Travel_Leisure_Southeast_Asia_August_2017

Tr e n d i n g

THE CELTIC

REVIVAL

Four of t he f i ve top

resort hotels in the

British Isles this year

are in Ireland—a

strong showing

propelled by

passionate hoteliers

determined to

reinvigorate the

country after the 2008

recession. The No. 1

property, Ballyfin,

opene d in 2 01 1 af ter a

nine-year renovation

of a Neoclassical

mansion in the Irish

Midlands. Owner and

Chicago businessman

Fred Kreihbel filled

the vast library with

some 5,000 books and

decorated the walls

with Irish art from the

18th through the 20th

centuries. Also

benefiting from a

renovation is Ashford

Castle, in County

Mayo. After acquiring

the estate in 2013, the

Tollman family, the

owners of Red

Carnation Hotels,

embarked on a US$75

million update that

included adding a

billiards room and a

swimming pool.

Rounding out the list

are the refurbished

fly-fishing haven

Sheen Falls Lodge in

County Kerry and

Powerscourt Hotel

Resort & Spa,

Ireland’s first

Autograph Collection

hotel, in County

Wicklow.

TOP 5
Resort
Hotels

Italy

1 Castello di Casole—
A Timbers Resort
Casole d’Elsa 97.12
2 Rosewood
Castiglion del
Bosco Montalcino
96.80
3 J.K. Place Capri
95.03
4 Palazzo Avino
Ravello 94.62
5 Caesar Augustus
Capri 94.47

TOP 5

Resort

Hotels

France

1 Tr ian on P al ac e

Versailles, a

Waldorf Astoria

Hotel Versailles

94.91

2 La Colombe d’Or

St.-Paul de Vence

94.00

3 Hôtel du Cap-

Eden-Roc Cap

d’Antibes 93.66

4 Château de la

Chèvre d’Or

Èze Village 93.63

5 Domaine Les

Crayères Reims

93.33

TOP 5

Resort

Hotels

Greece

1 Katikies Hotel

Santorini 95.45

2 Canaves Oia

Santorini 95.17

3 Blue Palace, a

Luxury Collection

Resort & Spa Crete

93.18

4 Vedema, a Luxury

Collection Resort

Santorini 92.92

5 Mystique, a Luxury

Collection Hotel

Santorini 91.92

TOP 5

Resort

Hotels

United

Kingdom &

Ireland

1 Ballyfin County

Laois, Ireland 96.55

2 Ashford Castle

County Mayo,

Ireland 96.10

3 Sheen Falls Lodge

County Kerry,

Ireland 94.78

4 Powerscourt Hotel

Resort & Spa

County Wicklow,

Ireland 91.30

5 Old Course Hotel,

Golf Resort & Spa

St. Andrews,

Scotland 91.21

TOP 3

Resort

Hotels

Spain &

Portugal

1 Convento do

Espinheiro, a

Luxury Collection

Hotel & Spa Évora,

Portugal 94.22

2 Penha Longa

Resort Sintra,

Portugal 92.85

3 Marbella Club

Hotel, Golf Resort

& Spa Marbella,

Spain 88.76

Ballyfin,

in Ireland, is a 20-

room country-

house hotel where

guests can

participate in

period costume

parties.

WORLD'S BEST AWARDS

72 AUGUST 2017 / TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM

COURTESY OF BALLYFIN