STAY IRISH CASTLE: DROMOLAND
Have you stayed somewhere that felt like a dream, that felt so far removed from your everyday life, so different, in just the best of ways?
Well, that’s what it was like at Dromoland Castle in County Clare. The castle is a 2hr drive or 3hr train ride from Dublin. It’s actually a rather easy commute, one we had no business stressing, but because we had the kids we kept going back and forth on which mode of transport would make the most sense, and be the most convenient. While I think renting a car would have been great for more general freedom in exploring the area, we really enjoy trains in Europe. So we took the train to Limerick and hopped in an uber for the 30 minute ride to the Castle.
As soon as you get to it, it feels like something out of Downton Abbey (apologies for my lack of more appropriate references), but that’s what it felt like. It’s so grand, so beautiful, so much a step back in time. I mean the castle's history dates back to 1016, I won’t even do the exact math, but yes, that’s over a thousand years.
Everything you might expect in terms of service and luxury, you’ll get that. But what I was happy about was just how warm everyone was. I’m not going to lie, I love elegance and decorum but sometimes it can feel like you can’t just relax, but that wasn’t the case here. It felt like, come in, let's take care of you and your family. It felt for lack of a better word “nice”.
You can actually get a tour of the castle and its history or you can freely explore all of it, from strolling the walled gardens (a beautiful highlight), taking a boat out on the lake, walking the trails and more. You can also sign up for activities on the estate like falconry (which we did and the boys immensely enjoyed), archery, fishing, clay shooting and more. I decided that a facial at their spa was more my speed and I was so right.
Our rooms were grand and spacious as you would expect from a castle. I loved the hidden bookcase doors leading to closets, coffee machines and our connecting bedrooms. I loved the grand fireplace and super cozy bed. I loved that we had a full kitchen which we used many nights to reheat food the boys had previously refused to eat. And the kids, well, they loved the secret and private garden attached to our room. They actually spent our first full hour at the hotel just playing there.
Dining was also a brilliant experience as each meal felt like a special celebration. The staff were so kind in accommodating some of the less than stellar behavior of the boys and we even had a server who shared his experience having a child on the spectrum as well.
Because the hotel is not walking distance to “town”- if you are not driving, it helps to come prepared with some of the comforts your kids like- whatever those may be. They did give us a snack basket for the middle of the day, but we were happy that we planned ahead and already had some of their favorite snacks and toys with us.
All in all, it was a super special stay filled with beautiful simple moments, but also a lot of grandeur. It felt really good to have an experience so very different from what we normally do. So yes, if you’re in Ireland, this is one of those places, where the hotel is the destination.
