Hotel Review: Killeavy Castle Estate is a wonderful stay in the Armagh countryside

A majestic setting with outstanding dining, this scenic Armagh hotel makes a delicious destination property.

Killeavy Castle, Co Armagh

Location

A peak location in every sense, Killeavy is the closest hotel in the North for the majority of visitors travelling from the south, set just 4km north of the Louth/Armagh border via the M1/A1 — 1 hour from both Belfast and Dublin. 

Its setting, nestled within the actual foothills of the spectacular yet unheralded Slieve Gullion Forest Park, makes the property very much a destination hotel in its own right. 

However, Armagh’s orchard country, Down’s glorious coastline and the Mourne Mountains are also on your doorstep should you opt to linger a little longer.

9/10

Style and design

A relatively new offering to the North’s hotel landscape, Killeavy Castle Estate opened in 2019, already picking up a Northern Ireland Hotel of the Year gong last year. 

The property features the restored 19th century castle as well as a purpose-built 45-bedroom hotel hewn into original courtyard buildings. 

“Soothing contemporary” is the design brief here, though the hotel’s exterior is arguably so modernist, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was an apartment block in a continental university campus. 

However subtle architectural touches which give the new build a sense of castellations make this next-generation of the estate quite harmonious on the whole. 

Plus, the gorgeous grounds of the four-star property are maintained to an impressive five-star finish.

8/10

Service

Service across the hotel is warm, efficient and ebullient. 

I was impressed with intuitive servers at meal times who offered me gluten free-options and alternatives without prompting.

8/10

Rooms

I was staying in one of the hotel’s 10 deluxe rooms, luxurious well designed spaces, which command bright aspects overlooking Killeavy’s scenic hinterland (and a little car park action in the foreground). 

It’s a fresh room which yields to the same soft grey and accents of green palette of the facade and feels fresh, contemporary and almost more urbane than rustic. 

Touches like a bed throw from the Foxford Woollen Mills add earthier texture to what is a very fine base.

8/10

In-room perks

My room featured a Nespresso machine and tea making facilities along with wine, Armagh cider and artisanal snacks for purchase. 

There are fluffy spa robes, filtered Killeavy bottled water, a copy of Ulster Tatler as well as the handy addition of an umbrella should drizzle temper those woodland walks.

Simple touches which add a considered, premium feel.

8/10

On the menu

Killeavy’s 2 AA Rosette restaurant, Gullion at Killeavy, serves up a farm-to-fork ethos in the truest sense, with much of the kitchen’s produce sourced from the hotel’s very own pastures and walled gardens. 

I enjoyed their imaginative four-course tasting menu (£69) which began with a kombucha appetiser served with savoury scone and smoked eel. 

Along with a sealed-letter detailing the meal, it was a potentially gimmicky start, however the food more than stacked up to the fanfare. 

Scallops with mussels and tonka beans was followed by delicious estate longhorn beef fillet served with root veg, beef cheek terrine and a decadent truffle jus. 

Dessert, inspired by Slieve Gullion, was a spiral of caramelised apple with cider pastry cream while petit fours presented with billowing dry ice provided a theatrical end to an outstanding meal. 

Breakfast at Killeavy offers an elevated buffet experience with a fine spread of (local) continental fare. My cooked-to-order scrambled eggs with smoked salmon were enjoyed overlooking the farm’s cattle herd grazing just outside.

9/10

Activities and amenities

Killeavy features its own spa and stylish thermal suite; a fresh contemporary space with floor to ceiling bucolic views. 

Elemis spa treatments here start from £65 for a 30 minute Swedish neck and back massage while many of the spa’s aromatics and botanicals are sourced from the hotel’s own garden (an ethos billed as “field to face”). 

A neat addition is the hotel’s own standalone farm store which serves both souvenir-seeking guests and the local community. 

Products range from the estate’s longhorn beef and lamb to local artisanal NI brands. 

True highlight is perhaps the natural setting and along with estate walks, you’ve direct access to Slieve Gullion and its outstanding mountain trails.

9/10

Escape notes

• Room to improve? Some of the common areas and lounges felt sterile and could benefit from more soft furnishings.
• Access for guests with disabilities? Three fully accessible rooms.
• Family-friendly? Yes.
• Dogs welcome? Only in Killeavy’s self-catering residences
• Car chargers? Yes.

The verdict

• Killeavy Castle Estate
• Newry, Co Armagh
• killeavycastle.com
• Our rating: 9/10
• B&B rates from €228, Thom Breathnach was a guest of Killeavy Castle Estate.