58 MAYFAIRTIMES.CO.UK
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A - lIST AppEAl
Irish bolthole Ballyfin combines relaxed luxury with
unrivalled levels of grandeur, writes Jonathan WhileyW
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.comMT Aug19 58 travel ballyfin.indd 58 30/07/2019 11:41