For sheer elegance, quality of on-site golf and proximity to other top courses, nothing beats staying at Adare Manor on an Ireland golf vacation.

In this case, “manor” is an understatement, as Adare, built in 1832, is a full-blown castle, situated on 840 acres of gardens and parkland, with all the crenellated turrets and stonework you could want.

There are 63 guest rooms, 11 Clubhouse bedrooms and two- and four-bedroom townhouses, though the guest rooms in the older part of the manor are by far the most luxurious and pricey (room 302 is the best of the bunch).

Featuring opulent, Gothic style architecture, stone and wood hallways and soaring ceilings, many of these staterooms are equipped with fireplaces; some even have fireplaces in the lavish marble bathrooms.

Amenities include a gourmet restaurant, full spa and health club with indoor pool, an equestrian center, one of Ireland’s finest trout rivers, and the aforementioned golf course, a magnificent Robert Trent Jones, Sr., design called Adare Golf Club (the rinky-dink Adare Manor Golf Club next door is, confusingly, not affiliated with the resort).

The village of Adare, with its thatch-roof cottages, beautiful stone buildings, ancient castle and friary ruins, is definitely worth exploring. And, given the manor’s location on the west coast, just 40 minutes from Shannon Airport, it’s an ideal jumping-off point for great rounds of golf at Lahinch, Doonbeg, Tralee and Killarney.

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