Luxury Estate, Co Laois LS10

Description:

This Luxury Estate conjures up feelings of Downton Abbey, but on a much grander scale – the perfect setting for a special occasion. In this small boutique hotel, which you can rent for ouir exclusive use,  you will discover unsurpassed elegance, history, attention to detail and naturally hospitable staff. Everything about this property, from the restoration to the service, is a labour of love and in a league of its own.

Ballyfin has long been admired as the most lavish Regency mansion in Ireland After eight years of restoration, this splendid mansion re-opened in May 2011  and now provides accommodation  for up to 38 guests, as an exclusive rental or hotel.  It offers the very best of Irish hospitality in the most beautiful surroundings imaginable.Every inch of the house was painstakingly restored, before being filled with antiques and art, including mirrors by Thomas Chippendale and art by Louis le Brocquy.

With only twenty rooms for the 614 acre estate, this is the perfect place for an ultralux break for those seeking discretion and total privacy.  You can book rooms individually or you can rent the entire property for a special occasion, celebration or group vacation.

Accommodation information:

20 stunning bedrooms/suites: 14 are in the main block while six are in the wing; these range from intimate bedrooms to magnificent and lavish State Rooms.

The decoration of the interior has long been acclaimed as among the finest of the Neoclassical and Empire periods in Ireland.

The public rooms, of which there are at least four, are spacious and beautiful. The saloon is at the heart of the house, while the eighty-foot library runs the length of its south façade. Or, guests may enjoy the elegance of the Gold Drawing Room, with its French inspired decoration and beautiful ceiling of rich stucco work. For something less formal the sun-filled conservatory, reached through a secret door hidden in a bookshelf of the Library, makes a pleasant alternative.

Distances:

Dublin, 95 km (60 miles)
Dublin Airport, 100km (63 miles)
Shannon Airport, 130 km (80 miles)
Cork, 170 km (105 miles)
Kilkenny, 58 km (35 miles)
Galway, 160 km (100 miles)

Amenities in the area:

The house overlooks a 28-acre natural lake, on which  you can fish for pike or roach, or hire a gillie for some lessons. Tennis, walks, bike routes, pool and treatment rooms are available. Additional country pursuits such as riding, archery, falconry and air rifle target shooting can be provided with notice. Take time to explore the demesne, with its picnic house and grottoes, pleasure gardens, cascade and the walled garden.  Restoration of the gardens at Ballyfin was planned and overseen by renowned garden designer and landscaper Jim Reynolds.