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Reviews of Carrig House

Travel Editors Choice – Tom Breathnach’s Top 10 Stays of 2022

Carrig House Presidential Sitting Room

Carrig House ranks as my best hospitality experience of the year. Built in the 1850s as a hunting lodge for the well-heeled, today the Georgian property outside Killorglin is a gorgeous lakeside retreat where owners Frank, Mary and Claire Slattery are your hosts par excellence.

Rooms at Carrig House are luxuriously appointed with oodles of charm and character and while I’d a stunning lakeview room, beautiful garden view rooms to the front don’t feel like a compromise either.

There is a gorgeous, languid but professional energy in the property and dinner in the lakeside restaurant was an occasion, too. Long-time Head Chef Patricia Teahan creates an incredible menu of local dishes. I’d halloumi with aubergine purée followed by Atlantic seared cod with pear and cardamom quinoa, while baked Alaska with thyme ice cream was a flavour burst finish.

Together with the dramatic setting (I think I had to jump out between courses to capture that sunset) it was my best meal of the year.

After dinner, there’s a Cluedo board’s worth of lounges and nooks to retire to and they’re all stocked with books, fun, board games, from Scrabble to tarot cards. I was travelling solo but it would be dreamy spot to spend an evening with a friend or loved one, sipping on cocktails while negotiating your next Monopoly takeover.

Given its lakeside setting, outdoor adventure plays its part too. Local guide Enda Prendergast of Caragh Outdoors took me on a guided kayaking tour straight from Carrig’s jetty where we paddled over the sedate waters of what must be one of Ireland’s most unspoiled loughs.

Rates start from €200 per night; there’s a two night minimum but consider that a plus.

Top 20 most romantic hotels in Europe

Carrig House Restaurant

Everyone should savour gorgeous Irish country house cooking at some point (it’s good for the soul), and Carrig Country House is the enchanting getaway destination to try it. On the shores of Caragh Lake, this home-away-from-home boasts some of the most unspoilt scenery in Ireland. If you’re not relaxing, hike the hills, tour the Ring of Kerry or go horse riding on the beach – all before cuddling up in a squishy king-size bed as you drift off to the sounds of the lake lapping on the shore.

Mini-moon now, long haul later

A Victorian hunting lodge on the shores of Caragh Lake in Killorglin, Carrig House is a romantic hideaway owned by the charming Slattery family. The cosy country house enjoys sublime views and perfect sunsets – hire bikes, swim in the lake or hang out on Rossbeigh beach, before returning in the evenings for dinners in the Lakeside Restaurant. The canopied rosewood bed in the Presidential Suite belonged to an Indian Maharaja, making this our favourite room in the house.

6 Bucket list trips for 2019!

6 bucket list trips in 2019

Home to Ireland’s highest mountain, the Reeks District in Co. Kerry is an absolute bucket-list climb. The region itself has won plenty of awards, including The Rough Guides ‘Best Place to Visit in 2019’. If you’re not climbing Carrauntoohil, there are all kinds of easy-to-moderate walks throughout the region to enjoy. Maybe you can tick off one or all of the five ‘B’ activities in the region: we’re talking boots (for walkers and climbers), to bikes (available for hire at Carrig Country House & Restaurant), to boats (to glide across Caragh Lake), to boards (calling all surfers) to body and mind rejuvenation.

A shore-to-shore guide of Europe’s best lakes

It’s known for its wild, fairytale landscapes, but if you want to find Ireland’s most beautiful lakeside secret, Caragh Lake will blow the rest of the country’s away. Hidden away on the Ring of Kerry, Carrig Country House is the most glorious base for your serene break. You’ll experience nothing but genuine old-fashioned Irish hospitality: the perfect spot to explore the southern section of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, including the Ring of Kerry, the Dingle Peninsula and the Killarney National Park. From fishing to watersports, the lake has no end of activities. Return in the evening to an unforgettable meal in the Lakeside Restaurant and sink into a blissful night’s sleep in a squishy king-size bed before waking to the sound of soft waters lapping on the shore.

6 Great Ways to Explore Caragh Lake

Whether you’re staying on the lake or elsewhere in Reeks District, Caragh Lake is an amazing spot and well worth exploring…

Rough Guides – Best places to Visit in 2019

Reeks District Ireland Rough Guide to 2019

Kerry has been on the tourism map for so long, it’s easy to be jaded about the region’s beauty. The spectacular MacGillycuddy’s Reeks refresh the brand by taking you inside that postcard scenery. Drive, walk, hike, climb, bike, kayak or sail around the mountains and lakes of this rugged landscape encircled by the Ring of Kerry...

Meet our Head Chef, Patricia Teahan

We meet Patricia Teahan, the Head Chef at Carrig Country House & Restaurant, for a quick chat on her passion for food, favourite food memories and the ingredients she couldn’t live without.

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