Highly regarded as one of Ireland’s premier places to stay the elegant, 32 bedroomed, Georgian Manor house offers luxurious accommodation and facilities with Michelin star dining in the Lady Helen restaurant. There’s also a separate complex of 93 bedrooms at Hunter’s Yard, which is built around the original stables, more rustic and informal, which is where we stayed.
Recently updated, Hunter’s Yard is a two-storey property built in the style of a modern country golf hotel. It is extremely comfortable with spacious bedrooms, the majority of which overlook the extensive grounds and golf course. The bar is cosy and the dining room has stunning views over the grounds and surrounding green countryside. This is not called the Emerald Isle for nothing! Unfortunately the general service was not as good as it should have been for this award-winning hotel, but let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and hope this was not typical of their usual standards.
The location of the Mount Juliet Estate is spectacular and, particularly for golfers, a fabulous place to stay and play on this championship course designed by Jack Nicklaus. In addition to the magnificent course and Clubhouse they also have a golf academy where you can learn how to improve your technique using the Trackman system that maps out your swing DNA. In fact the majority of guests staying at Hunter’s Yard were on golf trips.
There is also a small health centre with gym, swimming pool, sauna and spa as well as an equestrian centre. The grounds are truly beautiful with wonderful walking and perfect for using the hotel’s complimentary bicycles, so plenty to do if your other half plays golf and you don’t. And of course, there is lots to see in the area with the wonderful town of Kilkenny and its Castle a short drive away and Jerpoint Abbey close by.
We walked over to the Manor House and had a peak around the magnificent rooms overlooking formal gardens. Whilst there, some guests were enjoying afternoon tea which looked delicious and no doubt particularly memorable in such regal surroundings. Hopefully next time we will stay at the Manor.
I hope to return to this wonderful area of Ireland and would consider staying at the Mount Juliet again, particularly as I’m thinking about taking up golf. Maybe I would be the perfect candidate to have my swing DNA analysed!
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Chrissy Nason stayed at Hunter’s Yard, Mount Juliet Estate in May 2019. Read more about Chrissy’s tour of Ireland’s Ancient South East.
