Catherine Turnbull

Ireland is the land of misty mountains, emerald fields and ancient castles. Few places can beat this enigmatic island for history, culture and all-round charm, from the green landscapes of County Kerry right the way through to the pulsing heart of Dublin city. You’ll find something for every kind of trip here – old and new, fast and slow – and we’ve got the perfect hotel for each one. From budget stays to storybook castles, here are the best hotels in Ireland right now.  Ireland’s best hotels at a glance 🏞️ Best views: Parknasilla Resort & Spa, County Kerry 💸 Most affordable: Room 2, Belfast 🏙️ Best for a city break: The Leinster, Dublin 🚂 Most unique: Glenlo Abbey, Galway 🏰 Most fairytale-like: Ashford Castle, County Mayo 📍 RECOMMENDED: The best hotels in Dublin How we curate our hotel lists Our team of writers and travel experts review hotels all over the world – new openings, old classics and everything in between – to bring you fresh, honest recommendations, all year round. We have reviewed many of the hotels featured below, but we may not have stayed at every single one. Any we haven’t stayed in have been selected by experts based on their amenities, features, pricing and more. By the way, this article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 🏨 Ultimate guide to hotels in Europe

Nowhere does Christmas quite like London. Come December, this city comes alive with dazzling festive lights, Christmas markets, theatre and endless shopping. Whether you’re venturing in from a nearby city or travelling from across the pond, there are endless reasons why a stay in the UK’s capital should be at the top of your list this festive season. Ready for some serious Christmas spirit? Look no further – we’ve handpicked the best hotels to stay in at Christmas in the Capital. And we’ve covered all the bases: hotels with Christmas markets on your doorstep, hotels that look out over ice skating rinks, and hotels that go all out for their very own festive offerings, with everything from bespoke Christmas packages to mega trees and blowout festive menus. And yes, you can stay on Christmas Day too. Ready to get festive? Us too. Read on for the best Christmas hotels in London this year.  📍 RECOMMENDED: Ultimate guide to the best hotels and Airbnbs in London  Who makes the cut? Headed up by editor Joe Mackertich, our team at Time Out London spend their time reviewing hotels all over the Capital – new openings, old classics and everything in between – to bring you fresh, honest recommendations, all year round. Along with our pool of trusted hotel experts, every hotel on this list has been individually reviewed and selected for a reason: we’ve been there, we think it’s great and we’d genuinely recommend it. By the way, this article includes affiliate links. These links

Parknasilla is a pretty dramatic scene, and the sight is pretty much guaranteed to take your breath away when you arrive. Its 500 acres warmed by the Gulf Stream are a wonderland of beaches, inlets, islands and forest walks on the shores of Kenmare Bay in sight of the Kerry mountains and peninsulas. Majestic views aside, it’s clear within minutes that there are enough activities and amenities here for a week or two of serious fun. But where to begin?  Why stay at Parknasilla Resort & Spa?  Photos on the walls of the hotel reveal the arduous journeys by charabanc on rutted tracks that wealthy Victorians were prepared to make to get here from the now closed railway station at Kenmare. The hotel was built in 1897 by Great Southern and Western Railway, and boasted Turkish hot and cold seawater baths, reading and games rooms and bathrooms on every floor.  Since then, it’s hosted royalty, celebrities, French leader Charles de Gaulle and inspired writers and generations of returning guests. The poster boy for Parknasilla is Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, who stayed many times in the early 1900s. He wrote here and took intricate walks with long sea views ‘between ferns and fuchsias, rock and rhododendrons to burnt out castles lost within the woods and along the various fingers of land that point south west into the warm Atlantic’. He described Parknasilla as a dream world (I can see it). Portraits and a bronze sculpture of him and some of his writings are on display in the ori

One of only two five-star hotels in County Galway, Glenlo Abbey Hotel & Estate is set in a bucolic landscape – manicured, yes, but with wild beauty on the doorstep, it was impressive from the get-go. After navigating the traffic mayhem of Galway City in the rush hour, the tension ripped away at the gates of the 138-acre estate with the country house set within a pristine golf course, with views of the shining waters of Lough Corrib and the wild hills of Connemara beyond. The concierge in a splendidly vivid green and gold top hat and tails welcomed me to this five-star retreat with a gentle inquiry about what I had planned and offered to speak later with suggestions – bags were magicked to my room as I checked in. Why stay at Glenlo Abbey Hotel & Estate?  First impressions are: thoughtful service, a really beautiful setting and a hell of a lot to do – both for the adventurous and those here to relax.  The abbey has a small church tacked onto the manor house. It was built in the 1790s as a private chapel for the Ffrench family but was never consecrated. Now it’s a place to sit on a plush velvet chesterfield sofa and watch the light stream though stained-glass Gothic windows in a kaleidoscope of patterns. In the original 18th century main house there are elegant sitting rooms, with ornate fireplaces and plasterwork and original artworks, to lounge in for afternoon tea, or with a drink from the cocktail bar and one of the provided Irish newspapers. Outside there are tables and se

You’ll spot this monumental Gothic revival edifice on Marylebone Road from blocks away. Traffic roars past, but once the doorman welcomes you inside the arched red stone lobby, the hum of engines fades into glory. Built to impress and rival The Savoy by Great Central Railway in 1899 and the visionary entrepreneur Sir Edward Watkin, his Victorian masterpiece has been reincarnated many, many times and now feels decisively 21st century. Imposing it may be, but stuffy it ain’t. Why stay at The Landmark London?  Affable concierge Jacob clearly loves this place after 17 years’ service. The hotel is designed around this courtyard with eight storeys of rooms rising above and encircling this dramatic entrance where guests once arrived in carriages. Now with a glazed roof, it has the light-filled feel of a tropical greenhouse or palm court. Further on is the elaborately decorative Marble Room leading to the blingy Italian marble staircase, garlanded with carved figures, plasterwork flowers, with stained glass windows, big lanterns and neoclassical arches and pillars. The Grand Ballroom is all chandeliers and plasterwork, as big as a football pitch – the Empire Room might comfortably host a couple of badminton courts. The hotel’s back entrance has a glass-covered walkway to Marylebone Station. The doorman was busy filming an influencer posing in a diamante-encrusted dress – as common a routine as opening the door, he told me. A stay here is like stepping back in time and fast-forwarding