Adare Manor

"How did it strike you on arrival?A stately manor house on hundreds of acres, a raging river, and a picture-perfect adjacent village. The long drive to the hotel's porte cochère is impossibly smooth, parked cars are spit-shined, and staff holding umbrellas make sure not a drop of Irish rain hits a single head or piece of luggage. This isn't your predictable, gravel-groomed, stiff and slightly-spooky country estate. The renovation and expansion of County Limerick's most famous hotel, the most expensive in the country's history, didn't skimp on a thing. A new wing blends seamlessly, in soft grey granite, with its mid-nineteenth-century main building—which has a total of 365 leaded windows, 52 chimneys, seven pillars, and four towers (based on calendar and season counts, natch). Nice. What's the crowd like?An even spread of Sunday-luncheon locals, American tourists, skilled golfers, families, and returning couples curious to see what's changed and what hasn't. The hush in public spaces isn't intimidating and there are myriad cozy places to sit and converse. No annoying background music, just the crackle from open fireplaces. Refreshingly, the check-in and concierge desks aren't a focus. It still feels much like the home it once was for the Earls of Dunraven. It remains privately-owned, so you'll not find a smidgen of corporate heraldry. The good stuff: Tell us about your room.Top-tier rooms, like the Signature Suites, come with butlers, and are splendidly over-the-top with carved wood panelling, fanciful stucco ceilings, overstuffed sofas, elegant Georgian-era-style mahogany writing tables, freestanding bath tubs, and impossibly-heavy drapery. Mine, a Classic, chosen for being the lowest priced, was a miniaturized version of its betters but hardly lacked an ounce of grand atmosphere—it helped that the view overlooked the fast-flowing River Maigue and bucolic golf course. A king-size bed and far-from-fussy marble bathroom with rain shower were perfectly-positioned in its 463-square-feet. How about the little things, like mini bar, or shower goodies. Any of that make its way into your suitcase?Any of the original 19th-century art on the walls of every bedroom and hallway—from oil paintings to etchings to political cartoons warrant inclusion here. But that would be criminal, so I'll go for my own photos of the lively wallpaper patterns used throughout, including bathrooms, to have custom-made for my own home one day. You're starving. There's a knock at the door. OMG, it's room service! What's on offer, how much does it cost, and how was it?The hotel's toe-to-top renovation included a basement service and kitchen "kingdom" that now runs the length of both buildings, allowing staff to appear, as if by magic, almost anywhere and anytime. Room service included fresh Dublin Bay prawns (Irish langoustines) on an open-faced sandwich to die for. Just the right ratio of bread-to-butter-to-crustacean. Mini-bars are standard, but I'd recommend enjoying a tipple or two of Irish whiskey in the underground, speakeasy Tack Room with shared company. If you had to award a trophy to a member of the staff, who would it be and what did they do to earn it?Hard to pick one, but Susan at the Falconry Centre made my entire stay, thanks to the devotion, passion, and intention she shared during my private encounter with eagles and owls of all shapes and sizes. Anything stand out about other services and features? Whether it’s childcare, gyms, spas, even parking—whatever stuck with you.Beyond a brand new Tom Fazio-designed golf course, opened in April, there seems to be a bit of something for everyone here, and all without a lick of pretense. A movie theater shows kid-friendly films during the day and classics for adults at night, there's Ireland's only La Mer spa with indoor pool, retro Pashley Bikes to borrow to explore the estate and village, a Woodland Walk treasure-hunt trail with fairy-driven markers along the way, and beautifully-proportioned parterre French gardens which include a four-hundred-year-old Cedar of Lebanon tree. Bottom line: worth it, and why?Adare is a delicious mix of old and new. It's barely 30 minutes from Shannon Airport, making it one of the closest country manors you can reach on seasonal, nonstop flights from the U.S. (it's an easy two-hour drive from Dublin in winter). While retaining an old-school, aristocratic vibe, Adare's fanciful gargoyles, genuinely warm staff, grand and intimate spaces, and super-comfortable rooms make it somewhere uniquely and unabashedly the Ireland of now." - David Jefferys