County Cork
Ireland


The Experience

Ballymaloe, 20 miles east of Cork on the road to Ballycotton, is the original Irish country-house hotel, set on more than 400 acres of gorgeous rolling countryside. It has been featured in the ultrareliable British and Irish Good Hotel Guide ever since the first edition of that book was published back in 1977. The veteran Myrtle Allen, now in her 80s, is still a presiding presence, and the family helps manage the place, making it affable and comfortable. Indeed, the ivy-clad Georgian house still feels like a cultured private home. The surroundings are gorgeous, with an outdoor pool, ponds with ducks and geese, fascinating sculptures, a curious croquet lawn and a wacky six-hole golf course, kept cropped by grazing sheep.

The Rooms

The colored themes of the rooms are soft and elegant and the furnishings simple. As with the rest of the property, there’s a sense of comfort here, and all rooms have their own benefits. While some bedrooms are located in an ancient Norman keep, the largest are located in the main house. Some more modern rooms in a new wing have French windows that open onto the garden. And new, more spacious rooms downstairs on the north side have views over the river and birdlife at the back of the house. They also have quick and easy access to the swimming pool and tennis court in the summer.

The Service

Irish charm and thoroughly acceptable eccentricity (in the finest sense of the word) are the guiding ethos of the service here. You’ll often find yourself chatting to the staff for many minutes without even noticing, and learning a lot about the house, the region and Ireland along the way.

The Highlights

Astoundingly fresh seafood (much of it landed at nearby Ballycotton) is the strongest suit in the kitchen, while the hotel’s own farm and kitchen garden contribute to the quality of the produce. Dinners are served in five intimate dining rooms, some of them adorned with original Jack Yeats pictures. But don’t skip breakfast, a real Irish treat with soda bread and kippers. In fact, the hotel has also become famous as a cooking school: Run by one of Myrtle Allen’s daughters-in-law, Darina, a renowned Irish food writer, the school is a favorite venue for Britain and Ireland’s jeunesse dorée to pick up culinary skills.

--Alistair Scott

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