Ballyfin Demesne

There’s nothing else in Ireland quite like Ballyfin Demesne. This spectacularly well-preserved Regency house sits on no fewer than 614 acres of parklands and woodlands, a mere hour outside of Dublin. And if the exterior is a pitch-perfect restoration, worthy of a 19th-century period film, the interiors are a contemporary-classic evolution of the house’s original style, an opulent fantasy to rival any country-house hotel you could name.

The main house contains a mere 20 rooms and suites, all of which combine lavish antique style and modern luxury-hotel comforts. Meanwhile the Gardeners Cottage has been made into a self-sufficient residence for two, a two-story house complete with its own kitchen and dining room, as well as a hot tub on its private terrace.

Ballyfin’s wellness area is an expansive one, featuring four treatment rooms as well as a substantial sunlit indoor pool. Nor are any corners cut when it comes to dining; the house’s twin dining rooms serve a full Irish breakfast as well as lunch and dinner largely sourced from the house’s own walled gardens. The Cellar bar is an intimate escape, while the Conservatory, built in 1848, is accessible via a secret door hidden in the Library’s bookshelves.