Ballyfin Demesne

"So, can you tell us a little about this place? For unabashed, gilt-framed grandeur, nowhere in Ireland can beat Ballyfin. Aside from being the country’s top hotel, this Regency pile is also one of the finest and most intricate historical restorations this century. Uniformed valets will appear to unload your car while you are greeted like a much-anticipated house guest. Can you tell us a little more about its history? The political upheaval that followed World War I brought the Anglo-Irish idyll to an abrupt end and Ballyfin’s owner, the 13th Baronet Coote, sold the property to a Catholic teaching order, who established a boys’ school here. Unable to keep up with relentless maintenance costs, the Brothers sold Ballyfin in 2001 to American billionaire Fred Krehbiel and his Irish wife, Kay. The restoration process was immense, involving the finest talents from both sides of the Irish Sea, not least London-based designer Colin Orchard, who co-ordinated the hotel’s exceptional interiors. Got it. What can we expect from the bedrooms? Any favorites among the bunch? The Westmeath Room has fabulous yellow and gold Mauny wallpaper and an opulent 18th-century French bed right in the middle. The newly opened Gardener’s Cottage (a five-minute walk from the main house) has a country-style kitchen and a drawing room with fat sofas, heavy curtains and open log fires, with a bedroom decorated in spring-like pale greens and creams. No techy gimmicks. Perfect; sounds very elegant. How about the food and drink—what's the deal? Formal but not black tie. Chef Sam Moody, who trained under Michael Caines at Gidleigh Park and won a Michelin star at the Bath Priory hotel, uses ingredients grown in the eight-acre walled garden. Breakfast is a triumph: organic steel-cut Irish oats with honey from the estate bees, fresh eggs, and Irish sour dough toast with homemade fruit jam. Our mouths are watering. Anything to say about the service? Super-discreet and seamless. Staff are never overbearing; and several of them are fully versed in the property’s history and lead guided tours of the house. Nothing is too much bother—whether you want to picnic in the grounds, tour other local houses and gardens, or head to the hills for a strapping hike. Excellent. Well then, what type of person stays here? House guests are predominantly American, with some Europeans and home-grown Irish. Discerning types who enjoy the full immersion into Anglo-Irish history and pedigree. Alright. Is it close to anything? Tell us a little about the environs. Slap bang in the middle of a 614-acre country estate with the Slieve Bloom mountains rolling behind in a wash of purple heather. Gorgeous. Anything we missed? This really isn’t a child-appropriate kind of a place. Get outside and make the most of that soft Irish air whether it’s ambling, riding or cycling through the grounds or rowing on that beautiful lake. Alright, we'll book a sitter. And anything you’d change? Ban all sight and sound of golf buggies. Fair! Is it worth it—why? The place to indulge in the unbridled opulence of an early 20th-century aristocrat. Plenty of people hire the whole place and throw the ultimate decadent house party. Ballyfin has 40 dressing-up costumes for guests to borrow." - Pamela Goodman