Gregans Castle Hotel
There isn’t a castle, but there is a 15th-century tower house, built for the ‘Prince of the Burren’, the unearthly glaciokarst landscape said to have inspired J R R Tolkien. More
Good Hotel Guide Review
There isn’t a castle, but there is a 15th-century tower house, built for the ‘Prince of the Burren’, the unearthly glaciokarst landscape said to have inspired J R R Tolkien. The author stayed in the 18th-century manor house opposite the tower, which is now run as a hotel in an ‘idyllic setting’, with a ‘warm welcome’ from owners Simon Haden and Frederieke McMurray. Everything is beautifully styled, with antiques, modern artwork and quirky ornaments; the hotel retains its historic charm yet feels completely of the moment. Rooms are ‘ample and comfortable’; some have a sea view where you can watch the sun go down on Galway Bay, others have a private garden. Robbie McCauley’s menus combine modern cooking with artisan and foraged ingredients in dishes such as East Clare rabbit, celeriac, cèpe, pear, tarragon. ‘The five-course dinner was outstanding.’ At breakfast there are pancakes with organic apple syrup, smoked haddock with hollandaise. You can wander lovely grounds, have a drink by the drawing-room fire, and lunch on Flaggy Shore oysters in the Corkscrew bar, named after the scenic winding road from Lisdoonvarna. (RP)
Hotel details
Address
Gragan East
Ballyvaughan
Co. Clare
H91 CF60
Ireland
Telephone
00 353 65 707 700
Bedrooms
21. 7 on ground floor, 1 suitable for disabled.
Open
mid-Feb–early Dec, restaurant closed Mon, Thurs.
Facilities
drawing room, bar, dining room, 15-acre grounds, wedding facilities, EV charging, public areas wheelchair accessible, no adapted toilet.
Background music
in bar and dining room.
Children
all ages welcomed, extra bed €25–€50.
Dogs
allowed in some ground-floor bedrooms (€25 per stay), not in public rooms.
Credit cards
Amex, MC, Visa.
Prices
B&B doubles from €279. Set menu and à la carte €80, tasting menu €100. 1-night bookings sometimes refused Sat, bank holidays.
Other reviews
Good Hotel Guide articles about
Gregans Castle Hotel
- My Weekly: 10 of the best UK independent hotels
- Daily Mail: The Good Hotel Guide’s top 10 stays for 2019
- The Lady: 10 romantic hotels for Valentine’s Day 2018
- USA Today: 20 of the most beautiful hotels in Ireland
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