While there are several attractions to visit and places to stay in the county of Laois, it pales in comparison to say, Kerry, Clare or Galway, some of the giants of tourism in Ireland and is therefore often overlooked by visitors to Ireland.
When it comes to accommodation though, Laois has an ace up its sleeve, welcome to Ballyfin Demesne…..
For this night away, we booked an all-inclusive package which includes lunch, dinner and breakfast. It was a first for us as we’re always happy with the dinner and breakfast option, especially if the place we’re staying has a reputation for dining and failing that, just B&B.
Following the road signs for Portlaoise, you’ll soon start to see signs for Ballyfin. Driving along the road, you’ll first spot the walls of the estate which seem to go on forever. Eventually you come across the entrance with large black gates securely shut. There’s an intercom at the gate which you buzz to get in. Once the person on the other end confirms that you’re staying, the large gates open and you drive through.
After a short winding road, the house comes into view – (we found out later that the road is specifically designed to see the entire house as you approach rather than just a side view).
Once we got to the front of the house, members of staff were there to greet us and in the blink of an eye our luggage was out of the car, a glass of bubbles were in our hands and the car was being driven away – what a fantastic start.
As you enter the grandeur is impressive and this is just one of the two entrance halls. After checking in, we were brought to our room, we’re staying in the Lady Caroline Coote room. We were also informed of a tour of the house later that evening.
The room is a good size and has a large bathroom along with a few mod cons discretely hidden. The decor is very lavish with no expense spared. Once settled, we headed down for lunch which is served in the Victorian conservatory.
As we walked through the house, the decor is exquisite and you can see the work that went into the restoration of the house – the place is stunning. We got to the conservatory for our lunch. The short menu read well with salads, fish goujons, soup and the like available. Of course, this was the first test to see if the food was up to par. We’ve stayed in plenty of “fancy” places only to have been let down by mediocre food.
Thankfully, lunch was fantastic. C opted for the croque monsieur, I went with the fish and chips, we also ordered a few sides and washed it down with some more bubbles. Dessert did not disappoint, we shared an apple crumble which was served with some clotted cream. It was freshly baked and tasty.
Once lunch was over, we made our way to reception to join the tour. The tour lasted about an hour and tells the history of the house as well as pointing out a few of the other amenities such as the pool and the basement lounge. It was very insightful.
After the tour, we grabbed a drink in the lounge and afterwards, we headed out for a cycle of the grounds which are fantastic. You can also go on a horse drawn carriage if you’re not feeling up to walking or cycling.
As evening approaches and after our cycle, we spent the remainder of the evening splashing around the fantastic pool. They also offer massages and other spa treatments which can be booked in advance of your arrival.
After the pool, it was back into the lounge for a drink before returning to our room to get ready for dinner.
Once spruced up, we headed to the fantastic library for a pre-dinner drink where we got to meet the manager who told us a little more about the house restoration and the plans for the future.
Afterwards, we made our way to the dining room and thankfully like lunch, dinner was fantastic and the service impeccable – which it has been since we arrived.
After dinner, we had one more drink in what we called the gold room as nearly everything was a gold colour. We also enjoyed the extra homemade sweets we got when leaving the dining room 😋
Breakfast the following morning was served in the dining room and was table service which is always a nice change from the usual buffet option used by the vast majority of places. Breakfast was tasty and relaxing. Afterwards, we went for a walk around the orchards before returning to check out.
To finish. Ballyfin exceeded our expectations on numerous levels, the service was fantastic, the comfort, the amenities and thankfully, the food, were all wonderful. At the time of our visit, there were only 26 rooms so it felt as if the entire place was just for you. We look forward to a return visit.
Until next time
C&J
cjfoodandtravel 