Places to stay

Drury Street, Dublin

Hotel in Dublin

Brooks Hotel, Dublin

Brooks sits on Drury Street, a short stroll from Grafton Street, in the part of Dublin where the cafés and small shops are at their best. It is a small city hotel rather than a big chain box, and travellers clearly rate the stay: 4.6 on TripAdvisor and a 9.0 score drawn from more than 5,000 reviews on trivago, where rooms were listed from 147 dollars (as seen 25 Oct 2026). For a first visit, the location does the heavy lifting. You can walk to Trinity, Temple Bar and St Stephen's Green and be back for a quiet nightcap.

Best for: First-time visitors who want to walk the city centre from the door. It is a small hotel on a lively street off Grafton Street, so it suits travellers who plan to be out in the city rather than in the hotel.

See it on Hotellook

Hotel in Cork

Hotel Isaacs, Cork

Hotel Isaacs stands on MacCurtain Street in Cork's Victorian Quarter, a handy walk from Kent Station and an easy stroll down to Patrick Street and the English Market, which I have walked through more times than I can count. It is the sort of place I point visitors towards when they ask me for somewhere central with a bit of character about it. The ratings back that up: 4.6 on Google and 9.2 out of 10 on Expedia, the Expedia score drawn from more than a thousand reviews. For my money it is the most useful Cork base I can point a first time visitor to.

Best for: First-time visitors who want to walk Cork from the door. It is a city hotel on a busy street in the Victorian Quarter, so it suits travellers who plan to be out in the city rather than in the hotel.

See it on Hotellook

The Montenotte district, across the River Lee

Hotel in Cork

The Montenotte Hotel, Cork

The Montenotte sits above the city on Middle Glanmire Road, in Montenotte, the old merchant suburb on the north side of the Lee. I grew up in Cork, and the view back over the rooftops from up there is one I never tire of. The hotel began life as an 18th century residence and now runs as a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, with the Bellevue Spa, a 20 metre pool at the Motion Health Club, a small cinema and the Panorama Restaurant and Terrace. TripAdvisor ranks it number 1 of 40 Cork hotels at 4.8 from 2,410 reviews. It is a treat rather than a budget base, and Cork people book it for occasions.

Best for: Couples and occasion trips. It sits on the hill above the city in Montenotte, so the centre is a taxi ride or a steep walk rather than the doorstep, and rooms were seen from 184 dollars on trivago (as seen 25 Oct 2026), the top end of Cork pricing.

See it on Hotellook

University College Cork, beside the manor

Hotel in Cork

Hayfield Manor Hotel, Cork

Hayfield Manor is Cork's five star manor house, tucked off Perrott Avenue by University College Cork, about a fifteen minute walk from Patrick Street. It is a quiet, formal house with the Orchid Restaurant, Perrotts Garden Bistro and the Beautique Spa, plus an indoor pool and gardens that shut out the city noise. Travellers rate it 4.8 on TripAdvisor from more than 5,500 reviews and 9.4 out of 10 on KAYAK. Coming home to Cork, this is the address I give people who want the full manor house treatment without leaving the city.

Best for: Travellers who want the five star manor house treatment without leaving the city. It is a quiet, formal house by University College Cork, about fifteen minutes on foot from Patrick Street, and rooms were seen from 257 dollars on KAYAK (as seen 25 Oct 2026).

See it on Hotellook

Hotel in Cork

The River Lee, Cork

The River Lee stands on Western Road, on the river it is named for, a ten minute walk from the English Market and Patrick Street. I know that stretch of the Lee well. The hotel is part of The Doyle Collection, with 182 rooms, the River Club bar and terrace for a drink by the water and the Grill Room for dinner. TripAdvisor rates it 4.7 from 5,457 reviews and places it sixth of 40 Cork hotels, with rooms seen from 170 euro on KAYAK (as seen 25 Oct 2026). For visitors who want a polished city hotel and the river outside the window, this is the one I point to.

Best for: Visitors who want a polished, larger city hotel with the river outside the window. It stands on the western side of the centre, a ten minute walk from the English Market and Patrick Street.

See it on Hotellook

The Custom House on the quays, by Anderson's Quay

Hotel in Cork

Leonardo Hotel Cork (formerly Jurys Inn)

Plenty of Cork people still call this one Jurys, and I am one of them: for years that is what it was, Jurys Inn on Anderson's Quay, rebranded under Leonardo Hotels. The position is hard to beat, on the river, five minutes on foot from Kent Station and a short stroll from Patrick Street. It is a straightforward, well kept city hotel rather than a character stay, and travellers score it 8.2 on Priceline from more than 2,300 reviews, with rooms seen from 148 dollars (as seen 25 Oct 2026). For a first night in Cork after a long travel day, simple and central has a lot to be said for it.

Best for: First nights and station arrivals: it is five minutes on foot from Kent Station, simple and central. It is a straightforward city hotel, so travellers looking for character should look at the Imperial or Hotel Isaacs instead.

See it on Hotellook

The Michael Collins statue at the Imperial's entrance

Hotel in Cork

The Imperial Hotel, Cork

The Imperial stands on the South Mall, Cork's grandest street, and I think of it the way locals do, as the Grande Dame of Cork hotels. Inside there is the Escape Spa, Fitzgerald's bar, a lounge named for Frederick Douglass and a suite named for Michael Collins, so a stay here comes with a fair slice of the city's history attached. TripAdvisor rates it 4.4 from 4,263 reviews and trivago scores it 8.6, with rooms seen from 132 euro (as seen 25 Oct 2026). It is the character pick on the South Mall: central, storied and fairly priced.

Best for: Travellers who like a hotel with history attached, on Cork's grandest street. Its TripAdvisor rating of 4.4 sits a notch below the newest hotels on this page, and the starting price reflects that.

See it on Hotellook

The Lower Glanmire Road through Tivoli

Hotel in Cork

Clayton Hotel Silver Springs, Cork

Clayton Hotel Silver Springs stands in Tivoli, about 3 km east of Cork city centre by the M8, ground I know well, and traded for years as the Silver Springs Moran Hotel before joining the Clayton brand. It is a four star with the Gallery Restaurant, free parking and what its listing calls Cork's largest conference centre. Travellers rate it 4.0 on Google from more than 1,000 reviews, a notch below the other Cork hotels listed here, and it is a drive rather than a walk into town. In its favour, rooms were seen from 98 dollars on trivago (as seen 25 Oct 2026), the lowest starting rate of any Cork hotel in the sweep.

Best for: Drivers and conference visitors who want free parking and the M8 on the doorstep. Anyone set on walking into the city centre in the evening is better served by the central hotels on this page.

See it on Hotellook

Hotel in Galway

Park House Hotel, Galway

Park House sits on Eyre Square itself, so the train and bus stations, Shop Street and the Latin Quarter are all a few minutes on foot. For a first night in Galway that matters, because the city is best done walking, with the evening free for music rather than taxis. The hotel holds a 4.5 rating on TripAdvisor from more than 3,600 reviews, with rooms seen from 152 pounds on KAYAK (as seen 25 Oct 2026). Expect a traditional, well kept house rather than a design statement, the kind of place that suits Galway down to the ground.

Best for: First-time visitors arriving by train or bus who want the city on foot. It is a traditional, family style house rather than a boutique or design hotel.

See it on Hotellook

The Muckross Road, Killarney

Hotel in Killarney

Cahernane House Hotel, Killarney

Cahernane House is a manor house on the Muckross Road, built for the Herbert family and receiving guests since 1877, a short hop from Killarney town yet a world apart from its bustle. It is the one grander stay on our Killarney list, and the reviews say it earns its place: 4.7 on TripAdvisor from just over a thousand reviews and 9.4 on KAYAK. Stay here if your Kerry days are long ones on the road and you want the evening to feel like part of the holiday rather than a pause in it.

Best for: Travellers who want a quiet manor house evening after long Kerry days. It stands on the Muckross Road outside the town centre, so the pubs and restaurants of Killarney are a short drive or taxi ride rather than a walk.

See it on Hotellook

High Street, in Killarney town centre

Hotel in Killarney

The Killarney Park, Killarney

The Killarney Park stands in the town centre, a two minute walk from the edge of the national park, and it is the hotel other Killarney hotels get measured against. It is a five star with the Peregrine restaurant, a Garden Bar, a spa and a 20 metre pool, and the service is what reviewers talk about most. TripAdvisor rates it 4.9 from 2,583 reviews, the strongest score of any hotel on this page. Rooms are priced at the top of the Killarney range, and for a special trip, this is where we would put the money.

Best for: Special trips, and anyone who wants the national park two minutes from the door. Rooms sit at the top of the Killarney price range, so it is a splurge rather than a base you barely sleep in.

See it on Hotellook

Hotel in Killarney

Great Southern Killarney

The Great Southern is a Victorian hotel in the heart of Killarney town, spread across six acres of private gardens, so it feels like a country house while standing in the middle of town. It is a four star with the Arbour Restaurant and Brownes Bar, family rooms and a spa, and travellers rate it 9.4 out of 10 in the Budget Your Trip roundup, with rooms seen from 317 dollars (as seen 25 Oct 2026). Google reviewers give it 4.7. For families and first timers who want gardens, space and the town at the gate, it is an easy recommendation.

Best for: Families and first timers who want gardens and space with the town at the gate. It is priced above the mid range band on most dates.

See it on Hotellook

Hotel in Killarney

Muckross Park Hotel & Spa, Killarney

Muckross Park is the one hotel on this page that stands inside Killarney National Park itself, on the Muckross Road a short drive from town. I know the park well, and it is the reason to be based on this road: Muckross House and the lakes, on the doorstep before the day trip buses arrive. The house has received guests since 1795, and today it is a five star with 70 rooms, the two AA Rosette Yew Tree Restaurant and a spa that reviewers praise by name. TripAdvisor rates it 4.7 from close to 2,500 reviews, with rooms seen from 191 dollars on Trip.com (as seen 25 Oct 2026).

Best for: Walkers and park-first trips: Muckross House and the lakes are on the doorstep before the day trip buses arrive. The town centre is a short drive away, so evenings in Killarney's pubs need a car or a taxi.

See it on Hotellook

Brickeen Bridge, Muckross, in Killarney National Park

Hotel in Killarney

The Brehon Hotel & Spa, Killarney

The Brehon stands on the Muckross Road, a short walk from the town centre, with Killarney National Park across the way. It is a four star hotel with the Danú Restaurant and the Anú Spa, whose Vitality Suite is adults only, and it holds TripAdvisor's Best of the Best award for 2026 at 4.7 from more than 3,800 reviews. KAYAK listed rooms from 156 dollars (as seen 25 Oct 2026), the gentlest starting price among Killarney's top rated houses. If you want the spa hotel treatment without the five star bill, start here.

Best for: Spa weekends and couples who want top rated rooms without the five star bill. It stands on the Muckross Road, a short walk from the town centre with the national park across the way.

See it on Hotellook

Hotel in Killarney

Killarney Plaza Hotel & Spa

The Plaza is the big town centre option, on Kenmare Place in the middle of Killarney, with 198 rooms, the Sundari Spa, Café du Parc for coffee and The Tan Yard for dinner. It is a four star that suits families and groups who want everything under one roof and the pubs of High Street a short stroll away. TripAdvisor rates it 4.5 from more than 2,700 reviews and KAYAK scores it 9.0, with rooms seen from 105 pounds on KAYAK (as seen 25 Oct 2026). Parking is tight and the public car park nearby runs about ten euro a day, worth knowing before you arrive.

Best for: Families and groups who want everything under one roof in the middle of town. Parking is tight, and the public car park nearby runs about ten euro a day, worth knowing before you arrive.

See it on Hotellook

Hotel in Kilkenny

Butler House, Kilkenny

Butler House is the Georgian dower house of Kilkenny Castle, on Patrick Street in the middle of town, with gardens that run down towards the castle grounds. It is a small, graceful place to stay, all high ceilings and quiet rooms, and the location could hardly be beaten for a first visit. Travellers rate it 4.5 on TripAdvisor from over 950 reviews and 4.6 on Google, with rooms seen from 184 dollars in aggregator listings (as seen 25 Oct 2026). Breakfast in a house like this, then a stroll through the castle yard, is a fine Kilkenny morning.

Best for: Couples and castle-first visitors. It is a small, quiet house, so anyone after a big hotel with a leisure centre should look elsewhere in the city.

See it on Hotellook

Church Lane, Belfast

Hotel in Belfast

Bullitt Hotel, Belfast

Bullitt is a smart, no fuss city hotel on Church Lane, right in the middle of Belfast, built around good beds, good coffee and an easygoing bar. There is a rooftop restaurant, Tetto, and a cocktail bar, Rattlebag, for the evening, and the Cathedral Quarter is on your doorstep for trad sessions and small galleries. Google reviewers rate it 4.5 from over 500 reviews, and its prices sit in the moderate band rather than the luxury end. For a first Belfast stay, central and characterful beats grand and formal every time.

Best for: First-time visitors who want the Cathedral Quarter on the doorstep. It is an urban boutique with compact rooms built around the bed and the bar, not a grand formal hotel.

See it on Hotellook

Church Street, Athlone

Hotel in Athlone

Prince of Wales Hotel, Athlone

The Prince of Wales is a four star hotel in the centre of Athlone, within walking distance of the train station, which makes it the practical pick for a Shannon stopover. It comes with free parking and full Irish breakfasts, and travellers on Hotels.com give it an average guest rating of 8.8 out of 10. Athlone is the town we send people to for Sean's Bar and the river, and this is a solid, fairly priced base in the middle of it all, with no need for taxis at either end of the day.

Best for: Shannon stopovers and Sean's Bar evenings, especially anyone arriving by train. It is a practical town centre four star rather than a country house stay; the lakeside hotels sit outside town.

See it on Hotellook