Honeymoon Hideaways: Ireland

Images of Ireland comprise my earliest memories: my grandfather’s Gaelic lullabies, St. Patrick’s celebrations and a shillelagh on our front door, all culminating in a solo backpacking adventure post college. Returning as a journalist, I found it exactly as I had left it - the friendliness, beauty and authenticity intact. Emerald hills are dotted with pristine, white cottages, sheep graze among wild flowers and two old friends in tweed caps stroll home after an afternoon pint. Ireland offers a bit of magic for everyone: to find your roots, to tie the knot or to begin your life together.

Ready for your ultimate romantic road trip? Drive times between destinations never exceed 2.5 hours and roads are simple to navigate with bilingual English/Gaelic signage.

First Stop: 13^th century Barberstown Castle, Straffen, County Kildare, owned by kings, Eric Clapton and Ken Healy with rooms named after previous royal owners. Thirty minutes from Dublin, it’s 200-acres of paradise with a golf course, equestrian center and lovely gardens. It’s destination wedding ready with medieval stone “great rooms,” historical tapestries, fireplaces and an “armored knight” guarding the bar. Rooms are regal and well appointed: 4-poster beds, claw-footed tubs and antique dressers. Decadent dining includes local seafood, meats and the traditional morning “fry up” with rashers, black pudding, farm-fresh eggs and soda bread – lunch is obsolete. Repair to the salon for a fireside post dinner brandy and canoodle.

The 220-acre Castlemartyr Estate, in County Cork estate includes a 17th-century manor house, 1000 year-old castle ruins, lake, grazing horses and two adoptable Irish setters. Lounge in lawn chairs and enjoy libations blessed by a higher power (the bar is built in a former church!). The grounds are breathtaking with huge trees, fountains, a world-class golf course, pool and spa. This venue successfully blends old Irish ‘great house style’ with modern sensibilities.

Zip over to Youghal for the world’s best seafood at Aherne’s restaurant/townhouse. Fancy a sleepover? Request the Nellie Fleming room (my great grandmother!). Rounding the bend to Adare Manor, Limerick (left), we are awestruck by the grandiose manor looming through the fog. Our room is a Victorian masterpiece overlooking topiary gardens with gargoyles flanking our windows. Common areas are candlelit, with massive chandeliers set against intricate Celtic woodwork and ancient tapestries. Sporting a Robert Trent Jones designed championship golf course, Adare hosts golf pros, diplomats, and presidents on its 840 acres of land. Nightfall brings us to the clubby Tack Room Pub for local ballads and a pint. Voted one of the Six Best Places to Marry in Ireland, the Adare is addictive…

Heading to the coast, Western Ireland has dramatic landscapes, navy blue skies heavy with impending raindrops, craggy rock faces and thatched cottages dotting the countryside.

I love the Vaughan Lodge, Lahinch, County Clare, a luxe and lovely 4-star country townhouse hotel with a quaint, wood-lined bar and sleek comfortable rooms with ocean views. It’s all about fresh, simple food that’s expertly prepared. Make it your base of operations on the west coast. Next, drive south to Spanish Point and Doonbeg and chase a rainbow or take a short walk to town. Hit Frawley’s or the Claremont for music and new friends. After a scenic seaside drive amidst a pewter sunset, dine at Ballinalacken Castle and Inn where fresh and delicious Doolin seafood is served daily. Hop a boat from Doolin Harbor to the retro and rural Aran Islands harkening to 1950′s Ireland (Gaelic is spoken here). Grab a nightcap at McDermott's, Doolin - my destination pub of yore (I hiked miles as a backpacker through Lisdoonvarna farms just for the music). Known for its impromptu ceilidhs, enjoy locals playing fiddle, tin whistle and the haunting uilleann pipes. Don’t miss the majestic Cliffs of Moher - a sweeping vista of cliffs that drop into an icy, inky ocean where brave surfers are towed in for Mavericks-level conditions.

Heading north, The Burren, meaning “great rock,” is steeped in Druid history - a mystical source of inspiration for poets, writers and musicians.

Upon entering Ashford Castle, circa 1228 in Cong, County Mayo (bottom, right), you witness the sheer scale of a real Irish castle. Opened as a hotel in 1939, it’s a living museum with a staggering array of possibilities. Master the sport of kings with Ireland’s School of Falconry or enjoy an expertly mixed cocktail at the lounge before dining with Chef Stefan Matz at the prestigious George V Restaurant. Retire to the piano lounge for a nightcap, meet new friends and belt out a ballad if you dare. A visual smorgasbord, you’ll need a few days to see it all: centuries-old oil paintings, period antiques, endless gardens and lazy boat rides.

All roads lead to Galway and the g hotel, an aristo-eccentric, glam-fest (bottom, left). Design maestro, Phillip Treacy, orchestrates a glorious rock-and-roll romp though an Alice in Wonderland fantasia. Picture yourself under 300 twinkling Lough Atalia-inspired mirror balls in the Grand Salon. After signature cocktails at the hot Pink Salon or velvet Blue Lounge, dive into a purple divan and dig into more of Chef Matz and his local seafood specialties. With a suite overlooking the water and a roaring fire, why go out? The huge, egg-shaped tub is wild and the bed is as big as the town itself.

Head east on the new N6 Freeway and before you can say slainte, you’re at The Clarence located on the River Liffey in Dublin. U2 members Bono and The Edge created an investment group to return The Clarence to its original Arts and Crafts design aesthetic in homage to their humble beginnings in the Temple Bar District. The hotel is stunning, and having studied design, I appreciated the clean, severe lines of the ironwork lamps and the clubby Octagon Bar.

Dublin is about music, pints and camaraderie. Our picks: The Brazen Head, est. 1198, is Ireland’s oldest pub and is upholding the balladeers storytelling tradition with love songs so touching that patrons wipe their eyes (then take a sip). Irish mixology champ, James Langan at Peadar Kearney’s, shows us a lifetime of Guinness ephemera.

Departing Ireland is no easier than the first time I visited: it feels like I’m leaving home. Time slows down here, friends are made and memories forged.

Ireland:  One hundred thousand welcomes – and one very difficult goodbye.