Castle/Manor House Accommodation Suggestions?
 

Hello!

I will be traveling around Ireland, particularly the west coast, in October on my honeymoon. We would like to splurge and stay at a really nice castle or manor house, but we also don't want to spend a small fortune on it either. We'll be in the County Kerry, County Clare and County Galway areas. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Try Abbeyglen Castle in Clifden or Ballinahinch just outside Clifden. They will not break the bank like Dromolond Castle (Too stuffy anyway!)but are nice. Abbeyglen has great evenings in the bar at weekends and Ballinahinch has beautiful grounds for walking and fishing.

They do specials on the Abbeyglen website.

try www.hiddenireland.com - they have a great selection of some of the top smaller hotels in Ireland.

Hi Mina:

Here is a brief list:

Ashford Castle, Co Galway: http://www.ashford.ie/

Abbeyglen Castle, Co Galway: http://www.abbeyglen.ie/

Cregg Castle, Co Galway (easily the least expensive and a pretty neat place to stay): http://www.creggcastle.com/

Dromoland Castle, Co. Clare: http://www.dromoland.ie/welcome.htm

Glin Castle, Co Limerick (between Kerry and Clare) http://www.glincastle.com/

There is also Carrigeen Castle in Co. Tipperary in the town of Cahir, which is actually an old jail. It's not really a splurge and is an interesting old building, but is not really a luxurious stay. They are at: http://www.tipp.ie/butlerca.htm

This is a start at some of the big hitters in the area.

Bill

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to draw everyones attention to Carrigeen Castle, a prison-castle B&B where I've stayed on several occasions, and enjoyed confortable beds and hearty breakfasts, with knowledgeable owners who care about their premises, and it shows! SPOTLESSLY CLEAN! And not a purpose-built conveyor-type building - unique, one of a kind.

David weren't you on another post praising this place...sounds fishy to me!

Hi Siobhan,
I've already explained elsewhere on this site, that it was my first outing in "travel talk", and while I was more than happy to write a single lengthy posting, found parallel discussion in more than one "room" - I believe they are called threads - always thought threads were used in sewing!!:) Anyway, hence the multiple postings though ignorance - why are there so many categories with the same type replies I wonder? Thought someone was on an agenda, and thought I would correct the record in the more recent discussions

Mina73;
This past March we stayed at Cregg Castle (really a manor house) & Dromoland and can recommend both. Cregg Castle is a good place to use for exploring Western Ireland. It is run by Irish (Celtic) musicians and they give concerts every other night. Dromoland sister castle Ashford in Cong is just as nice and may be better place to explore Ireland.

Greg

We stayed at Ballynahinch Castle for a night back in May and it was perhaps the best of places we stayed in Ireland, and that includes the Mt. Juliet Conrad and the Westin Dublin. Wonderful grounds, great service, and an exceptional restaurant. It isn't inexpensive, but it's not overpriced either. Would certainly go back there.

I have not stayed here yet but we always visit the grounds or go cycling in the area. The food is great in the bar. I have not heard any bad things about it yet. Its a very relaxing area if you want to chill out for a few days and take walks.

We just got back and haven't yet put together a full trip report but must say we loved Ballynahinch. We spent our first three nights there and had a terrific time. The food was great (in the on site pub and in the formal dining room), terrific service, and we enjoyed walking the grounds (it also helped that it was our only three days of sunshine!) It may not be the most luxurious but it was very special.