Mount Juliet Hotel

When it comes to genteel living in the Irish countryside it would be difficult to top the Mount Juliet. The 18th-century manor is as elegant as they come, as befits a house that’s a former Earl’s residence. But it’s far from being solely an interior experience. Country-house life involves a healthy complement of outdoor activities — that’s why you bother with the country in the first place. And Mount Juliet’s got you covered here as well, with not just a Jack Nicklaus–designed golf course, but an archery range, an equestrian center, and a cricket club — not to mention close proximity to the River Nore and some very fine fishing.

Out of the old house’s thirty-one guest rooms, two of them are presidential suites, which is surely at least in the running for a record. Then again even the humblest of the main house’s bedrooms is more than plush enough. Add a dozen or so more rooms in the clubhouse by the links, and an odd lot of freestanding houses and lodges, and you’ve got a selection that spans the range from deeply historical to quietly and classically contemporary. With a French brasserie, a bar in the clubhouse, and the fine-dining Lady Helen restaurant, the Mount Juliet offers a dining situation for every need — if that’s not the essence of country-house life, we don’t know what is.

How to get there:
Mount Juliet hotel is approximately a 20 minute drive from Kilkenny, 1 hour from Dublin and 30 minutes from Waterford.