By Olive Roberts
Best Loved Hotel; Knockranny House Hotel in Westport, County Mayo has just launched a new training weekend programme designed specifically for beginners to triathlons. If you enjoy the outdoors and like a challenge, or have never tried a triathlon, this is a perfect way to get started! This is also one of the most wonderful locations in Ireland, overlooking Clew Bay and Croagh Patrick to begin your triathlon journey.
 
Knockranny House Hotel; awarded Best Four Star Hotel in Ireland by Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Awards 2010, has …

By Olive Roberts
Well I think most folk in Ireland will agree that Christmas 2010 will not be forgotten for a while to come. Temperatures got as low as -16 & -19 in some parts! A White Christmas indeed! This Arctic weather spell was in the lead up to Christmas and bookings were made and events planned. Some went ahead and others just had to be postponed or cancelled altogether. Spending Christmas at a Country House or Hotel is a big deal for people, many guests return to the same property …

Mary Ryan, an accomplished chef from Knockranny House Hotel, working under the mentorship of multi award-winning Head Chef Seamus Commons, has just been announced as the overall winner of the Euro-toques Young Chef of the Year Competition.
 
The prestigious Euro-toques Young Chef of the Year Competition seeks out excellent cooks who think about what is happening beyond the kitchen, such as where their ingredients come from and how they are sourced and produced.
As the overall winner, Mary receives a €1000 cash prize along with mentoring and training from Head Chefs in …

What an enchanting idea – take home a piece of The Merrion Hotel with you for yourself or for your loved ones. For over a decade, guests at The Merrion Hotel, Dublin, have been enjoying Chef Ed Cooney’s delicious food. Now, with the launch of The Merrion Pantry, they can take it home.
Remember, before the fridge was the Pantry and inside was any amount of necessities and treats waiting to be discovered. The Merrion Pantry offers chutneys, jams, sauces, oils and spread are all now in attractive bottles and jars …

At a meeting on 18 November in Dublin with leading Irish hoteliers, Jeffrey Epstein, Founder Publisher of Ireland’s leading hotel marketing group, Best Loved Hotels, pledged that Best Loved Hotels would only work with hotels that were not directly or indirectly being supported with taxpayer’s money.

“It is unfair that well run hotels are being undermined by hotels that are undercutting rates using tax-payers money to support failing businesses.  It will simply lead to more tax revenues being poured down the drain” he said.
Mr. Epstein also announced that during 2011 Best Loved …

This winter let three fantastically talented chefs delight your taste buds on three differing dates in three different venues.
Who are they: Well Paul Flynn from the Tannery in Dungarvan, Martijn Kajuiter from the Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore and Eddie Baguio from O’Brien’s Chophouse in Lismore – all West Waterford properties which have come together and each one will cook one of the courses for each of the 3 feasts!
Tannery – Thursday November 18th 2010
Tannery Chef and Owner Paul Flynn will cook the main course, Martijn from the Cliff House …

By Olive Roberts
Luckily in my line of business I get to travel quite a bit – in previous years it was more global, but now mainly within the Island of Ireland. This is great as I am discovering, learning and sharing many treasures and secrets that go into the makeup of this great island mass.
Over the summer I dined out often. Time after time I found myself choosing Seafood Chowder and of course each bowl has been wonderful but completely different. Seafood Chowder is terrifically full of great ingredients …

By Olive Roberts
In general, the belief from those who stay frequently at hotels is the three most important things should be the Bed, the Shower and the Breakfast. Following that is a much longer list, but perhaps these three remain the most memorable for most guests.
So taking this trio of fundamentals, hotels must employ them to be truly distinctive – to stand out from the crowd.
At Gregan’s Castle recently I sat down with my family to breakfast after a superb night’s sleep and an amazing shower. Seated in a beautiful …

Waterford Castle held their All-Island Open Day on July 18th and it included a BBQ, family gardens games, children’s entertainment, face painting, bouncy castle and live music. The main event was their 2nd 5K Island Run.
Almost 300 runners took part and among them were newly married couple Susan & Allan Crowley who celebrated their big day that same weekend. In the spirit of the Fun Run Susan wore her wedding veil and bouquet and Shane wore his wedding shirt and cravat
The overall winner of the run Shane Quinn was …

Cashel House Hotel sits proudly at the foot of its own hill, across the road from its own beach and inside their gardens. This is all in Connemara of course – one of the most magical locales in West Ireland. The McEvilly Family have grown this business for many years, and it really shows in the sense of genuine hospitality, long serving staff members, and the way Cashel House really makes the most of their surroundings and fantastic local produce. Needless to say, being by the ocean and in Connemara, …