Set in woodland and among 32 acres of award-winning gardens, this peaceful retreat is in a beautiful and romantic mountain location overlooking Caragh Lake, on the Ring of Kerry.
Ard na Sidhe ('Hill of the Fairies') was constructed in 1913 for Lady Edith Gordon (a keen gardener) to the designs of the English architect Percy Richard Morley Horder, in a revivalist Elizabethan style that was popular for country houses at that time, and it is one of the most impressive Arts and Crafts houses in Ireland.
In 2010 the proprietors, Killarney Hotels, commissioned Howley Hayes Architects, to draw up proposals for the restoration of the house; having worked on Sir Edwin Lutyens’s Arts and Crafts masterpiece at Lambay Castle (on an island off north Co Dublin), the architects were well placed for this work which included the full repair and restoration of the exterior, together with internal alterations and renovations designed to restore much of the original Arts and Crafts character.
All of the bedrooms were remodelled to reinstate their original room proportions, and the internal en-suite bathrooms replaced with new Edwardian-style bathrooms, all with natural lighting; they are really lovely, although some are without full bath.
No expense was spared to ensure the authenticity of the interior, and original antique furniture complements new contemporary Arts and Crafts style furniture in both the common areas and the bedrooms.
As the finest Arts and Crafts style hotel in Ireland Ard na Sidhe is an architectural jewel of national significance. It has a wonderfully other-worldly atmosphere and, for many guests, it may be tempting to enjoy the wonderful gardens and the lake below without venturing further at all. But there's plenty for the more adventurous too, whether climbing Ireland's highest peak, taking a boat to fish on Caragh Lake or perhaps going deep sea angling in Kenmare or Dingle Bays. And, for days out, the hotel provides a picnic basket, maps, guides and local knowledge a-plenty.
Its location on the Ring of Kerry means that the Gap of Dunloe, Dingle Peninsula and Slea Head Drives are all within easy reach and famous links courses and traditional parklands courses including Dooks, Waterville, Killeen and Mahony’s Point are all nearby, so it's also an ideal base for golfing breaks in Ireland.
This is a sister hotel to The Europe Hotel & Resort and The Dunloe Hotel and Gardens (see entries), whose leisure facilities are also available to guests.
