A truly TEE-RIFIC TRIP
Fairmont owns two of the finest golf hotels in Europe and our writer discovered a hole lot of love for a new kind of clubbing BY KEVIN GLEESON
the botanicals used in their gin production, Kingsbarns also offers a number of experiences and tours. Book the 19th hole tour or try your hand at the gin school, where guests can distil their own bespoke spirit before having it bottled and labelled to take home.
I enjoy a quick snifter before I leave the fairways of the Fairmont St Andrews behind to brush up on my swing a little closer to home.
A Palladian mansion set on over 1,100 acres of parkland, Carton House in Co Kildare feels like it is frozen in time — a luxurious, grand and magnificently welcoming period of time. The manor house, for centuries the family seat of the Fitzgerald’s, Earls of Kildare, consists of 18 staterooms and suites while the Garden Wing is home to another 151 deluxe king and garden terrace rooms. Now known as Fairmont Carton House, the hotel underwent a multi-million euro refurbishment in recent years. My suite has all the trappings of such a noble house, with mahogany floors, plush furnishings and bowls of fresh flowers. The sash windows offer views of the formal gardens and Tyrconnell Tower beyond. I could easily luxuriate on my bed for the afternoon but the Downton Abbey vibes are calling in the form of a classic car experience. I don’t drive so the pampering continues as I zip around the country roads of Kildare in a fire-engine red Morgan Plus 4 driven by one of my travelling companions.
I return to the resort exhilarated, like a middle-aged Jay Gatsby. However, I’m not in possession of the suitably sophisticated golfing attire one might expect of such a character, but having broken the back of this golfing business I slip into the closest thing I have in my suitcase and set about perfecting my swing on Irish soil.
I make my way on to the Montgomerie course — at 18 holes, the larger of the two at Carton House. I seem to be not too bad this time around — mind you, it’s all relative of course.
But still it doesn’t take away from my enjoyment. The grounds here are beautiful and even if you’re not playing your best round, it’s a fantastically enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.
Entering the sumptuous surrounds of the Morrison Room for dinner later that evening, I’m starting to feel like the lord of this manor. Described as one of the finest dining locations in Ireland, it’s certainly one of the grandest I have had the good fortune to eat in.
Local chef Adam Nevin skilfully incorporates Irish ingredients into a menu that surprises and delights at every turn. A beetroot ceviche with Irish wasabi is followed by West Cork lobster with Morteau sausage finished with a dessert of dark chocolate mousse dressed with honey produced on the estate.
The evening is rounded off in true country manor style with a tasting in the cosy, book-lined Whiskey Library.
After breakfast the following morning, I hotfoot it on to the 9-hole O’Meara course with an enthusiasm normally reserved for much less sporty pursuits. My ability on the course remains much as it was when I first arrived in St Andrews but I’m now enjoying myself much more.
It’s an enjoyment not shared by the other golfers being held up behind me as I chip away at the ball in yet another bunker. My tee time eventually comes to an end and the only upside is that I won’t have to face any of the said golfers in the clubhouse as I doubt I would get the warmest of welcomes.
But the same can’t be said of my golfing adventure. There is clearly a genuine culture of hospitality fostered at Fairmont’s resorts that puts guests at ease among the grandeur of its properties. Both have felt like a home away from home due in large part to the staff.
Will I be playing a few rounds the next time? It’s unlikely, I must admit. But you might just see me sneaking into the clubhouse to soak up the atmosphere — and a whiskey — when Carton House plays host to this year’s KPMG Women’s Irish Open. Just don’t tell the regulars I’m there.
TRAVEL FACTS
Rooms at Fairmont St Andrews start at €465 per night. A round of golf is from €87.50 per person. Garden Wing rooms at Carton House start from €295 and Manor House rooms €495. Golf rates are from €60. See fairmont.
com. The O’Meara Course at Carton House will be home to the KPMG Women’s Irish Open in August & September.