a country house in ireland

CARRIG COUNTRY HOUSE on the Ring of Kerry…
don’t take it lightly when i say this is our favorite place we have stayed.
ever. we really thought about it and had some close runner ups, but
nothing so far has ever struck our fancy more than the little country
house we stumbled upon in the middle of ireland. we had no idea just
what a treat we were in for when we arrived at carrig country house
in the ring of kerry after a long day of driving across ireland.
(chase is just finishing up a vlog of that experience, i’ll link it soon!)
we pulled into this cheery town thinking we had arrived, but
from here we followed the map down some winding country lanes
to get to the secluded house on the lake. right when we pulled up i
knew we were somewhere special. it was all glowy and dusky and
out of a movie. it had cooled down after a bright day, so walking in to
a crackling fire and cozy living room was the closest thing to heaven.
once an old hunting lodge on the lake, this home now offers
genuine old-fashioned irish hospitality of the best kind. right as
you walk in the door you’ll be greeted by the owner frank,
and you’ll feel like old friends instantly as you’re welcomed in.
chase & frank! ^^ we adored him, as does everyone who stays
here. he knows the area so well, and can provide in-depth tips
for seeing the ring of kerry, explaining irish history, and more.
since it was chase’s birthday eve, we relaxed and celebrated
with a meal in the prettiest dining room of the house. the
award-winning chef has locals and tourist alike traveling to taste
her food, and we can see why. it was one of the best and most
memorable meals looking out on the lake – perfect for a birthday eve.
quite a memorable dinner setting to ring in a birthday! ^^
the menu changes nightly, but it’s hard to imagine any meal
here being anything less than top rate. each dish tasted
authentic, flavorful, and most importantly – irish!
i had the best form of cod that the owner recommended, and the
birthday boy went for the duo of irish beef with fillet steak & short
rib of beef, prepared traditionally with smoked champ mousseline.
a meal i want to remember forever! ^^
even if you don’t stay here, you should stop in for a meal.
he always gets amazing birthday celebrations since it’s in the
summer time. i love being fun places to celebrate him every july! ;)
if you’re up for a round of croquet after dinner you can head to the lawn ^^
and then up to the coziest rooms where you’ll want to
settle in for the best sleep with a view of the lake.
*rooms start from €178 per night for a setting & accommodations that feel
like five times that value. it is well worth it and feels like a step back in time.
we woke up to a cozy grey morning over the lake, just how i like them.
i’ll stay in this window seat all day, thank you very much!
(too bad in reality we had to get back on the road for a day full of driving!)
if you come here, plan to stay a few days at LEAST. it needs to be soaked up.
we had a little morning walk along the lake ^^
and then straight down for the best breakfast we’ve had yet in europe.
what is better than european breakfast? they do it right.
we had some irish history to read about over breakfast ^^
we finally forced ourselves out the door and onto the next day of
driving ireland. we were sad to pull our little car out of here!
i fully plan to come back here and stay in this exact house one day.
i don’t say that often since there are so many places to see in the world,
but this one makes the cut to return to. after all, the irish saying goes:
“i must go back to carrig, to rippled waters on the shore.
the scent of beauty in the air will linger there forever more.”

amen to that!

xo