 Barberstown Castle (from hotel website) So, last weekend, Charlie and I accompanied Benji when he stayed in Barberstown Castle in Straffan, Co. Kildare…a handy half hour from Dublin. OK, so it was really a Valentine’s treat for me and Charlie. But try telling that to Benji…..who revelled in the plush surroundings and lapped up all the attention from hotel staff and guests alike. We were reminded that his breed of shih-tzu were bred for Chinese Royalty during the Ming Dynasty. As he strutted his stuff around the hotel, with his head and tail in the air, he was in his element. As if to say “my people look at me, I’m here, you may approach, prostrate yourselves and pat me on the head!” 🐶 This was a return stay for both me and Charlie, as we had both been there at our ISE Christmas Party 17 years ago. But we were surprised at how little we remembered of the hotel! 😂 It obviously was a very good party. Anyway, this weekend we wanted to go somewhere with Benji and Barberstown Castle is one of a large number of nice Irish hotels that are catering for doggie guests.  Benji wrecked after all the excitement As you can see from the first photo above, the Castle part of the hotel is to the right of the entrance with the more modern bedroom wing to the left. The décor is ornate and chintzy which is in keeping with the olde-worlde theme. The Castle portion dates from the late 13th Century, and has sat in the Kildare landscape for nearly 740 years! Built in 1288, by Nicholas Barby (who gives his name to the castle) Barberstown Castle, sits in rich fertile plains. The Castle walls were built originally for defence, when Barberstown played an important role in defending the so-called ‘Pale’ from attack. This area, the ‘Pale’, was a series of castles and fortifications which encircled the city of Dublin ensuring that native Irish clans could not attack the seat of English rule in Ireland. I was amused to learn that for the first two centuries after it was built, Barberstown was regularly attacked by the Ui Faolain tribes and other ‘native Irish’ clans. My name Phelan is derived from Faolain in the Irish language so I suspect some of my ancient ancestors may have been doing some of the attacking! Anyway, the hotel could rest assured I was not going to cause any trouble on this visit!  The new generation of Faolains come in peace! Opening as a country house hotel in 1971, Barberstown Castle is now a 55-bedroom Fáilte Ireland approved 4 Star Hotel and a member of Ireland's Blue Book of properties and Historic Hotels of Europe. The castle has been home to agricultural innovators, horse breeders, decorated veterans of war, members of the British House of Parliament and celebrity musicians, among them Eric Clapton CBE who purchased the property in 1979, to name but a few of the more illustrious of the 37 owners of the castle. Above: Interior views of Reception, our Room and En-suiteWe had booked a dog-friendly room and opted to eat all meals in the Garden Bar on a table d’hote menu basis …. where Benji would also be allowed …..instead of the fancier Barton Rooms. On check-in, we were given the doggy rules to sign which was all reasonable stuff. We were offered a bed for Benji but Charlie had packed his own from home, along with his food/water bowls and favourite toys, food and treats. This would be his 3rd hotel stay. We were helped with our bags and shown to our ground floor room by a lovely woman. (From the moment we stepped through the doors of the hotel we felt looked after by the attentive staff at every turn). I was a bit surprised that our dog-friendly room (No. 40) was at the very end of a long, carpeted corridor. The deluxe category room also has a pale yellow carpet with no door to the outside. I was hoping against hope that Benji wouldn’t “cock his leg”….. especially if he picked up the scent of another dog. Luckily, he was on his best behaviour and didn’t let us down. 🐕🐶 Above: Exterior views of the gardensThe price of a stay for a doggie is €25, remarkably cheaper than a kennel booking. The room itself was very spacious. It felt good to be indoors out of the bitter cold….it was lovely and toasty. We were very happy with the accommodation. If I had to be nit-picky, I would like usb ports near the bed, a blue tooth speaker and a bigger TV. The bathroom didn’t have a walk-in shower which didn’t suit us either…but hey-ho! A very nice man from reception accompanied us to the gardens when I asked about the best place to walk his nibs. He showed us the route to take and was very helpful. The grounds are pristine even in bleak winter weather but as the rain had stopped it was perfect for a wander before dinner which is what we did. There were interesting sculptures dotted here and there. And lots of snowdrops heralding spring. I’d say the gardens look spectacular in summer when the hedges have greened up. Above: Our food and drink at Barberstown CastleSo, after our walk, we got ready for dinner in the Garden Bar. It’s casual dining open every day and set in the Moroccan-inspired décor with brass tea tables and geometric lanterns. The mood was warm and welcoming, and in contrast to the grey clouds of the Irish winter outside, it worked! Our fixed menu offered us a choice of 4 starters, 4 mains and 3 desserts/ cheese board. The food was A-mazing and became the highlight of the visit. Even Benji got a big bowl of water. Over our stay, we had the delicious pork croquette, chicken wings, wild mushroom linguini and pan-fried salmon. I’m the dessert person, so I tried the pear & almond tart ….and passion parfait. All the food was piping hot and tasty and the service from the girls on both nights was attentive and friendly. I also had a couple of cocktails…the stairway to heaven….and the pornstar martini …. And the latter was one of the best I’ve tasted. The first morning, we headed down to breakfast in the Garden Bar as agreed. However, the place was almost empty and we were told that breakfast is served in the fine-dining restaurant located in a part of the castle built in the 18th century. Having explained that Benji was with us and he wouldn’t be allowed in fine dining, the very gracious lady went and retrieved menus for us, took our orders and promptly delivered delicious Eggs Benedict, OJ, tea and toast without any fuss. It was so tasty! The second morning we had room service breakfast = the Full Irish with juice and tea.  We had a lazy day strolling in the gardens, having coffee in the bar and driving into nearby Straffan for snacks. Benji loved running around outside on his toilet breaks and lapped up the constant pampering. There were lots of places to relax and there were books to borrow from the shelves in the bedroom corridors. We had thought about popping down to the shopping outlets at Kildare Village, or the Japanese Gardens or the National Stud. But to be honest, we were so comfy, we just stayed put and lazed around. We left Barberstown Castle refreshed and relaxed. Benji said it all when he didn’t want to get back in the car. We will be back! Bucket List Items Ticked Off in the above Blog 146 Number 59 - Travel - Hotels
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AuthorMy name is Mary and this is my bucket list blog ...having survived a near-death experience. I hope it encourages you to "live your best life". See how I'm completing my own bucket list items. And let me know how you're getting on with yours! Archives
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