A dream that lasts from dawn to dusk.
There are hotels that get the job done. You check in, drop off your bags and then head out into the world. Then there are hotels that are destinations unto themselves. Such is the case with Dromoland Castle Hotel, which casts its spell pretty much as soon as you set your eyes on it.
You almost don’t need to be told that it was built in the 16th-century (the most castle-y of times) not as an enterprise in aristocratic vanity but for the authentic purpose of defense. It’s the ancestral home of the O’Briens who descended from Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland. The castle and the hotel stand at the center of a sprawling estate complete with wooded areas, a lake, a walled garden, and even a world-class golf course. And, what’s more, each of these locations has an activity for which visitors can indulge in order to truly immerse oneself in what it feels like to live the life of an honest-to-goodness castle dweller.
Dromoland is the rare “hotel” where not only could you be forgiven for not venturing out into the world beyond its fortified walls, one might even insist that you dedicate a day to fully experiencing everything your unique accommodations have to offer.