Hotel review: A glam new restaurant and spa upgrade enhance this former Ryder Cup resort

The 2006 Ryder Cup took place at the K Club in Co Kildare, making it a great getaway for golfers

The K Club, Straffan, Co Kildare

The K Club

Straffan, Co Kildare

Our rating 8.5/10

A new restaurant, spa upgrade and fascinating wine cellar tour are fresh reasons to visit this landmark golf resort

Location

Embedded in Kildare’s lush countryside, the K Club offers country estate escapism just 20 minutes from the M50. Deceptively accessible from the capital, the vast five-star resort is also an easy jaunt up the M7. You need your own wheels to get here, but, once arrived, you will find a genteel world of golf, glamour and good food. Grounds are well maintained and you feel you’ve arrived somewhere special and significant.

• 8.5/10

Style & design

If the K Club’s exterior reminds you of a French chateau, there’s a very good explanation. The original Straffan House, which anchors the five-star resort, was completed in 1832 by the Barton family, Irish winemakers who fled their Bordeaux chateau following political upheaval. Developed and opened as the K Club – The Kildare Hotel & Golf Club – in 1991, the hotel celebrates its unique heritage with opulent bedrooms, shimmering chandeliers, luxe fabrics, elaborate stucco and impressive grounds.

• 9/10

Service

A warm welcome translates into relaxed and professional service across the whole property, from check-in to dining, the cocktail bar, spa and breakfast. Staff are well trained throughout, always attentive and never over-bearing. Encounters with the ebullient guest relations manager, Cesar, and Baptiste in the Barton Grill, are highlights. Breakfast service is exemplary, and some of the best we’ve had this year.

• 9/10

Guest rooms

A bedroom at the K Club

Our suite is pretty special, with seven towering sash windows, a beautiful circular sitting area and magnificent high ceilings. A luxurious four-poster bed, generous size and views over the lawns set it apart. Bright, comfortable and spacious it’s well designed, with plenty of occasional lighting, a large marble bathroom with powerful shower and premium Irish Voya products and fluffy robes. The high bed with crisp linen and plump pillows is comfy and it’s a cinch to turn off all the lights at night — which isn’t always the case!

• 9/10

In-room perks

An exquisite birthday cake and fruit platter are kindly left for my guest. A Nespresso machine, kettle, crystal glasses, plus tea, coffee and water are all welcome, however we are disappointed to find Scottish biscuits and UHT milk containers. A room this luxurious shouldn’t be let down by these basics.

• 6/10

On the menu

The new Barton Grill at the K Club

The newly designed Barton Grill is a beauty. Cosy, clubby, elegant and comfy, the chic restaurant is so cleverly designed that, when you arrive for breakfast the next day you will enter by a different door and experience a very different vibe. Serving casual dining we leaned into the retro dishes on an appealing menu designed to sate any mood or appetite. Executive chef Gary O’Hanlon and head chef Adam Leahy are serving up some great dishes, not least a superb beef Wellington with buttery pastry and juicy meat. Four kinds of excellent bread with creamy whipped butter, and sole filleted table-side were excellent. The only weak link was a beautiful looking Baked Alaska that proved claggy and grainy to eat.

Given its historic links to Bordeaux, wine has always been important at the K Club. Our private cellar tour and tasting with the inimitable Lisa O’Doherty proves the highlight of our stay. Wearing her knowledge lightly, this veteran sommelier brings fun and flair to her tutored tastings and clever dinner choices.

Breakfast, next day, includes good avocado toast, scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, juicy, fresh fruit and perfect scones. The basic charcuterie and cheese selection is an anomaly, and lets down an otherwise good spread.

• 8/10

Activities & amenities

Alongside two Arnold Palmer-designed golf courses (the Ryder Cup took place here in 2006) the K Club offers a full spectrum of country pursuits across its 550 acres, from padel to tennis, archery to walking trails. The K Spa is nicely tucked away with treatment rooms, two private suites and an aromatic garden alongside an exercise studio space and pool with thermal suite. Three distinctive wellness environments: the tranquil Nordic-style Revive Garden with twin ice and private sauna, Himalayan Salt Suite and private spa suite for 2-4 guests are smart and considered new attractions, with a full range of spa treatments across seven therapy rooms.

• 9/10

The bill

Midweek B&B from €249 per room in winter and €309 per room in summer.

Room to improve?

We are pleased to learn that the covered walkway from the hotel to the spa and leisure centre is being worked on next. It needs to be spruced up and has potential to be lovely. We hope the entrance to the leisiure centre is improved too, as it currently looks unloved and off-brand. 

Access for guests with disabilities? There doesn’t seem to be any information on the website but a phone call verifies a choice of accessible bedrooms and all public areas.

Family-friendly? Very, with plenty of dining options, woodland trails, activities, a kids club and family rooms.

Dogs welcome? Just service dogs weclome.

EV chargers? Yes.

• The Hotel Examiner was a guest of The K Club.
• kclub.ie