Check out: Three of the best hotels to buy Christmas vouchers from as gifts
Harvey’s Point in Donegal makes the perfect winter’s tale retreat
Looking for the perfect gift? With Ireland’s burgeoning “shop local” sentiment paired with a growing trend of experiential gifts, staycations have become the Christmas stocking staple in recent years. And the stats can vouch for that; last year more than 10,000 Go Anywhere gift cards were purchased from Irelandhotels.com alone. So what can your money get you if you decide to splash out — or splurge — on a hotel gift this year? This week, I’ve checked out three Irish hotels, at different price points, to inspire some great getaway gifts.
Looking to impress the in-laws? A K Club getaway may take some, well, clubbing in, but few hotels are likely to impress more than a stay at Kildare’s finest country club. Perhaps the country’s most prime-positioned luxury resort, just 30 minutes from Dublin, The K Club is nestled in a massively tranquil estate just outside the Kildare village of Straffan. Outside, along a picket-fenced parklands driveway, the estate offers an air of Kentucky Horse Country until sight of the hotel’s chateau-inspired, 1830s manor makes its regal appearance through the oaks.
Inside, The K Club is the peak of Christmas charm and magically festooned for the festive season, from its Hallmark movie lobby to an inviting trove of gorgeous drawing rooms and lounges. Around me, parties of guests leisurely play board games and indulge in Ireland’s prime afternoon tea real estate, all amid the twinkle of Christmas trees straight from a BT window staging.
I was staying in one of The K Club’s swish Deluxe River View rooms; a generous space which, once I’d jimmied those net curtains on the hooks, offers storybook views over golf greens and Liffey Valley countryside. The country club pedigree plays a strong game here with classic furniture, floral prints and busy wallpaper warmed with a colour palette of ruby and mahogany. It’s all very traditional, and I do wonder if the décor is dating sooner than some other estates across the country, but if your gift recipient is a fan of old-world luxury, then the K Club hits a hole in one.
For food lovers, the K Club tempts with options from fine dining at the manor’s finesse-loaded Barton restaurant to more casual fare at the newly refurbed 19th hole, The Arnold Palmer. I’ve a table booked at the latter; a slickly designed clubhouse with an almost boujee, Bel Air facade. I begin with an Old Fashioned aperitif at the clubhouse’s conservatory, though not quite being able to soak in those lake and fairway views on a winter’s night, I’d recommend a prink at the manor’s stylish Blue Martini cocktail bar if dining here offseason.
The Arnold Palmer’s beautifully decorated bar is impressive however with a great balance of table privacy, ambience, and live piano medleys. Dish highlights included lemon sole meuniere and a prawn pil pil starter and while some options like my superfood salad felt less than, well, super for €14, menu options like gourmet burgers for €22 means you can still dine at the K Club for decent value.
With more than 500 acres to explore and myriad leisure activities, guests at the K Club will need little reason to veer off course, too. Along with that Arnold Palmer course (likely to impress the golfer in your life), the hotel offers complimentary bike rental to tour the estate grounds which is marked with charming bridges, weirs, and waterfalls; beautiful grounds, though trails could be better sign-posted, I felt. The hotel spa, accessed through a rather circuitous indoor/outdoor courtyard trail is also a fine refuge, though, not unique to the K Club, both sauna and steam room are gender-separated which is a bit of a craic-buster if you’re travelling with an opposite-sex plus-one. However, the pool features an outdoor hot tub, open for all guests. Where better to soak in a starry night in Kildare?
The K Club is one of Ireland’s classic country club getaway experiences with fine food and amenities and top drawer service. Sure, that conservative room décor, smothered with soft furnishings, may elicit a whisper of “my parents would love this” but there are more than enough picture-perfect food moments and stunning period aesthetics to wow the Insta-couples in your life too. B&B rates from €250; kclub.ie
Surely the most Christmassy Harvey in Ireland along with the Bristol Cream — Harvey’s Point in Donegal makes the perfect winter’s tale retreat. The four-star hotel has long been synonymous with great Irish hospitality and is famed for its dream setting amid Lough Eske and the Blue Stack Mountains.
That landscape is all the more accessible now thanks to the hotel’s newly launched balcony rooms which command stunning vistas from the top floor. Could there be more of a stunning spot to sip some mulled wine? For a more budget base, the hotel also offers twin lodge rooms from €150. harveyspoint.com
West Cork is one of Ireland’s undisputed staycation hotspots, and hotel rates can reflect that. But there’s great value to be had there in the Wild Atlantic winter.
One of the best value options for me is the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery, located right on the doorstep of the Wild Atlantic Way. The three-star base is popular for couples, families, and solo travellers alike, plus a great local food ethos inspires a number of packages from festive foodie deals to guided walking stays fuelled with artisan picnics.
Room-only rates from €89, or splash out for a B&B bay view room from €109. celticrosshotel.com
Choosing a hotel break is all part of the fun and all the above hotels — as well as 400 more — can be booked with the Go Anywhere voucher available from Irelandhotels.com. Vouchers, which come in denominations of €50, can be redeemed against hotel stays as well as dining, afternoon teas and spa visits.
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