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Room Request! Adare Manor

This 19th century countryside manse defines Celtic grandeur

In the Irish countryside, you practically can’t go anywhere without tripping over a castle. But the Gothic splendor of Adare Manor, a towering estate-turned-hotel located a half-hour outside the rugged city of Limerick, strikes awe in the heart of even the most well-traveled Hibernophile. Built in the early 1800s by an earl’s wife to amuse her gout-stricken husband, the edifice’s lacy architecture – replete with gargoyles, 52 chimneys and 365 leaded-glass windows – conjures the great cathedrals of Europe – and even includes a 132-foot-long interior gallery modeled after Versailles’s Hall of Mirrors.

Adare Manor

Adare Manor

Earlier this month, the resort, which originally opened in 1988, cut the ribbon on a 2-year-long modernization project, unveiling 42 new rooms for a total of 104, a 27-seat cinema and Ireland’s first and only La Mer spa. The 842-acre grounds (the same size as Central Park) also includes an 18-course green designed by golf star Tom Fazio.

Despite its latter-day conveniences, the Manor’s baroque history fills the halls – nowhere more so than the Lady Caroline suite, formerly the private sitting room of the estate’s original matriarch – which still houses some original furniture. Here, we hear from general manager Paul Heery about what makes this neo-Gothic lair so unique.

What’s the most requested room at Adare Manor? 

One of our signature suites, the Lady Caroline suite.

What makes it so special? 

The sitting room in the Lady Caroline suite was once the chamber of Lady Caroline Dunraven, who built Adare Manor with her husband in 1832. Situated underneath the long gallery, this expansive suite has a much-prized view of the River Maigue through large arched windows, while the interior is perfectly appointed and exquisitely designed with something beautiful to behold everywhere the eye rests.

Lady Caroline’s Suite is an invitation to slow down and savor your gorgeous surroundings. Enjoy original 19th century art and elegant Georgian-inspired furniture, relax in your spacious private sitting room with refreshments from your complimentary minibar, and lose yourself in the comfort of your king-sized bed for a deeply restorative night’s sleep in the peace and quiet of the Irish countryside.

Lady Caroline Signature Suite, Sitting Room

What is the starting rate? 

From €1995.00.

Interesting tidbit about the room? Any fun facts? 

Lady Caroline wrote about some of the interesting details of her private chamber in Memorials of Adare Manor, published 1865: ‘Three large windows facing the river, and commanding different views of it, give it a cheerful character. In the centre of the room there is a massive arch, made ornamental by the way its soffit is designed. The division of the oak ceiling between the door and the arch is beautifully carved, the beams being supported by angels, bearing in their hands shields charged alternately with a red and a white cross. The beams form large squares, divided into four compartments; those nearest the wall and round the arch are richly emblazoned. The arch itself is ornamented with a simple pattern in pure white.”

Lady Caroline Signature Suite

Any celebrity guests? 

We have had several athletes and celebrities stay with us, but would like to keep their names confidential.

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