Ballyfin, Ireland

 

 

Our stay at Ballyfin was a bit like stepping into Downton Abbey, but with drama and scheming replaced by charming Irish hospitality.

Our days were a blur of relaxation and indulgence – leisurely breakfast, perhaps a golf cart jaunt around the grounds, an hour or two with a good book (and a pot of tea, of course), brisk walks around the lake, champagne in the library followed by dinner in the glittering dining room, then finally falling into our canopied bed for a good night’s sleep.  With only twenty bedrooms, sometimes it felt that we were the only ones there, that Ballyfin was all for us.

And indeed, while its beautiful antiques and art make Ballyfin look like a museum, you’re encouraged to treat it like your home.

Explore the rooms and decide where to settle down with a book or a cocktail – will it be the saloon, with its vaulted ceiling and incredible molding?

Perhaps the library?

Or my favorite, the elegant gold drawing room, which features custom-designed silk on the walls and a chandelier once owned by Napoleon’s sister.

My favorite spot in the whole house was the little sofa by the window, beneath the watchful gaze of a bewigged gentleman (one of the Ballyfin architects).

There’s also a beautiful glass conservatory, which would be gorgeous in summer; during our spring stay, it was a bracing respite from the fire-warmed rooms.  We’d sometimes take our pre-dinner champagne through the hidden door in the library and spend a few minutes cooling off and enjoying the change of scenery.

The main stairs are watched over by portraits of the house’s former owners, the Cootes.  Upstairs you’ll find most of Ballyfin’s bedrooms; each is different, with its own name and decor.

We stayed in the Lady Caroline Coote, named for the former lady of the house – it was originally her boudoir (contrary to its general meaning today, the boudoir at the time was a lady’s sitting room).  Big windows overlook the grounds at the front of the house, and the lake beyond.

The color scheme is soothing cream and blue, with a canopied bed (quite comfortable!), doves and stars molded on the ceiling, and wallpaper designed to look like trompe l’oeil silk draperies.

The bathroom features not only a fireplace but also a chandelier – setting a new standard for all other bathrooms to live up to.

There’s still much more to tell about our time at Ballyfin… stay tuned!