The approach to this hotel is as unique as the hotel itself, with motorists required to board a free 24-hour ferry shuttling cars across a narrow channel to this 128-hectare private isle. With the river bridged, guests pass age-old oaks and manicured gardens en route to the turreted four-story castle, which dates back to the 12th-century Norman conquest. It also has a "newer" 16th-century addition.
Medieval doors open to a grand arched hall with a baronial fireplace. This was once home to Edward FitzGerald, translator of the Rubaiyat, and his coat of arms is carved into the chimney. Another gigantic crest is emblazoned on the thick carpeting, with a rope barrier to keep guests from treading thereon. The FitzGerald
family sold the property in 1958, and it was used as a dairy farm until 1988, when it was transformed into a hotel.
Elaborate decor, some period, some modern, dresses up all of the public areas. Regency-striped chairs await under the intricately carved ceiling in the oak-paneled dining room. Using organic ingredients from the island's greenhouses, the kitchen serves light modern Irish fare on crested china, and service is knowledgeable yet unpretentious. Although the hotel has no official bar, drinks are served in the restaurant and in one of the fireside lounges. Smoking is now prohibited indoors.
There is no recreation center here, but guests can use the pool and gym at a nearby hotel. The estate grounds offer lovely garden walks, a championship golf course, two all-weather tennis courts and a croquet lawn, as well as facilities for archery, fishing and clay-pigeon shooting. Two small period meeting rooms can accommodate gatherings of up to 22 people. Both the ferry and parking are complimentary.
Accommodations are larger than average, and their individualized traditional decor is bolstered with subdued fabrics and antiques. A few odd-ball modern pieces surface here and there, but overall the rooms are thoughtfully appointed. Leaded-glass windows, Chippendale pieces and Victorian clawfoot tubs create evocative environs, with TVs and phones adding modern convenience. The spacious baths have robes, hair dryers, toiletries and gigantic brass showerheads. Most guests prefer rooms in back facing the river; front rooms overlook heavily wooded gardens and the driveway, but there are no bad views. Pets are not permitted.
The attentive staff is eager to please, and with such a small room count, few guests leave dissatisfied. This popular haunt for corporate powwows and expensive family reunions closes during the month of January. Reservations are tough to come by.
