Hotel review: This Wild Atlantic Way star offers one of the best value dining escapes in the country

The exterior of the Hotel Doolin

Hotel Doolin, Doolin, Co Clare

Our rating: 8.5/10

Location

Nestled in the renowned but pint-sized Co. Clare village of Doolin, this charming, characterful hotel woos visitors with surely one of the most “peak-Ireland” settings in the country.

Epic attractions on your doorstep here range from the Cliffs of Moher, a short spin up the road; the Burren and all its karst splendour is a mere sliotar puck away while the village is a ferry gateway to the Aran Islands from March to October.

Have a grá for a good session? You’re in the trad music heartland of Ireland too.

• 9/10

Style & design

With one of the most unique hotel facades you could find in Ireland, Doolin Hotel was fashioned on a traditional Irish village when it was built in 2007 and the result is a sensitively incorporated streetscape, feeling not entirely unlike you’ve landed on to the set of Ros na Rún.

Flanked by the hotel’s modernist main block, that colourful exterior also features the facades of the hotel’s two restaurants along with the hotel’s very own pub which borrows its name from the local Fitz’s Cross.

Inside, there’s a pleasant reception area with ambient fireplace and a nice collection of traditional Banner County art adding rustic warmth.

The innovative property is continuing its albergo diffuso (scattered hotel) ambitions by recently opening up Sean-Nós; one of the most gorgeous new bakeries in the country.

• 8/10

Service

The wonderfully warm team here is the perfect antidote to the squally weather that welcomes me and is charming throughout from the reception to restaurant teams.

It must be noted that the hotel’s new suites (see opposite ) are located a short stroll from the main building and are not connected to reception by internal phone lines (a bit of an inconvenience when needing assistance during a downpour), however I’m told a new WhatsApp
concierge service is en route.

• 8.5/10

Guest rooms

A suite at Hotel Doolin

The hotel is boutique in proportions with just 17 rooms which are smartly presented for the price point (with more updates in the pipeline).

I stayed in one of the new luxury suites which are converted from self-catering townhouses on the hotel’s village style site.

The architectural bones of the properties means I do feel like I’m staying in a very lovely residential Airbnb rather than a conventional hotel suite but they’re inviting spaces with rustic cosiness embellished with Irish touches and textures from bedside stools designed by Garry Marcham at Goose Island Workshop in Castlegregory to artwork by Ennistymon-based artist Fuchsia MacAree.

• 8/10

In-room perks

There’s lots of colour and flavour here: all hotel guests receive a welcome sweet treat and a hand-written welcome note on a card by local artist Tina O’Connell (a rarity even for many a five-star establishment).

Guests also receive a voucher for a Dooliner Beer in Fitz’s Pub and a loaf of homemade Dooliner & Treacle bread upon check-out.

Extra surprises for Suites guests.

• 9/10

On the menu

Dining out at Hotel Doolin

Dining is a huge plus at Doolin Hotel with three options (Glas Restaurant, Stonewall Pizza and Fitz’s bar) offering menus based on an impressive 30-mile ethos.

I ate at Fitz’s, enjoying Flaggy Shore oysters, sublime Atlantic cod, and a delicious Clare cheese board which capped one of my best meals of the year.

Breakfast is served in the hotel’s barn-style dining room and is an excellent offering for the price with continental items presented as personal tiered dishes and a fine selection of hot choices.

• 9/10

Activities & amenities

What this small property lacks in terms of on-site amenities, it makes up for with an excellent traditional music offering.

The property features live music 365 days of the year and my evening meal at Fitz’s coincided with a session from young uilleann pipe player Liam Kelly accompanied by Patrick Crehan on guitar — they bring a soul-warming USP to this class act establishment.

Keep an eye out for Doolin Writers’ Weekend on January 16-18 too.

• 10/10

Checking in

The Bill: B&B for two from €150. Suites from €300.

Room to Improve: Suite entry corridors could benefit from softening for a more cohesive luxury experience. The hotel’s window-heavy interior corridors can feel drafty and there were ventilation issues in my suite which are being addressed. Rear car park views are stark but there are plans to green the area in one to the hotel’s latest pioneering sustainability projects.

Accessibility: One accessible hotel room, one accessible suite.

Family-Friendly: Two family rooms, three self-catering houses.

Dog-Friendly: Dogs welcome in ground floor suites, self-catering houses and Fitz’s Bar.

EV Chargers: Two.

• Hotel Doolin
• Fitz Cross, Doolin, Co. Clare
• hoteldoolin.ie
• The Hotel Examiner was a guest of Hotel Doolin