Travel Curator ‘Experience Ireland through these incredible country retreats’ by Madeline Weinfield

“When people speak of Ireland, they tend to get misty in the eye. Perhaps it’s because of familial connections, long ties that bind, or perhaps it’s due to the landscape dotted with ruins seemingly pulled out of a fairy tale. Maybe it is the Irish’s love of storytelling and music, or perhaps, as we would guess, it’s because of the Emerald Isle’s famed hospitality. Home to some of the most charming small hotels, family-run inns, and literal castles, staying in Ireland has the feel of moving in and out of a story book, where each day you can become something new, immerse yourself into a fresh page, another tale, and try it all on for size.”

“Checking in to Ballyvolane House feels a bit like arriving as the overnight guest of your well-traveled, wealthy, and eccentric uncle. Here, in this magnificent country house in verdant County Cork, the overriding feeling is one of lived-in warmth where no one blinks an eye at boots, muddy from a garden walk, trodding across antique rugs. Ballyvolane is a private home, in a sense, with its third-generation owners residing in a private wing; the home’s six bedrooms reserved exclusively for guests, which include the now King Charles III, Queen Camilla, and their entourage.”

We are delighted Ballyvolane House has made the cut. In excellent company too.

• Click here to read the article online.

Thank you Madeline!