Condé Nast Traveller magazine have just released their Reader’s Choice Awards for 2016, revealing the world’s best luxury travel experiences as voted for by hundreds of thousands of seasoned travellers. With three Irish properties making it into the top ten of the 50 best hotels in the world, Ballyfin Demesne Hotel in County Laois came out on top with the coveted number one spot.
The Reader’s Choice Awards run by Condé Nast Traveller are based on one of the largest reader-focused travel surveys in the world. This year more than 300,000 people took part in the 29-year-old poll, casting their votes online for the world’s best resorts, cities, islands, and a whole host of other categories for 2016.
When it came to the best hotels on the planet, Ireland was the only country to feature in the top ten more than once, with three Irish hotels scoring highly. The Lodge at Ashford Castle, County Mayo, came in at number nine, while Waterford Castle was at number seven. The country’s biggest success, though, was Ballyfin Demesne in County Laois, which was voted the number one best hotel in the world.
A five-star, 20-room 1820s manor on Lough Corrib, this luxurious old-world-style hotel sits on 614 private acres beneath the Slieve Bloom Mountains. Having undergone an extensive nine-year restoration before opening to guests in 2011, Ballyfin Hotel is no stranger to awards.
The hotel was also picked as the 10th best international hideaway in this year’s Andrew Harper Reader’s Choice Awards and called The Ultimate Destination for 2014 by Harper’s Bazaar magazine. The Condé Nast Readers Choice 2016 award for the second-best hotel in the world went to COMO The Treasury in Perth, Australia.
Looking for more extraordinary places to stay in Ireland? Check out our expertly curated rundown of the best luxury hotels in Ireland.
About the author
From Irish cuisine to the best gallery shows, Kate covers everything Ireland has to offer. She has bylines in numerous publications including IMAGE Interiors & Living.
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