Best Independent Style Hotels in Ireland

The Merrion Hotel is an award-winning five-star hotel located in a restored Georgian building with beautiful gardens in the centre of Dublin. The fantastic Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud has won 2 Michelin stars for its fine French influenced gourmet cuisine. Irish cuisine can be had at the Cellar Restaurant, while the No. 23 bar serves up stylish cocktails. The rooms are spacious and all have either garden or city views, modern facilities, and Italian marble bathrooms with luxury toiletries. The hotel provides guests with a state of the art gym, a beauty spa, and a steam room made from Italian marble.

This waterside property is flanked by epic scenery. Rising from the banks of Lough Eske and surrounded by mature gardens, the castle also looks toward the rugged backdrop as Donegal stretches inland. Decorated in a baronial style that reflects its past, the hotel sports majestic staircases, open fires, wood-panelled walls, chess sets and oil paintings. This is contrasted by a bright, airy and modern spa – floor to ceiling picture windows in the pool and hydro suite proffer a pretty garden outlook. While the 96 rooms are a mix of the old and the new. Outdoor activities are plentiful and include surfing, fishing, golf and horse riding.

Hidden beside mountains and lakes in the famed area of Killarney this sleek property boasts views over the town, lough and national parkland. As such, it’s well placed for a variety of sightseeing trips. But with a golf course, tennis court, spa, pool and fitness centre on-site, there’s much to do within the hotel’s perimeter. Guests can also drink in the landscapes while dining in its Lake Room or sipping cocktails on the outdoor terrace. 74 rooms have been recently renovated with extras such as Bose sound systems, fluffy robes, balconies and – in two of the suites – kitchenettes.

Fully titled The Kildare Hotel and Golf Club (abbreviated to just The K Club), this is Ireland’s First AA 5 Red Star Hotel. Housed in a sprawling 1832 French-château-style mansion it has also been awarded the RAC Gold Ribbon. The K Club’s two championship courses ensure it’s sought out by golfers (it also played host to the 2006 Ryder Cup and 2016 Irish Open). But the expansive grounds also offer the opportunity for pursuits including fly-fishing, putting, horse riding, clay pigeon shooting, walking and cycling. The spa and hydro suite open up to a restorative Zen Garden outdoor space. And there’s a fine French restaurant.

Owned and managed by the McEvilly family, Cashel House has an AA Inspector’s Choice Award, along with two AA Rosettes and four stars. Its 50 acres (including award-winning gardens) border Cashel Bay on the one side and the Cashel Hills on the other. Built in the mid 19th century, the house became a hotel in the mid 20th century, offering 32 types of accommodation for guests. The decor pays homage to its Victorian roots with vintage furnishings and antique pieces throughout, while the restaurant is housed in a large Victorian conservatory. Walking trails run from the house down to the beach, winding through the estate’s charming woodland.

Take an upscale beach break at this modern five-star establishment. The Cliff House Hotel’s modern Irish cuisine has earned it a Michelin star. But a BBQ and picnic area serves as a more relaxed alfresco dining option (and there’s a light bar menu). Each room has its own balcony overlooking the sea and guests can luxuriate in the hot tub, or in an outdoor seaweed bath. A subterranean pool allows for a dip, even when if the weather proves inclement. Water is a running theme here, as seen through the decor and artwork (commissions from local artists are dotted around the building).

Lauded milliner Phillip Treacy was the designer behind this destination hotel. It has Galway’s only five-star spa, the deeply sophisticated ESPA at the g. Spread across two floors, this includes treatment rooms, a thermal suite and a glass pavilion overlooking the rooftop Zen bamboo terrace. g’s Signature Lounges provide expansive views across Lough Atalia and Restaurant gigi’s serves two AA Rosette-awarded food. Some of the 101 bedrooms also have lough views, while others are interconnecting, to cater for families and groups. All have luxuries like interactive suite pads, bathrobes, ESPA toiletries, RESPA beds and down pillows. Don’t miss g’s Grand Salon, with its mirrored display by lighting designer Tom Dixon.

From imposing country manor to a city boutique hotel… The Savoy sits close to the River  Shannon in the heart of Limerick’s action. It has 107 contemporary bedrooms, with accents of deep blue and golden hues. Despite being so central, the rooms are very quiet, which, combined with Egyptian cotton bedding, ensures a great night’s sleep. There’s a spa with a pool in the basement, two restaurants, a cocktail bar and a library bar serving lighter bites to the sound of live piano music. The Savoy is named after the restaurant and cinema, which occupied the same location until the 1980s.

One of the most impressive castles in Ireland, Dromoland is the ancestral home of the O’Brien family. The turreted building dates back to the 16th century, with the Queen Anne Court and Moriarty Wings added in the 18th century. But it became a hotel in the 1960s and more recently, the 97 bedrooms underwent a multi-million Euro renovation. Formal dining takes place beneath glittering chandeliers with white-gloved silver service in the Earl of Thomond restaurant and more casual meals are served beside the fire in The Gallery. The estate also contains a Golf Academy and state of the art course, lake and spa with a pool.

An alternative city break destination, Cork’s is easily explored on foot and bubbling with culture.  Spend your time here at the boutique Hayfield Manor, an 88 bedroomed central new build, that’s been designed with a heritage look and feel. While the property itself is but two decades old, the mature gardens date back well over a century. Two restaurants serve meals crafted from locally sourced ingredients (Cork’s famous market is but a stone’s throw away.) An outdoor hot tub is a particular highlight, plus there’s an ELEMIS spa, fitness centre (with pre-bookable personal trainers), a pool and a residents library.

This hotel is five star luxury in the heart of Dublin, a short five minute walk away from the Temple Bar area and a great night out. The interior has been designed by Sir Terence Conran and there is a bar and restaurant on the premises for dining and relaxing. The rooms are equipped with power showers, baths, anti-mist mirrors, and guests are supplied with slippers, a luxurious bathrobe, and toiletries by Murdock. Guests can keep fit in the onsite gym with its modern equipment or spoil themselves in one of the Spirit Treatment rooms which offer a variety of treatment options.

The Marker is an ultra-modern hotel situated in the centre of the cultural and business part of Dublin on Grand Canal Square. Each room comes equipped with a 40 inch LED TV, and a host of modern amenities. There is a wide range of facilities on site such as a 23m infinity pool, steam room, sauna, and a state-of-the-art fitness centre for guests to work out. Guests can enjoy their time at the cocktail bar and brasserie which serves traditional Irish cuisine on the ground floor or at The Rooftop Lounge which has views out over the city.