Booking a stay in a castle is essential if you’re organizing a family trip to Ireland. This will provide you the chance to learn more about the Emerald Isle’s rich history and culture and give your kids a spectacular experience. Our ranking of the top family-friendly castle hotels in Ireland includes features and entertainment options for both parents and children. These castles provide an exceptional and fascinating family holiday, complete with fairy-tale gardens and bedrooms decorated in a medieval motif. In the world of leprechauns and stories, get ready for a royal adventure!
#1. Kilkea Castle Hotel
One of the best luxury family-friendly hotels is now housed in Ireland’s oldest inhabited castle, Kilkea Castle, an outstanding 12th-century structure in Kildare, close to Dublin. It is surrounded by a 180-acre estate with its own 18-hole golf course, some nicely maintained gardens, a lot of untamed parkland, and plenty of historical charm.
In addition to rooms and suites in the actual castle, courtyard rooms in the former castle outbuildings, and independent lodges on the grounds are all available for lodging at Kilkea. Additionally, it has the choice of renting out the entire castle or a three-bedroom portion of it for private use. The most historically accurate bedrooms are those found in castles, and the suites are especially lovely. Even though the courtyard lodges and apartments are more modern, they nevertheless have a classic beauty. It is a luxury hotel because of the quantity of contemporary amenities.
The luxurious skin care products from Elemis and the Biotec facial equipment are available at Kilkea Castle along with a variety of other health and beauty services. The Bistro serves up hearty Irish fare, Hermione’s offers a more upscale fine dining experience, and the 1180 Restaurant serves up excellent dining in the former drawing room of the castle. The Keep Bar is a cozy, private location with a welcoming, unassuming ambiance. The golf course, which was just named Ireland’s best new course, has tennis courts. Horseback riding, falconry, archery, and numerous tours and excursions are additional activities that can be scheduled through the hotel concierge.
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#2. Ashford Castle Hotel
The most well-known of all the family-friendly castle hotels in Ireland, the five-star Ashford Castle in County Galway, is a magnificent building with an extravagant setting, an intimidating facade, and exceptionally opulent interiors. These elements, along with a wide selection of contemporary amenities, delectable cuisine, and extraordinarily high standards of service, consistently place Ashford Castle among the top accommodations in Ireland, Europe, and perhaps the entire globe.
Ashford Castle, a five-star hotel, has 83 rooms and suites as well as one exclusive “Hideaway Cottage” on the property. With carefully selected antique furniture pieces, works of art, and fabrics of the highest standard, each room is painstakingly and uniquely designed. The grounds are stunning and include acres of formal gardens, lawns, and undeveloped, natural woods. Horseback riding, boating, tennis, golf, archery, falconry, and other activities are available. With a wide variety of holistic therapies, a fitness center, and a swimming pool, the award-winning spa is a particular draw.
There are four dining rooms where guests can savor the exquisite cuisine. Bars and cigar terraces are also plentiful. A more recent addition to the castle’s amenities is the cinema. This is designed to resemble some of the glitzier movie theaters from the early to mid-20th century. The Quiet Man, starring Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne, is frequently seen.
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#3. Ballynahinch Castle Hotel
This is also one of the best family-friendly castle hotels in Ireland. Galway’s Ballynahich Castle is a four-star luxury hotel with a salmon lake, 350 acres of mature woodland, a top-notch restaurant, a friendly bar, and an interesting past. Both the older Riverside Lodge and the castle provide a variety of opulent rooms and suites. One minute’s walk from the castle is the private, self-catering Lettery Lodge, which has four double or twin bedrooms.Â
The accommodations all have a sophisticated, early 20th-century feel and are incredibly cozy and attractive. The majority of the apartments feature breathtaking views of the Salmon River or the Twelve Bens mountains, and some of the suites have four-poster beds. Each room has an en suite bathroom with Voya therapeutic seaweed items, satellite TV, and a variety of seating options.
Ballynahinch Castle’s outdoor activities are its main draw. The Owenmore, a high-end restaurant, and the Fisherman’s Bar, a welcoming bar, are both located inside the castle. There are tennis courts, a walled garden, a labyrinth, and a natural setting to explore outside. Boat excursions, fly fishing, clay pigeon shooting, and mountain biking are further options. Furthermore, a variety of additional activities, including boat excursions, fly fishing, clay pigeon shooting, and mountain biking, can be planned on the property.
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#4. Ballyseede Castle
The 4-star Ballyseede Castle, County Kerry’s only castle hotel, is located just outside the town of Tralee in Ireland. It has a history reaching back to the 16th century and successfully combines numerous contemporary amenities with the grandness and elegance of the past. Award-winning cuisine, lovely grounds, and a nice, laid-back environment permeate the entire establishment.
Both inside the castle and in the adjoining lodge, the castle offers a variety of rooms and apartments. Although visitors do have access to the main structure, the castle, throughout the day, the lodge accommodations are more like an upmarket, modern B&B. The castle’s rooms and suites are stunning. It has rooms and exquisitely equipped suites being at the pinnacle of luxury and space. Standard double rooms can be modest, but they are tastefully equipped and shouldn’t let you down despite their diminutive size.
In North Kerry, Ireland, there is a castle-themed hotel called Ballyseede. The O’Connell restaurant serves dinner, and the Stone Room restaurant serves breakfast. There are two restaurants and a bar there. Children are welcome in the O’Connell, which has a majestic appearance and a laid-back environment. An open fire and a cozy, upbeat environment can be found in Pappy’s Bar. There are 30 acres of native, deciduous woodland beyond the estate’s lawns and gardens, and those woodlands have trails going through them.
Ballyseede doesn’t have as many amenities as other castle hotels. Although it’s still a good location to unwind and recharge, the neighborhood has plenty of things to do for those of you who like to go out and about. Your questions on where to go and what to see in this beautiful region of Ireland can be answered by the Ballyseede team.
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#5. Clontarf Castle Hotel, Dublin
Dublin, Ireland’s Clontarf Castle, is a four-star premium city hotel. It combines a 12th-century castle site, an 18th-century manor house, and a 21st-century hotel, with a glass entrance foyer that evokes the Celtic Tiger and vibrant, daring interiors that strike a balance between the old and the contemporary. Standard double rooms and “executive rooms” with an adjacent seating area and four-poster beds make up the lodging options. A well-stocked minibar, WiFi, air conditioning, premium beds and bedding, and some fairly opulent bathrooms are among the amenities.
The common rooms of Clontarf Castle are entertaining and lively. Likewise, the Fahrenheit Grill serves award-winning contemporary Irish cuisine in a refined atmosphere. The Knights Bar and the Indigo Lounge provide drinks, and the entire structure is decorated with exquisite collections of paintings and artwork.
Although the castle has a modest gym, visitors may want to use their complimentary access to the nearby Westwood Gym and 50-meter pool instead, which are both around ten minutes away. To ensure that visitors take full advantage of everything Dublin has to offer, the hotel also provides a concierge service.
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#6. Cabra Castle Hotel
Cabra Castle, a very opulent four-star castle hotel close to Dublin Airport in Ireland, is a stunning sight both inside and out. It is a place where luxury and old-world elegance are complemented by friendly, welcoming staff, good food and drink, and the acres of old-growth woodland of the nearby Dun A Ri Forest Park.
While the cottage or courtyard rooms are located outdoors on the grounds and can appear more modern from the exterior, they are also very neatly built and furnished in a traditional style inside. The castle itself offers a selection of old-style, opulent double or twin bedrooms.
The majestic Castle of Dun A Ri gives visitors access to its historical halls, several drawing rooms, outside gardens, Courtyard Restaurant, and Derby Bar. The interiors are exquisitely gorgeous and filled with antique furniture and fixtures that provide a decidedly old-world ambiance. The bar is open 24/7, has a good selection of drinks, and serves light fare and snacks.
The first-floor restaurant’s doors open at 19:00 and offers a comprehensive, award-winning cuisine made up of fresh, regional products. There are tennis courts outside, a 9-hole golf course, and plenty of walkways and nature trails on the castle grounds that go into the Dun A Ri Forest Park. Archery, clay pigeon shooting, horseback riding, and fishing are some additional local pastimes. It is indeed one of the best family-friendly castle hotels in Ireland.