 So, my last blog was on our visit to Carton House in April for Charlie’s birthday. Well, we loved it so much that Charlie gifted me a 2-night stay for my 60th birthday…..and this weekend we again went with Benji to indulge in another memorable stay. As I mentioned before, this 5-star hotel, less than a half hour from Dublin, is set in 1,100 private acres of sweeping parkland and ancient woodlands and lakes beside the meandering River Rye with the gorgeous country mansion at its heart. Once the ancestral home of the Earls of Kildare and the Dukes of Leinster for over 700 years, this walled estate is located close to Maynooth in County Kildare. No shortage of walks for Benji and us to explore! 😊He was looking especially spiffy as he was fresh from his hard-working groomer Louise.  Benji looking spiffy for Carton House! Carton House has 169 bedrooms, 18 of which are in The House, the 18th century Palladian style mansion. Our room was a dog-friendly room on the ground-floor of the gorgeous more modern Garden Wing, No. 17. It was branded as a “Fairmont Garden Terrace King” and we had access to a lovely patio area which was great for Benji. Although the wet weather wasn’t conducive to sitting outside this time, it was still so handy for Benji’s pee breaks.  Our room with terrace at Carton House Dec2025 The room was immaculate and you would be hard-pressed to find fault with a single thing. A nice touch was a fruit bowl, chocolates and home-made lemonade laid out for us! Benji had two requested bowls for him. The room had everything you would need for a comfortable stay (comfy bed with plush linen, air conditioning, in room entertainment system with huge LCD TV, USB charging points beside the bed and lots of free sockets elsewhere in the room, hairdryer / iron & ironing board, In-room tea/ coffee/ espresso making facilities, bottled water in a small fridge, laptop sized safe, complimentary Wi-Fi, 24-hour guest & in-room service.). The bathroom had a separate shower and bath and complimentary soaps, lotions etc. As soon as we walked through the hotel door we were welcomed back. As before, Benji enjoyed the adulation and was offered doggy treats by the concierge. Check-in was warm, friendly and efficiently. We were offered help with our bags. We were immediately struck by how gorgeous the Christmas decorations and lights were. Every single reception room had at least one fabulous tree. We headed outside to walk the immaculate grounds and see the outside trees and decorations. As it was a Friday afternoon, there were a number of golfers on the courses. Many walkers with doggies on leads and several runners and joggers. For us the highlight inside the hotel was the staff – every single one without exception was great. But the highlights outside were the amazing gardens and walks. It was so peaceful with loads of paved walkways to explore amongst the huge ancient trees. And easily accessible for someone like me with limited mobility. We were feeling peckish after our walk in the fresh air and headed in to have a delicious ham, turkey and cheese toastie with festive cranberry sauce just down from Reception in the Courtyard Bar.  My half-eaten festive toastie before I remembered to photo! After exploring the hotel facilities for the rest of the evening, we got ready for dinner in The Carriage House with Benji. This can be accessed through the Hotel and then across the Courtyard. We were given a lovely private table with a great view of the gardens. The service from Ted our waiter was attentive and friendly. They even sang Happy Birthday to me when presenting dessert. OK so it was over two months ago …. but I’m still celebrating!! 😊 The food and drinks were scrumptious. I had the Kilmore Quay fish and chips – tempura battered haddock with minted mushy peas, chunky chips, lemon and tartare sauce followed by bread and butter crème brûlée with clementine and vanilla ice-cream. I also sampled a mojito and a glass of rioja. Benji of course loved all the attention.      Above: Dinner at The Carriage HouseFor breakfast both mornings, it was served this time as a buffet in the Carriage House. I’m afraid I’m not a fan of buffet as I have difficulty balancing a plate, serving tongs and stick. Table service was limited it seemed to omelettes and eggs so I had fried eggs which came with a tiny slice of sour dough toast – a bit disappointing …but the coffee was really good. We had a really relaxing day. Lovely to be indoors from the wind and rain. Dinner on that Saturday evening was in a table reserved for us outside Kathleen’s Kitchen. Our server Rebecca was excellent. This meal was probably the highlight of the stay for me. I started with a Northern Cardinal cocktail (casamigos blanco tequila, italicus, amaro cocchi, citric solution and demerara syrup). Yummy! I had starter of paté with brioche toast and main of chicken supreme with potato gnocchi, peas, tomatoes in a chicken and butter emulsion…..with a side of mash. Really scrumptious! Followed by apple and pear bakewell tart with cinnamon anglaise, apple crisp and vanilla ice-cream. All washed down with a sauvignon blanc.      Above: Dinner at Kathleen's Kitchen (table reserved out in the Courtyard Bar)So, we had a wonderful pre-Christmas treat. Benji had a wonderful time. If we charged a euro for everyone who patted him on the head, said he was cute or gave him a belly rub, we could have paid for the weekend stay!! 😂Looking forward to returning! 🐶🐕❤️ Bucket List Items Ticked Off in the above Blog 148 Number 59 - Travel - Hotels
Other Blog Posts Blog 11 - Sydney, Australia Blog 12 - Hong Kong, China Blog 17 - Beijing, Xi'an & Shanghai, China Blog 19 - California, USA Blog 27 - Scotland Blog 28 - Barbados Blog 29 - Canada Blog 30 - Alaska Blog 31 - Everglades, Florida If you liked this post, please share. Sharing is caring 😊
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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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