In Jackie O’s steps
Killarney’s Grand Dame has undergone a big shake-up in recent years, changing owners and getting an expensive overhaul. But has it kept its character in the process?
Step past the Victorian façade of the Malton today and a sleek, low-lit reception desk beckons from the heart of the old columned lobby. White hydrangea, bejewelled light fittings and crushed velvet fabrics are swish new touches in the old railway hotel.
But the heritage isn’t forgotten. You’ll still find the smiling, long-serving staff, and nostalgic old prints evoke the Great Southern Railway’s heyday. An opulent new Kennedy Suite recalls just one of the famous guests that have stayed at the hotel since it opened in 1854: Jackie Onassis.
The Malton offers high-ceilinged rooms in its Victorian wing, or more contemporary accommodation in the newer garden wing. We stayed in a family room in the latter, a sizeable affair with a double, a single and a cot, and plenty of space to arrange them in.
Our fourth floor windows looked out on to the nearby mountains, and an open wardrobe space and a fridge for milk and bottles, came in very handy. A comfy three-seater couch, standalone shower and bright wood added to the airy feel.
The Malton’s best spaces are its public areas — the Punchbowl bar, with its curvy counter and windows overlooking the leafy streetscape outside; a sleek library with a children’s section our five-year-old kept coming back to; a plush, sun-splashed reading room.
Penetrate further into the hotel and the years start rolling back — the carpets get dodgy, and the scuffs and scratches of a busy Killarney hotel begin to materialise. Outside, six acres of gardens and flowerbeds are overlooked by the mountains, and we got great mileage out of a sparklingly clean playground with a basket swing and sandpit with its own digger.
Elsewhere, there’s a range of treatments at the Innisfallen Health & Beauty Rooms, though with kids in tow, we got more use out of the pool. Mixed reviews here — 17m is a reasonable length, and there’s a token section for kids, but a touch-up is in order. Little stains and spots of rust are to be found and I regularly found myself steering our toddler away from cracked tiles.
A big, fat duvet of cloud parked itself over Killarney National Park during our visit, but it says a lot about the town that we had a good time anyway. The Malton is very central. Breaking out the rain gear and buggy cover, we took a tour of Muckross House, learning the extraordinary lengths its owners went to in preparation for the visit of Queen Victoria (including the construction of a ground floor fire escape), 150 years ago.
After that, we drove a stretch of the N71 past the Killarney Lakes, Torc Waterfall and Ladies’ View, nosed around the Killarney Outlet Centre opposite the hotel, and got to try several local eateries on our list. Top of the heap were the carrot cupcakes at Miss Courtney’s Tearooms, and the gluten-free fish ‘n’ chips at The Allegro — a godsend for L, who is coeliac.
Our three-night package included two dinners in the Malton’s Garden Room, with vaulted Victorian ceiling, gold leaf flourishes, and tall sash windows overlooking the gardens.
A three-course table d’hôte menu costs €38pp, including a sorbet and amuse bouche. I enjoyed a juicy rib-eye of Irish Hereford, with potatoes from the hotel garden, and a risotto of broad bean and rocket, served with a Parmesan Tuile, was another hit.
Despite discussing gluten-free options with L, however, the kitchen proceeded to send her hake out, sprinkled with croutons.
Breakfast is served in the same space, a buffet-style set-up to which you can add honeyed waffles, French toast and other treats from an a la carte menu.
The Malton has two nights’ B&B plus one dinner from €438 (midweek) and €450 (weekends), for two adults and two children sharing. Contact 064 663-8000 or themalton.com.
It took a while for the service to warm up for us in this big, evolving four-star. One evening, for instance, I went along to the restaurant to see about an early table.
“We’re booked out until 8.30pm,” was the curt response.
Any other options? “No, not until 8.30pm.”
You mean there are no other eating options in the hotel?
“The bar,” I was told, with a finger pointing down the corridor.
Once the service did warm up, however, it got very warm indeed. Senior staff always had time to chat to the kids, our bags were looked after, and when we worried that our toddler would be a little boisterous for the restaurant, a kinder staff member batted our concerns away.
“There are always kids around here,” she said. “We don’t mind.”
Music to a parent’s ears.
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