Fodor's Expert Review Keenan's Boutique Hotel

Barry Keenan is the fifth generation of his family since 1838 to run this first-rate hotel overlooking the Shannon, with a quality restaurant perfectly capable of challenging the Purple Onion next door for culinary polish and panache. It's a popular stop off for river cruisers so there's a constant, convivial vibe in season. The bar is a mini museum filled with memorabilia and a "Wall of Fame" featuring some well-known celebrity visitors over the years. Bedrooms are painted in calming beige and cream, with black curtains, and dark-wood furnishings, and were given a makeover in 2019.

Ask for a room where you can watch sunrise over the Shannon from your small flower-filled balcony—an ideal spot to gaze at the river and listen to birdsong.