10 Christmas packages on your doorstep
If you’re in the festive mood and can’t wait for the big day with a pre-Christmas getaway or are planning to spend the big day with someone else looking after your every need, you’ll want to make sure you have the best accommodation. Wherever you choose has to feel very special – so we’ve selected 10 of the best packages on offer across Ireland to help you pick a winner.
1 DROMOLAND CASTLE, NEWMARKET-ON-FERGUS, CO. CLARE
Why here? Christmas is time to herald the birth of a king. But there’s nothing of the manger about Dromoland Castle, which sits on a 450-acre estate. It has its own regal pedigree all right. The ancestral home of the O’Briens of Dromoland, its lineage dates back 1,000 years to Brian Boru.
Christmas goodies: You want a tour of the estate. Walk? As if! Put your feet up by taking a one-hour pony & trap tour where you will discover all the castle’s secrets.
Christmas package: Arrive on Christmas Eve to a reception with canapés; dinner is served in The Earl of Thomond Restaurant. A bagpiper will herald the arrival of Santa. After-dinner festive carols will be performed by Thrillogy, featuring Kate Purcell. Christmas Day: Christmas Day lunch will be served against the backdrop of festive piano music. A ballad singer will keep you entertained at night in the Cocktail Bar. St Stephen’s Day is all about working off Christmas dinner. Choose from golf, archery, clay-shooting or falconry before departing on December 27. Christmas package: A Queen Anne double/twin room from €1,140pps. dromoland.ie
2 THE K CLUB, STRAFFAN, CO. KILDARE
Why here? The K Club will forever be etched in our memories for the scenes of celebration after Europe won the Ryder Cup in 2006, but you don’t have to be a millionaire golfer to stay there.
Christmas goodies: As much as we all love a plush overnight stay it’s always missing that homely touch. Not at the K Club where for Christmas there is a Christmas Tree in every bedroom. You’ll have your Christmas Eve meal in the Byerley Turk or Legends restaurant followed by evening Mass and carol singing. Like the Late Late, there will be Christmas gifts for everyone in the audience… if you’re a kid, that is. Christmas dinner is also in the Byerley Turk. Christmas Package: Christmas at the K Club runs from Christmas Eve to St Stephen’s Day, with options for two or three nights, from €995pps. Interconnecting family rooms available for an additional €200 per night for up to two children (16 or under) with all meals included for each child. kclub.ie
3 HARVEYS POINT, LOUGH ESKE, DONEGAL TOWN, CO. DONEGAL
Why here? Match the best of Switzerland and Donegal through owners Jody Gysling and his wife Deirdre McGlone. Throw in views of the Bluestack Mountains and you get the multi-award winning Harvey’s Point. Christmas goodies: Television showbiz expert Noel Cunningham is your host and, of course, you can always rely on the best Donegal hospitality. Christmas package: Three nights’ B&B, dinner on two evenings, Christmas Day lunch and supper, plus entertainment, from €799pps. harveyspoint.com
4 ADARE MANOR, CO. LIMERICK
Why here? Be the guest of Limerick’s very own JP McManus. Adare Manor has been drawing the great and the good – as well as royalty – to enjoy its charms for centuries, so you’ll be right at home.
Christmas goodies: Right, this is going to cost you – but you’re worth it – so if you’ve got a spare €5,000 down the back of the sofa… Of course, there’s no expense spared with food, entertainment and use of the facilities. And you can tell everyone about it when you get back.
Christmas package: A Christmas Beyond Everything At Adare Manor: Three nights in a Deluxe King Room from €4,980. adaremanor.com
5 CLONTARF CASTLE, CLONTARF EAST, DUBLIN 3
Why here? Castles are all about the history and Clontarf can match the best, with lineage back to 1172 and Hugh de Lacy, taking in the Knights Templar and Queen Elizabeth’s secretary of state for Ireland, to name but a few.
Christmas goodies: Following a Christmas Eve reception of mulled wine and mince pies you will sit down to a sumptuous meal in the Great Hall. Give thanks for the day that’s in it on Christmas Day with Mass in the Viking Suite followed by traditional Christmas Day lunch in the Great Hall; evening buffet in the Indigo Lounge and Knights Bar, followed by entertainment in the Knights Bar. If you’ve got room for more on St Stephen’s Day, and even if you don’t, you’ll get a threecourse dinner in the Fahrenheit Restaurant. Christmas package: A three-night package, arriving December 23 or December 24, staying in a Queen boutique room, from €2,031 or €1,548, respectively. clontarfcastle.ie
6 BALLYFIN DEMESNE, BALLYFIN, CO. LAOIS
Why here? Well if it’s good enough for Kim Kardashian and Kanye West who honeymooned here…
Christmas goodies: You always want a recce of your hotel but this is something special with a guided tour of the house, covering the history, art and antique collections on
Christmas Eve. The library is where you’ll be able to nibble on the minced pies and sip on the mulled wine while listening to carols. Enjoy wine tasting in the cellar, pre-dinner drinks in the Saloon, while listening to the resident pianist before dinner in the State Dining Room. On Christmas Day, get stuffed to the gunnels before relaxing afterwards with games, activities and a Christmas movie. As for St Stephen’s Day, sure what else would you be doing but archery, clay-pigeon shooting, enjoying a horse-drawn carriage ride and a spot of falconry. Christmas package: €1,200 per night for a deluxe room. ballyfin. com
7 CASTLEMARTYR RESORT, CO. CORK
Why here? Another resort steeped in history – the Knights Templar were here too, as was Sir Walter Raleigh… so you’ll know you’ll get the best potatoes!
Christmas goodies: Castlemartyr is a favourite family destination, so for kids (big and small) Santa is very much to the fore… and who doesn’t like to get a present? You’ll get a full range of dining experiences amid luxurious surroundings in the Manor House and the Bell Tower, while you’ll also be able to relax, listen to music, play games or watch movies in the Knight’s Bar or the Living Room.
Christmas package: Enjoy a twonight Christmas break, arriving on December 24 and departing December 26, from €850 per night, and three nights from €630. Prices based on two people sharing. castlemartyrresort.ie
8 FERRYCARRIG HOTEL, CO. WEXFORD
Why here? You’ve got a prime spot here, overlooking the River Slaney estuary, and you’ll have a choice of entertainment on your doorstep with the fabulous Irish National Heritage Park nearby.
Christmas goodies: Santa, obviously, but how about Giggles the Clown to entertain the youngsters… and the adults too – let’s be honest. Christmas package: A two- or three-day package costs from €349/€449pps. ferrycarrighotel.ie
9 SHEEN FALLS, KENMARE, CO. KERRY
Why here? Set on the Wild Atlantic Way this is a walkers’ paradise CHRISTMAS PACKAGES: Clockwise from main: Dromoland Castle in Co. Clare, K Club in Co. Kildare, and Castlemartyr Resort in Co. Cork
– although you’ll probably not want to exert yourself too much. A stretch of the legs on St Stephen’s Day is more like it.
Christmas goodies: Yes, we know it’s something of a staple but Sheen Falls really does do log fires and Christmas cheer so well. As well as the Christmas Eve dinner, the traditional Christmas Day lunch and St Stephen’s Day gala dinner, there will be plenty of entertainment. Christmas package: Christmas Magic is from €840pps for two nights and from €1,355pps for three nights. sheenfallslodge.ie
10 LOUGH ERNE RESORT, ENNISKILLEN, CO. FERMANAGH
Why here? The Fermanagh Lakelands are one of this country’s great outdoor adventure areas and an inspiration for painters and photographers alike.
Christmas goodies: Christmas Day is all about indulging yourself and breaking out of your routine. So if that means starting the day with a bucks fizz breakfast while the kids open their pressies then so be it. Adult or child you’re just as special to Lough Erne… Who are we kidding? Christmas is all about the kids! So while you’re tucking into the eggnog they’re getting hot chocolate and sweets, and tiny tots will get a Christmas story from Mrs Claus. Christmas package: Two nights from €672pps. Children 3-13 from €315. lougherneresort.com