Hotel review: Low-key Tipperary hotel offers one of Ireland's best value spa getaways

The Horse and Jockey Hotel in Co. Tipperary offers great amenities at an affordable price point

The Horse and Jockey Hotel has been a landmark for the travelling community for decades

The Horse and Jockey Hotel

Horse and Jockey, Co. Tipperary

Our rating 8.75/10

Location

A landmark stomping ground for Irish travellers for decades, you could call Tipperary’s Horse & Jockey Hotel the crossroads of the nation. Located just 1km shy of the M7 and 10 minutes north of Cashel, the four-star, family-run property oozes a palpable sense of reunions and reconnection, with every pub nook and lounge sofa brimming with banter. GAA road-trippers, conference attendees, friends connecting; they all meet here.

The Horse & Jockey wouldn’t be first out of the traps if thinking of a staycation break destination, perhaps, but in the era of seeking more authentic getaway escapes, it makes a very fine choice.

• 8/10

Style and design

The decor in The Horse and Jockey is cohesive and charming

The Horse & Jockey brings hub energy and is a sweeping premises, from the 250-year-old original pub through to its restaurants and retail areas. These include the wonderful bakery, offering everything from fresh sourdough to artisan kimchi, and The Gift Horse Gallery, a very fine craft and Irish clothing store operated by The Horse and Jockey’s matriarch, Dorothy Egan. Along with the hotel’s open-plan cafe bar and lounge areas, a unique space has been created here, and it almost feels like wandering through a wholesome duty-free.

The hotel lobby is a bright, light-filled space leading to warm walnut corridors featuring a classy racehorse gallery wall. Some decor pockets feel a little more dated (yet not tired) but, overall, the experience is that of a very cohesive, charming space.

• 8.5/10

Service

The Gift Horse Gallery 

The considerable Horse & Jockey team are affable throughout; Aobha at dinner and Tracey in the spa were diamonds. There’s often an incomparable character to family-run properties too and Tom Egan, the man behind the hotel which he opened in 2002, is still very much in charge, while his daughter Caroline is also on duty to represent the next generation.

• 9/10

Guest rooms

Some 67 rooms are split into classic and more contemporary deluxe categories. I stayed in the former, which was recently refurbed with the help of designer Sara Cosgrave, offering the aesthetic and touch of a luxury boutique hotel. A soft blue colour scheme complements a fantastic leather-backed bed and an elegant equine theme: Wall prints, a gilded horse bust, and clever interior touches such as rein-effect curtain straps all create an almost country-house elegance. A good en suite also features a contemporary shower with a dark travertine and gilded fixtures finish.

• 9/10

In-room perks

Tea-making facilities and, rather than coffee capsules, it’s coffee bags from Waterford’s Blue Butterfly roaster. The hotel’s own bottled and filtered still and sparkling water, chilled in the room’s fridge, is a nice plus, while the bathroom offers Elemis products, which will please luxury lovers.

• 7/10

On the menu

The Enclosure Bar

I recently stopped off at the hotel’s bar for a quite phenomenal steak lunch (for €22.50), so was keen as mustard to sample the hotel’s dinner menu. The Enclosure Bar is a character-loaded space choc-a-block with horsey and GAA memorabilia and feels like the quintessential Premier County bar.

With a fine perch in the original pub, I started off with spicy chicken wings, nicely localised with a Cashel Blue cheese dip, and followed my server’s recommendation of the seasonal lamb dish, which featured Martin O’Dwyer’s lamb cutlet, deliciously seared and served with Ballymaloe mint jelly, a rich jus, and parsnip purée. Peak Irish pub food.

Breakfast is served in the sprucely designed Silks restaurant (which itself opens weekends). A decent selection of cold and hot buffet items is offered and, while a lack of cooked-to-order menu makes the meal feel more transient than experiential, it’s still fine for the price point.

• 8.5/10

Activities and amenities

The pool ad leisure centre at The Horse and Jockey is well kitted out

The Horse & Jockey is a complete one-stop staycation shop which, besides its food and drink options, also features business rooms, an impressive auditorium, and a pool and leisure centre. Open to the public, it is well kitted out. The Elemis and Voya spa is centred around an ambient, wood-panelled relaxation zone, where a twinkling dome ceiling and panpipe soundtrack transport me even further beyond the M7. Treatment-wise, I enjoyed the Elemis Pro-Glow CryO2 Sculpt facial from spa manager Tracey, which was one of the most thorough treatments I’ve had.

There’s outdoors appeal too; the hotel sits on the route of the Littleton Labyrinth, a new greenway and a pleasant backdrop to meander through one of Ireland’s unheralded peatland biomes. Virtually tourist-free, it adds to the appeal of this hotel all the more.

• 9/10

The bill

B&B from €149

The Hotel Examiner was a guest of The Horse & Jockey Hotel.

This off-the-radar trip to Tipp offers one of Ireland’s best-value spa getaways

Room to improve

Finer lounge furniture and greenery in the pool area could enhance the sanctuary feel. Better bedroom mirrors could add to the design. Could the addition of a cooked to order breakfast station (hello Tipperary apple and Cashel Blue omelettes!) perfect breakfast?

Access for guests with disabilities? Public areas are fully accessible with guest rooms available.
Family-friendly? While not family-focused, family rooms and children’s menus are available.
Dogs welcome? Service dogs only.
EV chargers? No, but currently in planning.

• horseandjockeyhotel.com