When you think of The K Club, the five star hotel and golf resort in Straffan, Co. Kildare, one word comes to mind – luxury.
With that in mind, we were very excited to visit the exquisite country house, built in 1832, which has hit the headlines lately due to Pippa O’Connor and family moving into the lavish estate, where Conor McGregor already resides with pregnant girlfriend Dee Devlin.
The first thing we noticed when we arrived was the delightful Christmas decorations adorning the hotel. In fact, stepping inside was akin to stepping into a winter wonderland, with the lobby featuring a giant Christmas tree and adorable Santa Claus.
Secondly, the staff certainly give you the five star treatment. Polite, helpful and extremely warm, they ticked every box for us as they led us to our deluxe bedroom and helped with any enquiries throughout the evening.
The bedroom was charming, and the beds wonderfully comfortable. As we prepared for dinner, we admired the incredible artwork in the room; each bedroom has been individually designed, no two rooms are alike and feature original paintings and antiques, while the bathrooms incorporate hand painted murals. Art lovers will adore the hotel as it is home to many important Irish works and even has a room dedicated to the Irish Expressionist painter, J. B Yeats, which features many of Yeats’ important paintings.
Dinner in the River Room restaurant was simply sumptuous. To start, we opted for the Risotto of Tralee Bay Crab with Aged Acquerello Rice & Parmesan Foam & Lambay Island Claw, which melted in the mouth. Next up, we ordered the 8 Oz Fillet of Irish Beef with Potato & Celeriac Gratin, Onion Compote and Green Peppercorn Sauce, which is one of the most memorable steak dishes we have ever experienced – delicious.
To finish, we (with little room left in our bellies!) chose Orange Crème Brûlée with Shortbread Biscuits for dessert; a lovely way to end a meal, light as a feather but bursting with citrus flavour. All was washed down with a very reasonably priced French Merlot.
That night, as we sank into the divine beds with the most luxurious bedcovers, we slept like a baby. Breakfast the following morning was equally impressive, which was followed by a walk around the stunning grounds and a peak into the world-class K Spa. We soon returned to Dublin rested, rejuvenated and with very happy bellies.
The K Club has a wonderful three night Christmas offer which starts from €900 per adult sharing, and €200 per night per interconnecting room which can accommodate up to three children (children under 6 years of age eat for free). More details on kclub.ie.