really enjoyed this one in the heart of Ireland
Posted by
107 posts
We also stayed in Kinnitty Castle. We also liked it a lot. Another castle we stayed in and enjoyed was Ballyseede Castle. We also stayed in what we thought was a castle outside of Dublin , but it was deceiving. Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel is not a castle at all in the traditional sense of the word.
Posted by
OP
35 posts
Thank you!
Posted by
TN, USA
2156 posts
We stayed at both Ashford Castle (originally the home of the Guinness family) and Dromoland Castle. If you stay at either, I recommend at least two nights, so you have a chance to soak up the environment, the gardens, and the grounds.
We did the Hawk Walk at the School of Falconry at Ashford Castle (reserve in advance), and it was an incredible experience.
The walled garden at Dromoland is beautiful, and we were lucky to meet the head gardener(by chance) who showed us around and escorted us into the (not open to the public) greenhouse for a quick look. Disclaimer: Gardening is more than a casual hobby for me.
It has been 11 years or so since our trip to Ireland. We understand Ashford has undergone an extensive upgrade (and it was truly fabulous already when we were there) and also understand they have Irish Wolfhounds on "staff" now, too.
Both of these castle hotels are a bit of a splurge, but the memories we have of both are divine.
If you do not find 2-3 night booking specials on-line, I suggest emailing or contacting the hotels to inquire about specials that might (or could) apply during your travel dates. Specials (when we were there), included breakfast each day and at least one evening dinner.
You will feel like kings/queens.
If forced to choose between the two, I'd go with Ashford...but it would be hard to make the choice (better to experience both). Dromoland is smaller.
Posted by
TN, USA
2156 posts
P.S. While technically not a "castle," Adare Manor is also lovely. It was booked up when we traveled (our trip planned just weeks before our travel), but we stopped in for coffee and got to look around a bit. Incredibly beautiful. We are not golfers, but I can imagine it would be extra special for those who do play. We had a chance to talk with one of the gardeners, who was delightful.