Hotels in Ireland

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

This nineteenth-century Gothic manor with 52 chimneys, 365 leaded-glass windows, and an exterior replete with arches and gargoyles has staff that let you "relax, wander, and reflect without fuss." Rooms with rich woods, high ceilings, and marble bathrooms face the River Maigue. Sample pan-fried trout and tiger prawns or fillet of pork beneath crystal chandeliers at the Oakroom Restaurant.

141 rooms

Amenities: Golf, Pool, Spa

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

Set amid "spectacular grounds",350 acres of garden and forest on the shores of Lough Corrib,this thirteenth-century castle once belonged to the Guinness family. Its wood-paneled hall is filled with period antiques and art; rooms have four-poster beds, fireplaces, and pedestal claw-foot tubs. After a day of golf or archery, unwind to nightly music at the Dungeon Bar.

83 rooms

Amenities: Golf, Spa, Tennis

New to the Gold List

Bird-watching, swimming off a private beach, and fishing in nearby lakes and rivers are popular pastimes at this ninteenth-century manor house on Cashel Bay. The seafood and local produce are "superb, with a well-stocked wine cellar to match," and the glass-walled dining room overlooks 50 acres of gardens. Accommodations come in English chintz and pastels.

32 rooms

Amenities: Beach, Golf, Tennis

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

This Georgian mansion on 1,500 acres of "beautiful grounds" has rooms decorated in period style; a few are set near a private garden. The view of the River Nore is "wonderful, but the food is better" at both the stucco Lady Helen Dining Room and the more casual Kendals, which offers a red-fruit cr

58 rooms

Amenities: Golf, Pool, Spa, Tennis

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

Located on a 410-acre estate, this Renaissance castle,formerly the home of local aristocracy,is encircled by woods, meadows, and a lake, and its "warm and comforting rooms" have hand-carved paneling, antique furnishings, and stone statuary. Staff "treat guests like VIPs." At the Earl of Thomond Restaurant, sample Irish-French fusion fare. The golf course has ten automated driving bays.

100 rooms

Amenities: Golf, Spa, Tennis

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

Designed to mirror the Georgian residences and embassies that surround it, this brick hotel has rooms with dark woods; color schemes of rose, yellow, blue, or green; and deep soaking tubs that "couldn't be more inviting." Steamed sea bass and venison rib eye are available at Seasons; some spa treatments incorporate organic Irish yogurt, honey, and rose hips. Staff are "sincere in their hospitality."

196 rooms

Amenities: Pool, Spa

New to the Gold List

The hotel's location in the center of Killarney puts guests "within walking distance of shopping, restaurants, and pubs." Rooms are done in hues of chocolate, cinnamon, and cream; junior suites have three flat-screen TVs The casual Garden Bar has a bistro-style menu; the Park Restaurant serves contemporary interpretations of traditional Irish and European dishes.

68 rooms

Amenities: Pool, Spa

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

These four restored Georgian town houses (and a newer garden wing) "are so central",opposite the National Gallery,and date from the 1760s. Rooms with flat-screen TVs and Wi-Fi command views of a private garden with box hedges; some suites have Rococo plaster ceilings. The white-on-white Cellar Restaurant serves calves liver and fish-and-chips.

143 rooms

Amenities: Pool, Spa

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

Overlooking Kenmare Bay, this nineteenth-century Victorian mansion has a location that "can't be any better," as evidenced by its perfect score. "You really feel like you're staying in someone's home."Perfect-scoring staff are "extraordinarily knowledgeable." The Dining Room serves duck foie gras on black pudding and looks onto terraced gardens and the Caha Mountains. The Samas (Gaelic for indulgence of the senses) spa has an infinity pool and a relaxation area set in the woods.

46 rooms

Amenities: Golf, Spa, Tennis

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

On the site of a former fishing lodge on Kenmare Bay, this property has "a very private location that gives one a true feel of the Irish countryside." Subtle cream-and-peach rooms are "large and well appointed" with Italian marble bathrooms. "The manager greeted us upon our arrival." Anticipate "a fantastic candlelit dinner" with live piano music at La Cascade, where special attention is paid to local seafood and cheese.

66 rooms

Amenities: Golf, Pool, Spa, Tennis

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005

This Italianate former warehouse and bank overlooking Trinity College is "steps away from everything we wanted to see." Rooms in muted tones contain mahogany furniture and Celtic touches. The Mint Bar occupies the bank's vaults and serves salads and sandwiches, but the food "isn't one of my fondest memories."

163 rooms

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

"It feels like home,if home were a castle with servants." This sixteenth-century retreat on a private island accessible only by ferry is "an elegant, quiet gem," from the oak-paneled hall with eighteenth-century tapestries and a huge fireplace to individually designed rooms that are "not modern, but lovely and spacious." Dine on roast cod with sweet potato puree in the Munster Room to the strains of live piano music.

19 rooms

Amenities: Golf, Tennis