It sits behind gates at the foot of the Slieve Bloom mountains. In fact, unless you’re looking for it, you might miss it entirely, which is precisely how they like it.
However, Ballyfin Demesne in Co. Laois can hide no more: Conde Nast Traveler has proclaimed the luxury five-star-resort the world’s best hotel.
A poll of over 300,000 readers of the influential US travel magazine saw the lavish regency mansion beat off stiff competition from establishments such as COMO The Treasury in Perth and Umaid Bhawan Palace (Taj) in India to scoop the gold.
And, to anyone who has been lucky enough to visit, it’ll come as no surprise. From the second you arrive (the staff line up, Downton Abbey style, on the front steps to welcome each guest) to the moment you leave, you can expect to be wrapped up in the Ballyfin experience.
With only twenty rooms for the 614 acre estate, discretion and privacy are paramount to the experience. In fact, it’s rumoured to be the hideaway Kanye West chose when he honeymooned in Ireland with new wife Kim Kardashian.
Originally the home of Sir Charles and Lady Caroline Coote for over 100 years, the house, built in the 1820s, was later sold to the Patrician Brothers who, for much of the twentieth century, ran a much-loved school at Ballyfin.
The building eventually fell into disrepair and remained empty until 2003 when American businessman Fred Krehbiel began a nine-year restoration.
The hotel opened its doors in 2011, revealing some of the finest State rooms of the Neoclassical and Empire periods in Ireland, an 80ft library and French-inspired Gold Drawing Room that must be seen to be believed.
Placing the luxury house at the top of the list, Conde Nast had this to say:
“If you’ve ever dreamed of summering at a country house, you couldn’t do much better than this stately, 20-room Georgian home, about an hour and a half north of Dublin. Beyond the regal four-poster canopy beds, gilded mirrors, and richly textured wallpapers, there are 614 acres of secluded private gardens begging to be strolled. But the real highlight? Having a butler row you out on the lake before enjoying a sumptuous lunch at the picnic house.”
Unsurprisingly, a stay at the world’s best hotel does not come cheap. The all-inclusive starting rate, per night, for a double room is €975, but it does include breakfast, lunch, snacks, pre-dinner drinks and dinner.
To take a look inside Ballyfin, visit the website. The full list of the 50 Best Hotels in the World, which also features Waterford Castle in seventh place and The Lodge at Ashford Castle at ninth, is available here.Â
