Best hotels for walking in Ireland

Every painting, sculpture and piece of furniture feels cherished and chosen at John Edward Joyce’s Victorian country mansion in landscaped gardens.

Launched in summer 2021 after a multimillion-pound-makeover, this youthful hotel has a Balearics vibe, with outdoor spa, lakeside heated-sand beach, beach bar and sunken lounge.

In a splendid Victorian mansion on a leafy street close to Queen’s University, the Botanic Gardens, and Lyric Theatre, Melanie Harrison has created a highly individual, adult boutique hotel.

‘A haven of peace’, John O’Farrell’s ‘terrific’ contemporary B&B sits on a hilltop with 180-degree views over the harbour and Dingle Peninsula.

Ireland’s only Michelin-starred pub is set within the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark, and offers uncluttered bedrooms with traditional charm, and exciting menus of seasonal produce based on sustainable gastronomy.

In 32 wooded, landscaped acres on the shores of Lough Caragh, this gabled Edwardian manor house combines comfort and elegance, with an antique-filled lounge and candlelit restaurant.

There is a sense of fun at this modern hotel in tiered gardens, with plushly furnished public spaces, brightly decorated bedrooms, an all-day menu of modern Irish dishes, a rooftop bar reached by a glass bridge, spa treatments and cinema screenings.

Verity Butterfield clearly loves to welcome guests to her loch-side Georgian house, with blazing fires, comfy sofas, good artworks, home-baked biscuits, excellent breakfasts, and dinner by arrangement.

Guests are welcomed with tea or coffee and home-baked biscuits at the Mernagh family’s farmhouse B&B beside a 15th-century fortified tower house.

Set on a 300-acre working farm, this legendary Irish country-house hotel has grown from being a restaurant with rooms that is passionate about locally sourced food into a thriving business, with cookery school, café and arts venue.

There are panoramic views of the island and Galway Bay from the very spacious, stripped-down-chic suites at this remote, sustainably run island retreat with Michelin-green-starred restaurant.

Gorgeous interiors and a friendly, informal ambience are a winning combination at Susan Stuart’s beautiful B&B, where every bedroom has a sea view, and breakfast is quite special.

A private drive loops through native woodland and pastures to this classical mansion overlooking a ruined Knights Templar castle and teeming fishing lake in W B Yeats country.

Beneath Slieve Foy Mountain, stepping distance from the sea and within walled gardens, the Carroll family’s Georgian house affords views at every turn.

Liza Minnelli, Peter Ustinov, Daniel Day-Lewis and Karl Gustav 16th of Sweden are among past guests who have fallen for the time-warp charms of Ireland’s oldest coaching inn.

Congenial hosts welcome you to this B&B in a Victorian rectory abounding in original features, tradition and charm, where breakfast is taken communally in a dining room overlooking wooded grounds.

Simon and Christina O’Hara welcome guests to their Georgian ancestral home on a wooded estate with deer park, where guests sit down to a three-course dinner and awake to an Aga-cooked breakfast.

‘A winding drive through woodland takes you back in time’ to Henry and Lucy Hodgson’s Victorian country house on a 180-acre estate on the shores of Lough Corrib.

You feel more like a valued guest than a customer at this Georgian country house hotel and fishing destination with antique-filled interiors, where the locally sourced cooking is a big attraction.

Hannah and Paddy Flynn are warm hosts at their Palladian villa in native woodland, filled with heirloom antiques and auction finds, where singing chef Paddy cooks with brio, breakfast brings eggs from the ducks and hens, and a good time is had by all.

With breakfast served until noon, afternoon tea by the drawing room fire, shooting, fishing and communal dining, a house-party atmosphere prevails at this Georgian country house.

Solitary Nephin, Ireland’s highest stand-alone mountain, provides a dramatic backdrop to this classic, pink-washed Georgian country house in wooded grounds on Lough Conn.

Tea and treats await at this Victorian redbrick B&B with smart contemporary bedrooms, where the hosts serve breakfast with home-baked sourdough in a book-lined room with wood-burning stove.

It may not be a castle but this rambling 18th-century manor house, wrapped in gardens and with views over the otherworldly karst landscape of the Burren, has its own romantic charm.

The sea is a powerful presence at this former coastguard’s HQ overlooking Bunatrahir Bay, with fascinating architectural features, of cosy public rooms, blazing fires, an ocean-view sunlounge, antique furniture and contemporary Irish cuisine.

Overlooking the River Barrow, this Victorian rectory B&B is a cherished home, with the style of a small country house, and welcoming hostesses who will cook dinner by arrangement.

The perfect base for exploring the Wild Atlantic Way and the Burren's dramatic karst landscape, the Sheedy family’s farmhouse has been welcoming guests since the 1930s.

There are wonderful views from this pink-washed manor house in gardens edged by Ballinakill Bay, with interiors full of antiques and curios, imaginative menus and personable third-generation owners.

Pass the little gate lodge to drive up to this bay-fronted country house in wooded grounds edged by a beach on Lough Swilly.