15 minute read
Caddies to Castles
Enjoying Royal Treatment in Ireland
Written by Bridget Williams
Sunset at the Trump International Golf Links & Hotel
Trump International Golf Links & Hotel, Ireland — Traveling under the cover of darkness following a pre-dawn arrival at Shannon Airport, when the robotic voice of our GPS system confdently announced that we had arrived at The Trump International Golf Links & Hotel, I was certain there must be some mistake as dawn’s frst light revealed only modest farmhouses set against a backdrop of gently undulating mossy green hills. Scanning the horizon, we spied a cluster of buildings in the distance and headed in that direction. As we drew closer, the form of an impressive stone lodge and detached cottages that comprise the 185-room resort fully revealed themselves from their perch above the rugged Atlantic coastline in crescent-shaped Doughmore Bay. Opened in 2006 as Doonbeg, the Trump organization acquired the property – the only five-star luxury resort on the coast of County Clare – in 2014. The juxtaposition of the refined architecture against an untamed expanse of coastline painted a breathtaking scene. As I surveyed how the Greg Norman-designed links course rambled along the cliff’s edge, I wished, even if just for a split second, that I had eschewed the notion of ever becoming a golfer.
Resisting the urge to bask in the sun while walking barefoot across the spongy golf green laid out behind the lodge, we instead explored our ocean-view, two-story, two-bedroom suite, which was outfitted quite luxuriously in classic hunt country style with natty tweed upholstery, bespoke furnishings and antiques, reclaimed woods, baths with honed marble, tumbled stone and plant-based toiletries made at the nearby Burren Perfumery, vintage-style hardware and light switches, roughhewn ceiling beams, crewelwork drapery, a small kitchen and dining area, and a sitting room with gas freplace. With the majority of guest suites averaging 1,000-square-feet or more and 17 Links Cottages spanning nearly 3,000 square-feet, the property is ideal for family travel and those not willing to forgo the comforts of a wellappointed home while abroad.
Native grasses are used for the the golf course at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel. Photo by Bridget Williams.
It wasn’t long before we succumbed a little to jetlag by starting up the fire and settling in at opposite ends of the window seat to listen to the rhythm of the waves as they rolled and tumbled the stones along the shore to a polished finish that proved to be ideal for a subsequently idyll afternoon of skipping rocks. Further down the beach our gazes transfxed on a couple galloping astride horses whose color mimicked the foamy whitecaps.
Refreshed from a brief catnap, we decided to walk the par- 72 golf course, which plays 6,885 yards from championship tees and boasts ocean views from 16 of its 18 holes. The first course in Ireland or Great Britain designed by Greg Norman, the layout follows nature, with native grasses simply mowed on 14 greens and 12 fairways. Varying ocean breezes ensure that no two rounds will ever play the same. A total of 51 acres of grey dunes are permanently fenced of for preservation, while the remainder of the site, including the course, is designated as a proposed Natural Heritage Area. The 400-acre resort also includes a first rate pro shop, a practice facility with driving range, putting green and chipping area, and caddies trained to U.S. standards.
Under the direction of Executive Head Chef Greg Budzyn, guests at the property can savor both traditional and international cuisine prepared with locally sourced ingredients at two full-service dining options: casual, bistro-style fare in the Trump Bar and Restaurant or fine dining accompanied by an impressive global selection of wines in the Ocean View Restaurant. Afternoon tea is served daily by the fireplace in the lounge, and in-suite dining is available around the clock.
Entrance to the Lodge at the Trump International.
Smitten with the scent of the Burren Perfumery toiletries in our room, we obtained directions to the company’s manufactory where we perused their entire product line, picked up souvenirs and enjoyed afternoon tea and scones from their on-site tearoom (burrenperfumery.com). The sparsely populated scenery of the limestone upland en route was quite arresting, and we made multiple stops just to admire the desolately beautiful karst landscape, where 70 percent of Ireland's wildfower species can be found.
Sensory indulgence also abounds at the Trump International’s subterranean White Horses Spa, located beneath the main lodge and outfitted in the same warm and welcoming country chic environment that permeates the upper floors. Laura Ryan, my massage therapist, was honored as “Best Spa Terapist of the Year" 2013 by Irish Tatler magazine and for good reason: my blissful 90-minute Burren Wilderness Massage seemed to be over in the blink of an eye!
For more information or reservations at the Trump International Golf Links & Hotel, Ireland visit trumphotelcollection.com/Ireland.
Dromoland — After a few days of visiting castles, we were ready to live like royalty by checking into one, and Dromoland, a 16th century baronial castle located in Newmarket-on-Fergus, proved to fit the bill quite nicely. Literally minutes from a major thoroughfare and less than a 20-minute drive from Shannon Airport, once you pass through the gateway you are enveloped by 450 acres of lush, rolling hills. An 18-hole championship parkland golf course is laid out on either side of the narrow lane leading to the stoic limestone castle, complete with four castellated turrets. The castle is strategically positioned atop a knoll that provides a “wow” moment the frst time it comes into view.
Dromoland Castle at dusk.
As the ancestral home of the O’Briens, Barons of Inchiquin, one of the few native Gaelic families of royal blood, the richly appointed interiors of Dromoland Castle beft their noble legacy. Portraits of ancestors are hung along paneled corridors; windows are dressed with lavish tasseled drapery; and, light emanating from sparkling crystal chandeliers dances across coats of armor and gold cornices. Noted interior designer Dorothy Draper was retained when the property was renovated in 1962 to emerge as a luxury hotel; the guest rooms were refreshed two decades later by Draper’s protégé, Carleton Varney. Each category among the 85 guest rooms and 14 suites have been recently refurbished with touches such as bespoke, 19th-century Empire-style and Louis XV-style furnishings and specially commissioned fabrics by Manuel Canovas, Colefax & Fowler and Pierre Frey.
My favorite room was The Cocktail Bar, an octagon-shaped space that was the former study of Lord Inchiquin, and where we would retreat each evening to claim a corner table near the fire to enjoy a pint and a sing-along of Irish ballads. Red and gold foil damask wallpaper accentuated the soaring height of the room’s ceiling; dark wood bookcases not utilized to highlight spirits for the bar housed a whimsical collection of Toby jugs. A pack of Stafordshire spaniel figures sat obediently from individual halfround shelves scattered around the room.
The Cocktail Bar at Dromoland Castle.
Dromoland’s fne dining option, the Earl of Tomond, was awarded a Michelin star in 1995 under Head Chef Jean Baptiste Molinari. Current Executive Chef David McCann has taken great pains to ensure that the culinary delights revealed when the polished silver domes presented to the table are lifted in unison are truly worthy of such pageantry. À la carte, five-course table d’hôte and vegetarian menus are available.
More casual dining from noon to late evening is offered at the Fig Tree Restaurant, located in the Golf & Country Club building and just a short walk from the castle. Both the facilities and menu were revamped in 2012. A traditional daily tea is served from 3:00-5:00 in the Drawing Room. For the active or romantically inclined, a special picnic basket can be prepared for a day outing or a relaxing lunchtime stroll to a secluded spot on the grounds.
The Cliffs of Moher. Photo by Bridget Williams.
A full complement of indoor and outdoor activities makes Dromoland a year-round destination. Opened in 2007, The Spa at Dromoland features an outdoor hydra spa sheltered by a gazebo and ornamental courtyard, six luxury treatment rooms, and two product ranges, Pevonia Botanica and Voya, the latter of which is an organic seaweed beauty product manufacturer based on Ireland's Atlantic coast.
Dromoland’s 18-hole championship golf course was re-designed by Irish golfng legend J.B. Carr and American Ron Kirby. The affliated Golf Academy boasts 10 fully automated driving bays, putting greens and a bunker, including a riveted-face-links-style bunker modeled on the famous “Road Hole” bunker on the 17th at St. Andrews.
Lake Dromoland is well-stocked with trout, perch and other coarse fish, and guests may fish from the banks or one of the estate’s small boats. Two all-weather tennis courts, a dedicated shooting range, archery instruction, horseback riding, falconry “Hawk Walks,” complimentary mountain bikes for use on the estate, an indoor swimming pool, sauna, steam room and ftness facility, and ample acreage for hiking, walking and jogging ensure there’s always plenty to do.
Easy day trips from both Dromoland and the Trump International Golf Links & Hotel include hiking the spectacular pathways that snake along the precipitous edges of the Cliffs of Moher (cliffsofmoher.ie); visiting Bunratty Castle and Folk Park where you can stroll through a village constructed to resemble life in Ireland a century ago, followed by dining Medieval style in the 15th century Bunratty Castle (shannonheritage.com/BunrattyCastleAndFolkPark); marveling at the lunar-like landscape found in The Burren National Park (burrennationalpark.ie); and, simply wandering through charming towns sprinkled throughout the countryside and popping into a local pub where hospitality flows as freely as the Guinness on tap. We were particularly fond of Morrissey’s Seafood Bar & Grill in Doonbeg (morrisseysdoonbeg.ie) and The Locke Bar in Limerick, which had excellent traditional Irish music (lockebar.com). Further afeld but still reachable in a day is Blarney Castle. While kissing the famed Blarney Stone is a must, the gardens that surround the 600-year-old castle are quite exquisite and worth a leisurely stroll (blarneycastle.ie).
The karst landscape of the Burren region is home to 70% of Ireland's wildfower species. Photo by Bridget Williams.
For more information or reservations at Dromoland Castle, visit dromoland.ie.
Ashford Castle — Nudging the bar even higher on luxury lodging in Ireland is Ashford Castle. While the presence of a friendly ghost purported to make herself known from time-to-time in the oldest section of the castle is debatable, what is absolutely irrefutable is the property’s rich legacy, preserved and enhanced under the tutelage of Bea Tollman, founder and president of the Red Carnation Hotel Collection, who, after acquiring the property and saving it from a pedestrian fate, set upon a meticulous and ambitious renovation and restoration project during which no expense was spared.
Five star Ashford Castle is surrounded by 350 acres on the shores of Lough Corrib in County Mayo.
Positioned prominently on the shores of Lough Corrib, the second-largest lake in Ireland, the oldest section of Ashford Castle dates to 1228. Subsequent owners, including Lord and Lady Ardilaun of the Guinness family (whose legendary love story is fairy tale worthy), expanded the existing structure in a neo-Gothic style and extended the estate to an eventual 26,000 acres (it stands today at a more manageable 350 acres). The property opened as a hotel in the early 1940s; when John Mulcahy acquired the property in 1970, he nearly doubled its size with the addition of a new wing. Red Carnation purchased the property out of receivership in 2013. “We haven’t seen an investment of this scale in both the property and the local community since the legendary benevolence of the Guinness family in the 1800s,” said General Manager Niall Rochford, who was named Hospitality Manager of the Year 2013 by The Irish Times.
The heart of hospitality beats strong at Ashford, where children of long-time employees often follow in their parent’s footsteps generation after generation and pridefully regard the castle as their home away from home. I have to say, in all my years of traveling, I’ve yet to stay at a property whose staf are so fully in-sync with and vested in a company’s ethos as those at Ashford. Tollman maintains an intensive personal level of involvement in each of Red Carnation’s 17 four- and five-star boutique hotels around the globe that is dually admirable and mind-boggling, leaving me to wonder if she ever sleeps! This is worth mentioning quite simply for the fact that happy employees create optimal guest experiences at even the most mundane level of interaction.
Stateroom 326 in Ashford Castle.
Bea Tollman and her daughter Toni headed up the design team that created uniquely opulent environs in each of the castle’s 68 guestrooms and 14 staterooms; Ashford is the only property of its size in Ireland to boast completely individualized guestrooms. The final renovations will be unveiled when the property reopens on March 28 after a winter hiatus. Even in her 80s, Bea logs some 300,000 travel miles annually and is constantly acquiring antiques and art for her company’s hotels, sometimes squirreling pieces away in storage until the “perfect” opportunity presents itself.
I had the privilege of lodging in stateroom 326, which overlooks the lake and formal garden and is resplendent in a predominant palette of regal red and royal blue, with upholstered silk walls (a design hallmark of Red Carnation properties); a flush-mount ceiling draped bed with a scalloped crown and tassel trim that matches the drapery; Venetian mirrors; a blue Murano chandelier; original oil portraits; a spacious bath with a one-ton marble soaking tub, an Empire-style crystal chandelier, iridescent wallpaper and a walk-in shower so spacious, it brings a concerthall setting to singing in the shower; and, the latest in high-tech in-room amenities.
Common areas of the hotel have been refreshed as well, with windows added and doorways widened to allow more light into rooms that had previously seemed slightly somber.
The Presidential Suite at Ashford Castle.
Recently added amenities include a posh 32-seat cinema, children’s game room, a billiard room and a pair of outdoor roof terraces, one of which will serve fine cigars, some of which will be exclusive to Ashford. Future plans include transforming the recently rediscovered escape tunnel into a wine cellar with private dining rooms and creating a secluded lakefront honeymoon suite from an old boathouse on the grounds. Further in the offing, pending regulatory approval, is a renovation and expansion of the on-site spa to include an indoor ozone-fltrated pool and state-of-the-art fitness center.
The new Billiard Room at Ashford Castle.
The affable and seemingly omnipresent Robert Bowe heads up the restaurant and wine program and will gladly spin a good castle ghost yarn if you inquire. For breakfast each morning in the George V Dining Room, so named to commemorate a visit by the then Prince of Wales, scrambled eggs with shaved black truffle seemed ideally suited for the elegant environs, illuminated by nine grand Waterford chandeliers. Dinner is a formal afair, where a seasonal menu highlights the best local meat, fish and produce. The intimate Connaught Room, considered one of the finest in the castle, provides dinner service from May through September. Cullens at the Dungeon Bar and the seasonal Cullens at the Cottage ofer more casual fare. You can immerse yourself in the art of appreciating fine and rare Irish whiskeys at the Prince of Wales Cocktail Bar or survey the rapidly changing skies over the lake from a plethora of windows in the Drawing Room, which makes daily afternoon tea quite a treat (the Irish Whiskey Cream tea blended just for Ashford is a must-try).
Activities on property include fishing for brown trout and Atlantic salmon in Lough Corrib, considered one of the best fisheries in Europe for both species; falconry lessons at the School of Falconry (Ireland’s first); indoor archery; tennis; cruising the lake aboard the M.V. Lady Ardilaun; jogging/walking an extensive network of routes from 20 minutes to two hours in duration that traverse everything from mossy forested paths to winding country roads; golfing the onsite nine-hole, par 35 parkland course designed by Irish golf architect Eddie Hackett (five notable courses are located within close proximity of the castle); choosing from a dozen available horses to ride at the equestrian center; and, shooting sporting clays at a designated range with expert coaching from Tom Clesham, who has literally grown up on property (his parents operate the equestrian center).
Ashford Castle is home to Ireland's frst School of Falconry. Photo by Bridget Williams.
Just outside the castle gates is the village of Cong. Founded in 623AD as a monastery, today the tiny hamlet is a postcard-perfect assemblage of tidy buildings housing a number of restaurants and shops. The village served as the backdrop for John Ford’s 1951 film “The Quiet Man,” starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. The movie is screened daily in Ashford Castle’s cinema.
Myriad day trips abound throughout the Connemara region (connemara.ie/en/), whose raw and rugged beauty proved to be infnitely intriguing. The area is distinguished by some 7,000 miles of dry stone walls that scale over and around the steep hillsides and contain herds of sheep whose wooly coats sport bright painted markings to signify their ownership. During our visit, the weather seemed to change on a dime and subtle shifts in sunlight caused the mood of the steep hills, bogs, lakes and golden beaches of the Atlantic shoreline to seesaw between ethereal and eerie.
Joyce County sheepdogs provides visitors a glimpse of a rapidly disappearing way of life in the Connemara region. Photo by Bridget Williams.
Noteworthy places to visit include Kylemore Abbey (kylemoreabbeytourism.ie), a monument to love and loss that is now home to a group of Benedictine nuns and the largest Victorian walled garden in all of Ireland; the town of Westport (destinationwestport.com), a small community with a large number of fne restaurants and pubs and recently named the best town to live in Ireland; Joyce Country Sheepdogs (joycecountrysheepdogs.ie) where a sheepdog demonstration provides a glimpse of a rapidly disappearing way of life; and Burke’s Bar and Restaurant in the village of Clonbur (burkesclonbur.com) for an authentic Irish pub experience.
Kylemore Abbey. Photo by Bridget Williams.
For more information or reservations at Ashford Castle visit ashfordcastle.com.
