Château Capitoul in Narbonne, France. Picture: Eric Martin
With three magnificent châteaus across the South of France, Dubliners Anita and Karl O’Hanlon have created a chic and cool hospitality brand underpinned by discrete luxury.
Château Capitoul is the third in the collection, a historic wine estate on the Massif de la Clape, minutes from the Mediterranean. The original neo-Gothic château offers eight glamorous bedrooms, or guests can stay in one of the 44 luxury villas in the hamlet on the estate. Add in a swanky spa, two excellent restaurants, pools with a view, great wines and vistas across the Languedoc and you’ve got one idyllic, family-friendly hideaway. €€€€; chateaucapitoul.com
John and Joan Gallagher moved with their family from Boyle in Co Roscommon to Sitges in 2001. Twenty years on, they opened Priorat Aparthotel in Falset after four years of renovations (not to mention a pandemic). A boutique hotel with five studios and a penthouse, contemporary Irish and Spanish art hangs on the walls. It’s popular with walkers and wine lovers, and Falset is the capital of the Priorat wine region, one of only two DOQ — designated wine regions — in Spain where majestic cliffs meet steep hillsides. The Gallaghers are keen walkers and produced their first vintage last year from their recently recovered abandoned vineyard. Producing 3,000 bottles, they planted 8,000 new vines, and the newly renovated masia (country house) on the estate will be ready for holiday rental this summer. €€; priorataparthotel.com
“People like to glamp in an urban setting!” So says Dubliner Carla Brook, who opened two UK properties after moving from Ireland during the recession of 2007 and 2008. Brooks Guesthouse Bristol was originally a pub that was badly bombed in World War II. Rebuilt as offices and then as a hostel, she took over the derelict building in 2010, carrying out a six-month renovation. A smart guesthouse, and sister property to Brooks Guesthouse in Bath, her most popular Bristol rooms are on the roof. Here, four sleek, aluminium Rocket caravans are kitted out as unusual guest rooms (hence the glamping). “We are popular with Irish guests too, who we love having [to stay], especially during Cheltenham and for football and rugby matches,” Brook says. €€€; brooksguesthousebristol.com
This Irish-owned, 300-acre estate features a restored 17th-century château and 18-hole golf course. Available for exclusive hire only, it can accommodate up to 18 guests across nine bedrooms, while a second château, Chesnaye, has a further 11 bedrooms that can be used as overflow accommodation. Along with Irish CEO Niall Carroll, a full-time team of 22 includes Donegal executive chef Gary O’Hanlon, a butler, concierge and security team. Manicured gardens and a championship standard golf course are matched by multiple dining and bar areas, an indoor swimming pool, gym, spa facilities, bikes and a padel tennis court. €€€€€; the-condor.com
“Like many other residents of the Isle of Wight island, we came down from London and bought a second home in Fishbourne, to have more space, sail and enjoy an easier way of life,” Sara Curran shares. “That was 16 years ago, and we never went back to living in the first home, which we eventually sold!”
From Dublin, Curran met her Toronto-born-and-raised husband, Peter Sussman, through the TV and film industry they both work in. The couple never had any intentions of buying a hotel.
“North House (as it was then known), was our favourite bar, restaurant and boutique hotel on the island. When it closed during Covid and was put on the market in 2021, Peter and I decided to have a look. It is such a beautiful place, really a design hotel, and we fell in love with it and just had to buy it.”
Renaming it Foresters Hall, after the property’s long heritage as a monthly meeting hall in Cowes, the main house is a traditional Georgian townhouse with the original 1865 lodge and garden suites housing 14 guest rooms, styled with a sophisticated nautical twist.
The main season is April to October, with a private sun terrace and heated saltwater pool proving popular among guests in summer.
“The best thing about running Foresters Hall is meeting our guests. In the short time we have owned the hotel, hotel guests have come from all over the world,” Curran says.
“We’ve also had a very enthusiastic response from full- and part-time island residents and have made many new friends. It’s been really wonderful to have the opportunity to work with island businesses and artisans to enhance the hotel’s offering in food, wine and comfort.” €€€€; forestershall.com
Pretty in pink, Casa Rosa sits proudly on a tree-lined main boulevard in the Portuguese port town of Olhão. Built in the 1950s, Colum McLornan and David Guyot fell in love with it in 2017 before spending three years transforming it into this hip, nine-bedroom escape. Minutes’ walk from the Algarve’s largest fishing port and seafront market, the pared-back decor has boho vibes with a cool terrace pool. Belfast-based McLornan is no stranger to hospitality, working as director of the Marine Hotel in Ballycastle and MD of solo travel specialist Friendship Travel, while Guyot is a yoga and swimming instructor. Casa Rosa welcomes guests every year from March to November. €€€; casarosavillaolhao.com
Owned by Denis O’Brien and run by CEO Sean Moriarty, Quinta do Lago is well-known to Irish holidaymakers as a high-end sporting and wellness destination in the Algarve. The 550-hectare estate offers up five championship golf courses, two five-star hotels, apartment complexes and luxurious villas to rent. The boutique, 74-bedroom Magnolia Hotel on its doorstep offers “a taste of Palm Springs in the Algarve” with more affordable rates. It’s a four-star with its own pool, and offers half-board packages. €€€€; quintadolago.com; €€€; themagnoliahotelqdl.com
A whimsical baronial confection, The Atholl Palace was designed by architect Andrew Heiton Jr, who is also responsible for Findlater’s Presbyterian Church in Dublin — which sits directly opposite sister property The Castle Hotel off Parnell Square. With many of its original Victorian features still intact, the dramatic four-star hotel is a great base for exploring the Scottish Highlands, with many rooms offering sweeping mountain views. Part of the Irish-owned Castle Collection, comprising six hotels (including Ballina Manor), this Scottish beauty also offers self-catering lodges and a large spa. €€€; athollpalace.com
9.Château Puynard, Bordeaux, France
From Kingscourt in Co Cavan, Naomi Murtagh and Andrew Eakin came to France via Bottle Apostle, wine shops they owned while living in London. In 2016, after buying Château Puynard in the village of Berson, they moved over and took their first steps into winemaking. Buying neighbouring property Magdeleine-Bouhou, they turned the derelict house into a private gîte on their vineyard. Tastefully refurbished with five bedrooms sleeping 10, they restored another building as a gîte last year at the original Château Puynard, followed by a third. Now a certified organic vineyard, local wine visits can be enjoyed by guests as well as a visit to their new Two Origins Distillery. €€€; chateaupuynard.com
Caro and Sean Feely lived in Dublin from 1997 to 2005, before leaving to open Château Feely. Sean’s grandparents on both sides were Irish, with one set growing vines in South Africa’s Western Cape after moving from Ireland in their youth. Sean was interested in winegrowing from an early age, helping his grandparents with the harvest as a schoolboy. “And my grandmother was French, descended from the French tribe that moved from Normandy to Galway to import wine in the 1300s,” Caro explains. At Château Feely, the family produces wine and offers accommodation in The Wine Cottage (sleeps two to three) and The Wine Lodge (sleeping four). Guests can avail of tours and tastings on their organic farm as well as walking tours and yoga. €€€; chateaufeely.com
A seaside stay close to home, The Beaches Hotel in north Wales is a 75-minute drive from Holyhead in Prestatyn. One of Britain’s few hotels with its own Blue Flag beach, the four-star offers magnificent views of the Irish Sea and dramatic Clwydian range. Part of the Irish-owned Castle Collection, the hotel enjoys a generous waterside terrace surrounded by beautiful countryside, with the North Wales Coastal Path, Welsh castles and golf courses nearby. €€; thebeacheshotel.com
Having sold Harvey’s Point after 30 happy years, Deirdre McGlone and Marc Gysling sought out a small property in France where they could continue their love of hospitality on a smaller scale. “We have always loved the French way of life, which is rooted in simple, timeless pleasures,” Deirdre says. “We booked a flight to Toulouse and, upon arrival at Le Moulin, it truly was love at first sight.” Surrounded by dramatic scenery, the thoughtfully renovated 14th-century mill sleeps up to 11 between the charming main house and tower. Available as an exclusive weekly holiday rental with serviced accommodation, guests can book a range of services, from a private chef to massages and yoga classes.€€€€; lemoulinsurcele.com
Part of the same stable as Faithlegg, Killashee and The Heritage hotels in Ireland, FBD Hotels & Resorts owns two Spanish properties — La Cala Resort and Sunset Beach Club. The latter is a popular four-star resort in Benalmádena Costa on the waterfront, offering a mix of apartments and junior suites, all with kitchens and terraces. It’s good value and ideal for families, with a kids’ club, playground, big pools and great beach access. There’s an extensive entertainment and activity programme in summer, too. €€; sunsetbeachclub.com
14.Villa La Coste, Réparade, France
Halfway between the historic town of Aix-en-Provence and Luberon Nature Park, Villa La Coste perches on the hillside of a private estate in Provence. Offering 28 villa suites with exquisite views over the vineyards and valley, this luxury property is owned by Irish businessman Paddy McKillen. The hotel’s striking contemporary architecture is matched by an impressive art collection that includes works by Paul Matisse and Damien Hirst. Guests can enjoy an indulgent spa, great local wines and fine dining at Hélène Darroze at Villa La Coste. €€€€€; villalacoste.com
For several years, Italian architect and interior designer Francesco Della Femina and his Irish wife, strategic planner Barbie Ryan, had discussed the idea of opening up a small boutique-style B&B in the centre of Naples. The couple work together in their studio, FDF Design, in the city’s historic centre, restoring villas and designing hospitality venues in Italy as well as overseas.
“We could see that the city had been growing in popularity with tourists, especially in the three years pre-Covid,” Ryan explains. “Arcadia is located in an original 17th-century palazzo where real Neapolitan families live. That means washing outside their windows, the women calling to each other from their balconies, bikes parked illegally in the courtyard. It’s very real and is exactly what we wanted!”
Purchasing the property in 2008, they began restoring it in 2018 and completed it in 2020 after redesigning the interiors and knocking down walls that were three metres thick. “It was a labour of love and we weren’t in a hurry to do it.”
Della Femina restructured the property to create three individual suites with generous bathrooms, and each guest room is individually decorated with original furniture he designed alongside pieces acquired during the couple’s extensive travels.
“Given our line of work, we had access to artisans who produced the pieces Francesco designed. Everything is made to measure, from the solid wood doors and soundproof windows to the furniture.”
Opened in 2022, Arcadia Napoli’s striking rooms are compact but cosy, and each has its own fridge stocked with refreshments, a Nespresso machine and a kettle with Barry’s tea especially for their Irish guests!
Ryan is very involved in the day-to-day running of Arcadia, she says.
“I am the contact for all information for guests, helping them set up their trip to Napoli. I meet them at their point of arrival in the city centre and take them to Arcadia, show them to their room and go through any questions they have for their stay.
“I am always available on WhatsApp or in person for anything they need.” €€€; arcadianapoli.com
Synonymous with New York, Fitzpatrick Manhattan and Fitzpatrick Grand Central have been favourites of Irish visitors to the Big Apple since opening in Midtown in 1991. The properties are still run by the Fitzpatrick family, who have been in the hotel business for more than 40 years and also own Fitzpatrick Castle in Killiney. €€€; fitzpatrickhotels.com
17. Doyle Collection, London, Washington DC
With Westbury its jewel in the crown at home, the Doyle Collection owns seven other stylish hotels, including the impressive Dupont Circle in Washington DC and the colourful Bloomsbury in London. €€€€; doylecollection.com
18. Sandy Lane, Barbados
A luxury beach resort overlooking the Caribbean, Sandy Lane is a Barbadian classic owned by a group of high-profile Irish businessmen, including Dermot Desmond and JP McManus. Popular with celebrities, the escape also attracts golfers and well-heeled sunseekers. €€€€€;sandylane.com
19. Carlisle Bay, Antigua
A luxury resort in Antigua, Carlisle Bay is a dazzling beachfront property owned by Irish family company Harcourt Developments. Bought in 2003 by chairman Patrick Doherty, he runs the glamorous five-star Caribbean bolthole with his children. €€€€; carlisle-bay.com
20. The Shinmonzen, Kyoto, Japan
A modern take on Japan’s atmospheric ryokan inns, The Shinmonzen is an intimate nine-suite hotel owned by Paddy McKillen. Marrying traditional hospitality with startling contemporary architecture, the boutique hideaway has been designed by local architect Tadao Ando. €€€€€;theshinmonzen.com
Pricing guide
€ (Budget) €€ (Affordable) €€€ (Mid-range) €€€€ (Luxury/splurge) €€€€€ (If you need to ask...)
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