Ireland's idyllic castles
ASSOCIATED PRESS
For top-tier service and extravagant lodging, Dromoland Castle in County Clare, Ireland, ranks among the finest hotels in the country. It played host to myriad high-profile events, including the 2004 European Union-U.S. summit.
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Ireland's idyllic castles
If You Go...
The image of majestic stone castles rising from rolling green fields is a romantic one, a fantasy held by many travellers who dream of Ireland.
But that image is a reality all over the island nation where castles offer such differing charms and features that visitors can tailor castle stays to their own whims and preferences. Luxury accommodation, resident ghosts, medieval banquets and horseback riding, all can be found amid the smattering of Irish castles.
And regardless of each castle's location, striking views and sightseeing opportunities are never far away.
"There is pretty much everything that you could want, literally everything from a tiny love nest to a huge stately pile everything from the point of view of price, from the point of view of location," said John Colclough, one of the luxury travel specialists at Adams & Butler in Dublin, which books castle stays.
"You can have them on the seaside, you can have them in the middle of the mountains."
For top-tier service and extravagant lodging, Ashford Castle in County Mayo and Dromoland Castle in County Clare rank among the finest hotels in the country. Both have played host to myriad high-profile events, including James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan's wedding at Ashford and the 2004 European Union-U.S. summit at Dromoland.
Each five-star property sits in the picturesque West of Ireland, and Dromoland's 162-hectare estate is only 13 kilometres from Shannon Airport, allowing guests to enjoy pampering, golf and woodland wanders less than half an hour after landing.
Ashford Castle is a longer drive at two hours but the route leads visitors on a winding tour of the breathtaking West before concluding in Cong, Mayo, a lush rural bastion of rolling hills and lakes where "The Quiet Man" was filmed.
Befitting five-star establishments, the castles offer all that visitors would expect from luxury hotels fine dining, gorgeously appointed rooms, expansive golf courses and a range of specialty pursuits like falconry.
But you can also find castle stays at more economical prices. Belleek Castle, in County Mayo, offers single rooms from just US$118 a night and double rooms from $183. Nestled at the end of an extraordinary tree-lined drive, the 15th century structure boasts rooms that are stately yet not decadent.
Belleek's grounds cover 405 forested, rivercut hectares, dotted with trails and bridges.
Visitors can tire themselves out strolling the grounds before returning to the castle's enormous heavy doors, walking past the massive front hall fireplace and sitting down to a hearty meal in the elegant wood-decorated dining room. Guests can also make private appointments to view the castle museum, which displays everything from fossils to 16th century armour in its vaults.
Renting an entire castle is also more affordable than you might expect. Colclough pointed out that certain small castles, encompassing only about three bedrooms, can be rented for $1,575 a week. Knappogue Castle, a five-bedroom medieval structure, can be rented in County Clare for $6,825 a week. The castle is a short drive from Shannon Airport and close to attractions such as the Cliffs of Moher. It stages a nightly medieval banquet, open to the public, with storytelling and medieval music, during the high season of April through October.
There are, of course, other castles that can be rented at exorbitant rates. Humewood Castle in County Wicklow, for example, boasts 16 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms at a price that reaches $99,000 per week.
The grey spires and buttresses of Humewood rise from among the Wicklow Mountains just over an hour outside of Dublin, and the rental includes staff to take care of breakfast and daily cleaning.
IRELAND: General tourism information,
http://www.
discoverireland.com or 800-223-6470.
ADAMS & BUTLER: Can book castle stays and tours;
http://www.irishluxury.com or 800-894-5712.
CASTLES:
Ashford:
http://www.ashford.ie or 800-346-7007.
Belleek:
http://www.belleekcastle.com/ or 011-353-
96-22400.
Blarney:
http://www.blarneycastle.ie or 011-353-21-
438-5252.
Bunratty:
http://www.shannonheritage.com/Bunratty
Day.htm or 011-353-61-360-788.
Dromoland:
http://www.dromoland.ie or 011-353-
61-368-144.
Humewood:
http://www.humewood.com/ or 011-
353-59-647-3215.
Knappogue:
http://www.shannonheritage.com/Knappogue
Day.htm or 011-353-61-360-788.
Leap:
http://www.shannonregiontourism.ie/individual
results.asp?sID
49116 or 011-353-57-913-1115.
Leslie:
http://www.castleleslie.com or 011-353-47-
88-100.
[ March 24, 2007, 07:33: Message edited by: Jesse-Joe ]
but would very much like to go there. Second choice Hawaii. 
(Computer Wiz) 
They were in the local newspaper, so I figure they will dissapear in the near future. 
