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The thing about Carrig Country House
and Restaurant is that it feels just like home. The home
that is, that
you have always dreamed of. Frank and Mary Slattery have
created such a warm ambiance with the most wonderful
food and nature has blessed it all with breath-taking
scenery. Peace and calm abound in this beautifully maintained
Victorian house, set amid the finest gardens and surrounded
by lake and mountains. Historically interesting - Lord
Brocket once owned the house – it is now one of
Ireland’s finest country houses offering that unique
and personal quality of hospitality that makes the visit
memorable.
This is a house you are very comfortable visiting on
your own, you will feel safe and welcome; you can chat
to fellow guests in the sitting room, enjoy a quiet drink
by the fire, play chess, read the papers and go for wonderfully
serene walks in the peaceful gardens.
There are sixteen bedrooms, and each is one is individually
decorated with antiques and fine furnishings, a far cry
from those bland hotel rooms that all begin to merge
into each other in the memory after a few visits. Some
have panoramic views across the lake and a Jacuzzi bath,
but
all have bright bathrooms, fluffy towels, great toiletries
and all the comfort the weary traveller wants.
For me it was the wonderful dinner, and the exceptional
breakfast that really clinched it. Such attention to
culinary detail, such fine intelligent cooking, such
great respect for fresh local ingredients. This is how
I would like to eat every day. I found that my stay at
Carrig House pressed all the right buttons; the ambiance,
surroundings, food, bedroom – indeed all the rooms
in the house – and I felt a genuine welcome from
Frank and Mary. I honestly don’t know how they
do it. They treat everybody as a friend, and somehow
that makes you feel like a friend and so your visit is
a real pleasure.
Most people are there for a relaxing break, and swimming
and fishing are the most strenuous activities. However,
Carrig House is also perfectly placed for a climbing
holiday, if mountaineering is your thing, the highest
mountains in Ireland, the McGillicuddy Reeks are on your
doorstep. Personally, I just love sitting by that fireside
with an aperitif in hand, some pleasant conversation
and the knowledge that a wonderful dinner awaits!
What’s to do in the area?
You are in the most scenic corner of Ireland, just off
the Ring of Kerry. Fishing, walking – check the ‘Into
the Wilderness Walking Tours’ - mountain climbing,
horse riding, boating, heritage centres, old stone circles
and much more. With a hired car, daily drives around
the area bring fresh surprises.
Mairead Robinson
www.hotelreviewsireland.com
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