Adare Manor

A contender for the most luxurious hotel in Ireland, this stunning Victorian Gothic mansion lies on the edge of the beautiful town of Adare in County Limerick, and boasts one of the finest parkland courses in Europe. Indeed, golf expert and journalist Fionn Davenport includes Adare Manor golf course on his round-up of the world’s best golf courses.

Recently refurbished to the tune of around $70m, from the moment you pass through the porte cochere you are in the expert hands of a staff whose role is to make you feel as if you are a valued guest of the Earl of Dunraven (whose manor this once was).

The original stylings – from the huge marble fireplaces to the stained-glass windows throughout – give the place an air of old-world grandeur, but this is very much a 21st-century hotel, including a vast new annex with contemporary-styled bedrooms, a cinema, top-notch spa and new restaurants spanning casual to fine dining.

The service throughout is exceptional – and very much in keeping with the standards its largely moneyed American clientele would expect.