Take a break from the craziness of city life by heading to the country estate of Ballynahinch Castle on the west coast of Ireland. Go wild swimming in the lake, enjoy a pint of Guinness in the pub and try the much-vaunted restaurant by an award-winning Irish chef.
The hotel
Ballynahinch castle, overlooking the river
If you're looking a place to stay that has that definitive lord of the manor vibe, then Ballynahinch Castle is the place. Set in 450 glorious acres of Irish countryside in its own estate it manages to be both super luxurious and very down to earth. We were here because their chef Danni Barry is doing amazing things at the hotel's Owenmore restaurant. But the fact that it felt like a million miles from central London, despite taking barely six hours door to door to get there, definitely added to the charm.
There's a lot of history here, as you might imagine. The house dates back to the late 18th century, but the castle on which it stands is a lot older. This was the home of the famous pirate queen Grace O'Malley in 1546 and later Richard 'Humanity Dick' Martin, one of the founders of the RSPCA. More recently in the 1920s, it became the home of world-class cricketer His Highness the Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanger.
Now it's a very fine place to stay and part of the Relais & Chateaux group of hotels. It's very well known for its fishing (there's a river packed with salmon and sea trout running through the grounds) and it's a particularly good place for walks and hiking trails.
Location
Set on the edge of the Connemara National Park, Ballynahinch is in a heartbreakingly beautiful part of the world.
The castle is set right beside the glorious expanse of the Connemara National Park featuring the kind of mountain and lake combo that makes you want to stop the car every 10 feet just to gawp at your surroundings.
Getting here is pretty easy - Ryanair and Aer Lingus both fly to nearby Shannon from various London airports. We'd suggest hiring a car if you can, to make the most of the area. But it is doable without. You can get a bus from the airport into Galway, another bus out to Clifden and then taxis will take you out to the hotel.
The food
Pints of Guinness with some cheesy chips are the perfect treat following a hike through one of the hotel's many trails.
There are two options for eating here at Ballynahinch. If you're after a more laid-back affair then head to The Fisherman's Pub and Ranji Room. This is the place to go for a pint of Guinness by the fire along with some Connemara oysters or a burger made with award-winning beef from Roscommon.
But you really shouldn't leave before having at least one meal in the Owenmore Restaurant. The main dining room at the hotel has amazing views out over the river and even in the middle of the week on a dark autumn night, the large room was very busy. Chef Danni Barry presides over the menu here. Having trained up at L'enclume she became the only female chef in Ireland to hold a Michelin star for her restaurant Eipic, and she was only the second ever.
The Owenmore restaurant at Ballynahinch - definitely a room with a view
At Ballynahinch, she takes her responsibility as an ambassador for Relais & Châteaux's annual Food For Change campaign very seriously, with a seasonally changing menu that makes the most of the superb produce she has on her doorstep here. There's a huge walled garden not far from the house that you can wander through and see what might end up on your table that night.
"The estate's kitchen gardens dictate the menu for the vast majority of the year," she says. "Since joining Ballynahinch, seasonality has never been more important to me. With an ever-changing climate, I love working with our gardeners to inspire the menu."
Dinner in the Owenmore restaurant is definitely more of a linen tablecloth, fine dining affair with service to match.
Wild mushroom tart with brie pastry, smoked bacon jam and a brown butter hollandaise - "The mushrooms in this tart are foraged from several areas around the estate," Danni told us. "We are lucky to have a lot of forestry close to the river which allows for a carpet of chanterelles to appear at certain times of the year. It is important to be ethical when foraging and we are careful only to take one third of what we actually find."
Rabbit 'vol au vent' with carrots grown in the hotel's walled garden.
Dry aged beef fillet and short rib with smoked bone marrow, ramsom capers and fried greens.
Lemon verbena cheesecake with lemon curd and a lemon verbena sorbet
Breakfast
Baked ham for breakfast
The highlight of breakfast here is the huge marmalade-baked ham on their breakfast buffet table that you can carve yourself (a new ham cooked for breakfast every day). It's very easy to consider just loading up a plate of this, but there's also a whole buffet to go with this. Plus, there's a very good and extensive cooked-to-order section, whether you fancy oatmeal porridge with an apple, raising and Connemara whiskey compote or smoked trout royale.
The rooms
A superior room at Ballynahinch - set up to gaze over the river running past
The castle has 48 rooms and they all have amazing views over the scenic countryside. We stayed in a luxury room which had a particularly great view of the river racing through the grounds along with a separate dressing room and mammoth bathroom stocked with Voya toiletries made with Irish seaweed.
It's also worth mentioning that we were staying at the hotel along with someone with mobility issues and staff couldn't have been more helpful with the room or access.
Things to do
One of the hotel's brand-new woodland saunas
We arrived just one week after the fly fishing season was over so we missed the chance for a lesson from one of the hotel's ghillies.
But the one thing you absolutely must do is check out the brand-new woodland saunas. They'd only been open a few weeks when we visited, having been shipped all the way over from Estonia. They are quite a draw with each hobbit-like structure having its own wood-fired sauna and a glass one-way mirrored window so you can gaze out over the lake while being gently broiled.
To cool off there's a Heath Robinson-like cold pull bucket system or you could, as we did, brave the lake itself. A tip though - bring along swimming shoes for that dip in the lake, you'll thank us later.
Your view from inside the sauna (rainbow not always provided)
Overall thoughts:
We'd heard a lot about Ballynahinch from other restaurant folk we know in London, and the hotel more than lived up to its reputation. It's a delicate balance providing all the luxury a demanding guest could want or need without losing sight of the heart of a place. But they've managed it perfectly. Go if you need a break from city life, or even if you don't. You won't regret it.
More about Ballynahinch Castle
Where is it? Recess, Connemara, Recess, Co. Galway, Ireland
How much? €305 per night for two people on a B&B basis
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @ballynahinchcastle
Hot Dinners stayed as guests of Ballynahinch. Prices correct at time of publication.
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