Lake Hotel Killarney

LAKE HOTEL
+353-64-31035
www.lakehotel.com

I won a charity auction for a four-night stay at Lake Hotel.

You are hard pressed to find a more romantic location. From your balcony, you can look down at the gorgeous ruins of the 12th century Castlelough Castle nestled against Castlelough Bay, one of Killarney’s many lakes. We felt like we stepped back in time to a more relaxed and proper period.

The hotel was built in 1820. A new addition was being built to open in 2006, but the manager told me they were taking great pains to preserve the manor's character and charm.

The place offers frequent nightly entertainment in its pub during the summer tourist months. However, since we were there in October, no one was scheduled. I had the privilege of informally performing for a couple of hours on two of the evenings we were there.

The restaurant's offerings were expensive, but top-notch and very delicious. The European staff, from Ireland and several EU countries, was extremely pleasant, helpful and efficient. One of the waitresses graciously took us into Killarney one night and gave us an insider’s tour of the local nightlife.

They have many amenities, including an outdoor Jacuzzi and free internet access on the library’s computer. Yet, the best attraction was the pure pleasure of watching deer stroll though the grounds and seeing an eagle soar above the bay.

The Lake Hotel is one place I plan to return to one day.