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16th Oct 2018

Best hotel in Ireland revealed at the Good Hotel Guide awards

Alan Loughnane

Gregan Castle

Ever stayed here?

Opinions are subjective, as is demonstrated by the plethora of hotel awards that are handed out each year, but they’re all deserving winners in each competition.

In the latest awards, the Good Hotel Guide’s (GHG) best hotel in Ireland for 2018, the gong went to Gregans Castle in Clare.

The picturesque hotel is based in The Burren, and is “the epitome of understated country-house hotel luxury” according to GHG.

Each year, GHG’s editors announce 10 César award winners, that demonstrate excellence in their field, and Gregans Castle won their award for Ireland.

Indeed, it’s not the first time Gregan has made headlines with The Telegraph falling in love with it in 2016 stating: “It’s a magical place, sculpted in the last glacial period, and one of the finest examples of glaciokarst landscapes in the world; no surprise that J R R Tolkien, who stayed in this house, is said to have been influenced when writing The Lord of the Rings.”

The GHG awards span both the UK and Ireland and below are some of the other winners in their awards, perhaps they could be some inspiration if you’re thinking of a trip away?

  • Newcomer of the year: Pentonbridge Inn, Penton, Cumbria
  • Luxury hotel of the year: Kinloch Lodge, Sleat, Isle of Skye
  • Seaside hotel of the year: The Nare, Veryan-in-Roseland, Cornwall
  • Country hotel of the year: Tudor Farmhouse, Clearwell, Gloucestershire
  • B&B of the year: Stoberry House, Wells, Somerset
  • Romantic hotel of the year: The Salutation, Sandwich, Kent
  • Inn of the year: The Star Inn, Harome, North Yorkshire
  • Irish hotel of the year: Gregans Castle Hotel, Ballyvaughan, Ireland
  • Scottish hotel of the year: Knockendarroch Hotel, Pitlochry, Scotland
  • Welsh restaurant-with-rooms of the year: Restaurant James Sommerin, Penarth, Wales

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