Whether you are planning a trip to SW Ireland with a group of girlfriends or husbands/partners/family, there is a good chance you will want to “do” something other than play golf! Sacrilege for a trip to Ireland? Not a chance, not in this day and age! Yes, the Emerald Isle offers some of the best courses in the world, some certainly not to miss, but there is hiking, walking, gastronomy, galleries, museums, music, and some of the best spas around.
Let’s Pack! (What to Pack post)…
COMPLETE LUXURY FOR 11 DAYS (12 DAYS with DEPARTURE DAY)
Day one - arrival - stay Dromoland Castle
Day two - play Lahinch - stay Doonbeg
Day three - play Doonbeg - stay Doonbeg
Day four - play Ballybunion - stay Teach de Brac
Day five - play Tralee Park - stay Hotel Kanmare
Day six - off - stay Park Hotel Kenmare
Day seven - play Old Head - stay Old Head
Day eight - play Waterville - stay Old Head (by helicopter)
Day nine - off - stay Adare
Day ten - play Adare - stay Adare
Day eleven - Home
With non-stop, overnight, flights from the US to Shannon, the top of morning is all yours as soon as you land. Short drives either north or south will take you to the land of green, all around. For this post, we are going to start by going north, to a dreamy castle for your first night. In order to set your sights ahead, and your body, this is a day of rest, pampering and a little golf. Just to get the engines revved.
Dromoland Castle is a 30-minute drive from the Shannon airport, and though a little “touristy” at this point, is still a nice starting point for a leisurely trip. The trick is to stay awake until evening, after dinner preferably. It will help the jet lag for the remainder of the trip.The spa is world class, the dining divine, and golf can be had. And since it has been a journey to get here, the day can and should be spent getting your body ready for a golf adventure of lifetime. Book your spa appointments well in advance at dromoland.com. Taking the afternoon to spend time walking through the gardens and maybe even play nine holes. Dromoland has gone from an “okay” parkland course to world class and a definite destination to play. It is home to the Women’s Irish Open and is a bit underrated for the newly renovated track. Dine in the Fig Tree (golf clubhouse) for something easy or hit the Earl of Thomond for fine dining. Both restaurants cater to the vegan/vegetarian serving the most deliciously creative local organic fare. Finish the evening with a drink or cup of tea in the beautiful Cocktail Bar.
*A full review on Dromoland Castle will be available soon.
Ideally, a mid-morning time for Lahinch is ahead for day two.
Rise to the beautiful surroundings of the castle, the hustle and bustle, the aura of a time gone by and a time present. Enjoy a wonderful breakfast (fair warning on the blood pudding!) and then pack up and ready yourself for a beautiful drive through country and the cute towns, including Ennistymon - home to the Cascade Falls, en route to Lahinch (full AMW Lahinch Golf Club Review here). It is only a 40-minute ride, just long enough to write in your AMW Journal and think of the day ahead. Lahinch is all about Irish golf history and is a brilliant links with which to start the journey. You are in for a real treat!
Though I rarely promote the famous spots where you find bus after bus, the drive to the Cliffs of Moher is worth the effort, no matter the day on the course. On a clear day the views are nothing less than spectacular. And on a cold, rainy, windy day, well… you are most likely already drenched from the links so grab the umbrella and carpe diem. The drive to Doonbeg and the night’s accommodations is only about 45 minutes (30 from Lahinch). If time allows, stop by Kenny’s Bar on Main Street, Lahinch, for a cuppa or Guinness, perhaps a little bit of Irish music.
Doonbeg is a luxury resort settled next to the sea. With splendid accommodations, delectable food and a 5 star White Horse’s Spa, there will be plenty to occupy your time before you tuck in for the night. But before you slip into the high thread counts, spend some time making memories. On a warmer night, after dinner at the bar and grill, I highly suggest taking a glass of wine, cup of coffee… dessert…and head into one of the many rooms throughout the main hotel. Take a few moments to reminisce about the day. Good time for belly laughs and just a little girl time.
If you love breakfast, you will love it at Doonbeg. Served buffet style with made to order options, it is just the fuel you need for the day ahead. Rain or shine, Doonbeg (AMW full Doonbeg course review here) will be waiting for you! A mid-morning time will allow for a bit of laze, perhaps reading, practicing, yoga or just walking about. Spa appointments should be set for the afternoon at the White Horses. Though only two rounds have been played, this is a trip of pampering so let’s do it. My suggestion here is the Holistic Rebalancing Ritual. Using the water from the sea just off the steps of the hotel, this massage/exfoliation will get you ready for another great night of fun and sublime rest. Tonight just stay put and either have a relaxed dinner at the bar and grill or get gussied up and move into the Ocean View Restaurant. Retire to bed a little early as you will need everything you have for the test of golf ahead.
After morning of practice, yoga, rest, breakfast, the short 20-25 minute drive will take your group to the Killimer to Tarbert ferry, and a short 20 minute crossing of the Shannon Estuary. A short drive from there and you are en route to one of the best days of golf in your lifetime! Ballybunion is currently in the top 25 golf courses in the world, and one of the most enjoyable walks along the dunes. Banked in history, steeped in nature, christened by some of the very best (AMW full Ballybunion Golf Club course review here), a late morning or early afternoon tee time and you will off to the races.
After the round, enjoy a Guinness (do you see a pattern?) or cuppa tea (one of the best in Ireland) and talk through the round. You won’t have far to walk to dinner and the night’s place for dreams. Teach de Broc, a luxury inn, is just steps from the driving range at Ballybunion. The translation of the name is “Home of the Brock’s.” It has been a family run business for decades. When I first stayed at the Teach de Broc, it was a bed and breakfast. It is now a 4-star luxury inn, complete with fine dining and the coziest of accommodations, perfect for a one night all-inclusive stay. In fact, it is just perfect. After fining your room, slip into something more comfortable and make your way to the candlelit dining room and get ready for a lovely evening of Irish fare.
Early to bed, early to rise makes for a wondrous day to Tralee. Mirror the first couple of days with a healthy (or not) breakfast before another spectacular day on the links. Tralee is just but a 45 minute drive, ideal for journaling and setting an intention for the round amidst Barrow Bay.
Tralee Golf Club is an homage to the late Arnold Palmer and a divination from the stars. The course is so much fun to play, though long and arduous. The walks between the dunes, the storybook landscape and fresh saltwater air will seep into your soul like very few others (full AMW Tralee Golf Club course review here). Just the drive into the property takes you to a land far, far away. Remnants of castles, archeological sites and farms of yesteryear; all apart of the experience. A mid-morning round will allow for a wee bit of time in the colorful town of Killarney before heading through the Lakes and up and over the Killarney National Forest. Grab a cup of coffee at Noelle’s Retro Cafe (quirky and local) and take a walk through the streets. Dive into quaint shops, galleries and pubs. Then a quick 30 minute drive will end the day in Kenmare and the historic Park Hotel Kenmare.
Room service? Dine in? Or if you still have some energy, walk next door to the Lime Tree. Once the best restaurant in the county, this quaint and very historic “house” is still one to write home about. Walk in the doors and just let the walls start telling stories.
Breakfast at Kenmare. Arguably, in my opinion, the very best scones in all of Ireland; certainly the scones with the best view. A full review of the Park Hotel Kenmare will be available soon, but for now, this journey calls for a day off, spent in the one and only SAMAS Spa. A calling from nature and a healing of the mind, body, spirit, surrender to you. My suggestion is to splurge and relax in the SAMAS Experience. Take this time for you…journal, rejuvenate, meditate. One of my very favorite places to be, surrounded by the trees of Kenmare and the waters below. Tranquility, serenity, peaceful. You don’t have to be anywhere tonight except for dinner.
Dinner at the Park is magnificent. One of the best restaurants in the area and just down the stairs from your room. The other thought is Mulcahy’s, just a short walk from the hotel. Retire after a day of restoration.
The longest travel time so far is ahead, but is it ever worth it. Kinsale and the Old Head. Spending two days here is like opening the biggest present on Christmas morning… you know the one you have shaken, rocked and jiggled for days. And now that you have spent time unwinding from the first part of your journey, call it an intermission, the second act is just 1.5 - 2 hours away.
Securing an early afternoon tee time at the Old Head is ideal (full AMW Old Head Golf Club course review here). Prior to teeing off, a nice lunch on the terrace will help get your energy loaded for a day of surreal golf. There is not another golf course on planet Earth that is located on a piece of land like the Old Head. Sitting on a peninsula that embraces 290 degrees of water, cliffs that drop straight to the sea, and a lighthouse that shines throughout the night, how could there be?
After the round, nestle into one of the comfy chairs on the terrace and wind down with a glass of wine, cocktail, mocktail or cup of tea. Dine in as it has been a long day. Or if you can rally, travel into Kinsale and dive into the Black Pig. My very favorite restaurant in all of Ireland. Why? I seriously don’t know, but it is my first stop anytime in Kinsale.
The next stop in this itinerary is extraordinary. Taking flight by helicopter, from the Old Head to Waterville, flying over the Ring of Kerry and into the seaside town of Waterville, home to one of my favorite golf courses in the world, Waterville Golf Links (full AMW Waterville Golf Links course review here). Golf is never a good walk spoiled at Waterville, rather a beautiful walk of perfection. On a windy and rainy day, this could be one of the hardest courses you will play (rivaling only Carnoustie in Scotland), and on a clear day, the views through the dunes will leave you speechless. This is the course that Payne loved, and there is every reason why.
After the round, head to the 1889 bar for a quick nibble and bite before you head back to Old Head…of course, by chopper. Biggest decision of the day… eat at the Old Head or head into Kinsale to the Black Pig. Whatever you did the night before, do the other…again, simple. Or just go to the Black Pig again!
Start this day with yoga and journaling, resting and practicing, going to the spa. Around mid-morning, take a short drive into Kinsale and spend the morning darting in and out of galleries, shops and bookstores. Being a town of art and literature, there is a plethora of places to visit. Find a spot for lunch (Cosy Cafe, Fishy Fishy, there are several!) Before the two hour drive to Adare.
The village of thatched roofs, Adare is one of the “tidy towns of Ireland.” In other words, it is clean, colorful, quaint and storybook. Take a quote from James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats…paint the picture. Then, just past town lies the final destination before leaving Ireland, and what a treat it is. The gate is the beginning complete with a guard in full top hat and tails. Winding tree-lined roads through gardens and trails and then…and then! The Manor House.
Adare Manor. Home of the 2027 Ryder Cup. Home to elegance, sophistication, splendor, luxury. You are in for a wondrous treat. To stay here two nights is a fairytale come true. The grounds, the gardens, the Manor House, the history. Spend the afternoon exploring; from golf to falconry, archery to paddle sports, whiskey tasting to clay pigeon shooting, shopping to cinema, Adare offers it all, and all in 5-star service. Then cuddle into one of the sofas in the main Manor or in the Carriage House before dinner.
Morning at Adore is magnificent. A walk, yoga, breathwork, or one of the many other activities, before a possible round of golf at this luscious parkland course (full AMW Adare Manor Golf Club course review here). Then….it has been quite a journey over the past several days… the body might be sore, tired, weary, but happy indeed. What a place to rejuvenate, recuperate and restore. The Spa at Adare Manor is spiritual. With the treatments centered around the elements of nature and inner strength, the foundation you have laid will grow! Harmony, Balance, Rebirth, Renew. Whatever resonates with you, the Spa at Adare has a treatment to match. Personally, I go for the Balance.
Spend the last night in Ireland at the Michelin Star - Oak Room. There is a reason why Adare is the #1 Resort in the World. *A full AMW review will be available soon.
Flights back to the U.S. are usually mid-morning and Adare is only 30 minutes from the Shannon airport (or 2.5 hours from Dublin). So enjoy the morning at Adare. What a great moment for reflection and journaling.
Now…how do you plan one of these? There are a number of sophisticated golf travel companies. Let AMW connect you with the one who will meet your individual needs!
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