Cliff House Hotel

Modern architecture and Irish hospitality are two categories whose Venn diagram features a fairly small overlap. But a look at the view from the Cliff House Hotel’s indoor pool will make a convert out of the most die-hard traditionalist. An hour’s drive outside of Cork on Ireland’s south coast, Ardmore isn’t exactly a hotbed of contemporary design. But the Cliff House doesn’t feel out of place here — it just feels extraordinary.

The rooms and suites are single-minded in their pursuit of relaxation, all of them looking out to sea via floor-to-ceiling windows, all of them equipped with super-king beds and indulgent, modern, spa-like bathrooms. The deluxe rooms are impressive enough, while the suites spread out impressively, and the Cliff Cottage offers a residential experience, complete with a full kitchen, as well as an extra measure of privacy thanks to its slight remove from the hotel.

And while the spa, with its impossibly photogenic pool and its exhaustive list of therapies, is one of the Cliff House’s great strengths, the other one is the Michelin-starred restaurant, presided over by chef Tony Parkin, alumnus of Noma, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, and his own Tony Parker at the Tudor Room.