Gregans Castle

THE FIRST SURPRISE about Gregans Castle is that it’s not a castle. Instead, this mellow 250-year old country manor looking right across Galway Bay is one of Ireland’s hottest gourmet destinations.
 
Set in the midst of Ireland’s magnificent Burren landscape, Gregans has played home to a score of Hollywood stars (past guests have included Sharon Stone, Kathleen Turner and Steven Spielberg), as well as walkers and country-life lovers.
 
Hospitality, top-notch dining and away-from-it-all quiet are the themes of this ivy-clad stone house at the foot of Corkscrew Hill. Big-bedded bedrooms and suites come with every comfort, and are done out in classic country house style. All are different in size and feel, and most have great views of the Burren. 

Sizzling turf fires
 
Generously sized Superior rooms have their own seating area (though no TV) and roomy bathrooms. Two of the Junior suites have their own private garden areas while a third has magnificent views over Galway Bay. Premier suites have their own sitting room and BOSE sound system, while the upstairs Galway Bay suite enjoys sweeping vistas.
 
Downstairs, you’ll find a variety of drawing rooms to relax in or play board games on rainy days –  plus a lounge bar where afternoon tea and drinks are served, and where a turf fire usually sizzles in the hearth. Watch the setting sun travel across Galway Bay and strike the grey limestone mountains from here on summer evenings.
 
Gregans is something of a gourmand’s paradise, thanks to the talents of up-and-coming Finnish chef Mikhael Viljanen. If you’re into your food, worth splashing out on dinner – and we’re not talking hearty country fare here. Look forward to modern Irish and European cuisine cooked with flair and finesse by a talented and award-winning team.
 
Outside, work off your excesses on woodland paths in the hotel’s borrowed landscape gardens or get to know resident donkeys Thomas and Bubbles. Home to prolific wildlife, the Burren is a haven for birdwatchers and botanists – just count the different kinds of butterflies.
 
Friendly staff add to the hospitable air at Gregans Castle – an oasis of comfort amid the dramatic seascapes and wilderness of the Burren.

© Room for Romance