CARRIG COUNTRY HOUSE AND RESTAURANT

Caragh Lake,
Ring of Kerry,
Co. Kerry
Carrig Country House enquiries
www.carrighouse.com

• Warm Country House welcome
• Outstanding restaurant
• Serene lake-side location

We have some wonderful country house hotels in Ireland, and they offer what is often the best hospitality to be found. Carrig Country House and Restaurant is in that category with its winning combination of location, luxury, fine food and friendliness. Add to this mix a dash of colourful history and the result is a great destination for a relaxing holiday.

ACCOMMODATION AT CARRIG HOUSE

Frank and Mary Slattery have created such a warm ambiance with the most wonderful food and nature has blessed it all with breath-taking scenery. Peace and calm abound in this beautifully maintained Victorian house, set amid the finest gardens and surrounded by lake and mountains.

There are seventeen bedrooms in total, and we stayed in one with a lake view across to the majestic McGillicuddy Reek mountains. Imagine lying in bed and looking out over that timeless serenity in multiple shades of blue and green! So captivating was the view that we did not miss the television, although there was one in the room down the corridor if we wanted one.

Our room was fitted with Victorian period furniture and super-comfortable beds, and was warm and cosy – offering all that the weary traveller desires.

DINING AT CARRIG HOUSE RESTAURANT

For me it was the wonderful dinner, and the exceptional breakfast that really clinched it. Such attention to culinary detail, such fine intelligent cooking, such great respect for fresh local ingredients. This is how I would like to eat every day. Chef John Luke has crafted a great menu with some exceptional dishes. It is no wonder that people come from far and wide just to dine here. Tempting dishes on our menus included, House-smoked duck, Sauteed Sea trout, Tequila and Lime Cured Salmon, Pan Seared Foie Gras – and these were just some of the starters! Moving on to main courses our choices included, Medallions of Killorglin Beef, Fillet of West Cork Pork Steak and Roast Rack of Kerry Lamb. We delighted in seeing the provenance of the ingredients! The menu also included Roast Iveragh Salmon, Baked Atlantic Cod and vegetarian and corn-fed chicken options also. Each of the dishes came with a mouth-watering description that made decisions difficult to reach. We opted finally for some pan-roasted scallops and some exceptional Atlantic Seafood Chowder. We continued on with tender beef for herself and the most delicious John Dory I have had in a long time – it was served in a delicious sweet potato and light curry cream. We shared some Irish Farmhouse Cheeses from a delicious dessert menu which included chocolates, fruit, and tartlets to satisfy the sweetest of teeth!

We retired to the lounge after dinner for a taxing game of chess!

PRIVATE IRELAND

I found that my stay at Carrig House pressed all the right buttons; the ambiance, surroundings, food, bedroom – indeed all the rooms in the house – and I felt a genuine welcome from Frank and Mary. They treat everybody as a friend, and somehow that makes you feel like a friend and so your visit is a real pleasure. They are part of a small select group of like-minded “gems” of hotels scattered throughout the country. We have visited some of them and reviewed them on this site. More information on www.privateireland.com

Most people, like ourselves, visit here for a relaxing break, and swimming and fishing are the most strenuous activities. However, Carrig House is also perfectly placed for a climbing holiday, if mountaineering is your thing, the highest mountains in Ireland, the McGillicuddy Reeks are on your doorstep. Personally, I just love sitting by that fireside with an aperitif in hand, some pleasant conversation and the knowledge that a wonderful dinner awaits!


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