58 MAYFAIRTIMES.CO.UK
travel
A - lIST AppEAl
Irish bolthole Ballyfin combines relaxed luxury with
unrivalled levels of grandeur, writes Jonathan Whiley
W
here is Maggie Smith
when you need her?
Sipping champagne in the
Gold Room of Ballyfin
- a drawing room of
Liberace-esque grandeur – the only piece
missing is a dowager countess with a catty
aside.
There is no getting away from the Downton
Abbey parallels at this lavish Irish country
house. It oozes pomp and power; 250-year-
old elk antlers rest above nine-foot doors
hewn from old Cuban mahogany, an early
19th-century Italian marble mosaic paves the
entrance hallway and original fireplaces roar
into life as darkness descends.
The estate was once the ancestral home
of the Wellesley-Poles, family of the Duke of
Wellington, before the Coote family took up
residence for a century.
In more recent years, the 600-acre grounds
were home to a boarding school before a
Chicago businessman bought the estate in
- A nine-year restoration project was
undertaken to restore its Regency heyday.
There are reminders of its storied past –
the Cootes’ coat of arms still remains and
family portraits pepper the grand staircase –
and plenty to attract the modern day A-list.
Amal and George Clooney stayed at
Easter, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian
honeymooned here and Richard E Grant has
joked about “being the hotel’s PR manager”.
Private yet accessible – Dublin airport is a
90-minute drive – facilities include archery,
falconry, tennis, clay-pigeon shooting, silver-
service picnics and horse-and-carriage tours
of the Robin Hood-esque woodland. Enjoy
a light lunch in the breathtaking orangery
(disguised behind a bookcase in the library)
and take a swim in the heated pool (spa
facilities also include treatment rooms),
before assembling for an aperitif.
À la carte and tasting menu options offer
exceptional seasonal and local fare with a
point of difference; think local duck with
rhubarb and Szechuan pepper or Kilkenny
rose veal with hand-rolled gnocchi.
Seduction lies at every turn and most of
all in the relaxed, charming service. Staying
here is like devouring a knickerbocker glory;
serving up a sense of occasion, bygone
extravaganza and bags of fun.
Rates start from around £508 per room
per night. ballyfin.com
MT Aug19 58 travel ballyfin.indd 58 30/07/2019 11:41