6 Best Hotels in County Clare, Galway, and the Aran Islands, Ireland

Aran's glamping units, or clocháns, are igloo shaped (inspired by monks' medieval beehive huts that made a guest appearance in Star Wars: The Last Jedi) and fully heated, with en suite and cooking facilities. They're perched right on the beach in Kilronan---alongside larger, conventionally shaped tigíns (good old-fashioned camping facilities) for €10 a night. Best part for those seeking a quiet getaway experience is that bachelorette and bachelor parties are not welcome.

Not actually a castle, Ballinalacken is rather a mustard-color Victorian lodge in the shadow of medieval tower-house ruins, a few miles from Doolin Village. Its hilly setting, back from the road in a 100-acre wildflower meadow, offers panoramic coastal views and enough distance from Doolin's busy nightlife to guarantee a peaceful night's sleep. Large bow-shaped windows draw in light and lift the darker shades inside the public areas, which are decorated with natural oak and drapes. Guest rooms in the older house have massive four-poster beds, marble fireplaces, and high ceilings. Some large, sunny rooms have bay windows to frame that stunning view; nice but plainer rooms in the new wing, with antique-style decor, are equally sought after. The restaurant has an imaginative and sophisticated continental menu with the best of locally sourced food, from Lisdoonvarna's smokehouse to St. Tola's cheese.

Modest and gabled, this 1793 country house is 12 km (7 miles) and 8 km (5 miles) from Shannon Airport and is also a world apart, with views across the plains where horses calmly graze, as they have done for centuries, to the distant Shannon Estuary. It's a popular first- and last-night stopover with transatlantic passengers: you can see the airport's control tower, but you would never know the airport was so close, and you are not on the flight path. Owners Niall and Gillian Ennis have decorated the lounge and bar with a homey assortment of Victorian antiques and hunting prints, and books of local interest, with an open fire in the bar. The six bedrooms in the main house are the most elegant, some with four-poster beds, all with modest antiques. Simpler, less expensive rooms in the converted stables also have plenty of character. Most guests opt to watch the sensational sunsets from the award-winning Conservatory Restaurant, popular with Clare locals. 

Galway's grande-dame hotel (formerly Hotel Meyrick) was built to accommodate train passengers to the heart of Galway in the middle of the 19th century, but even after an expensive makeover, the hotel has managed to retain its Victorian character and restrained opulence with black-and-white-checkered tiles, sash windows, solid oak fixtures, and crystal chandeliers. The upstairs corridors are still wide enough to cater to the wide-hooped dresses worn by its earliest guests. Smaller "carriage rooms," at a reduced rate, are good for single guests. The gaslight brasserie and Oyster Bar are a welcome addition to Galway's evening scene.

A turf fire greets you in the lobby of this unpretentious coaching inn, in the heart of the Burren, which dates from the early 18th century and has become a cheerful, welcoming spot with a reputation for friendliness and good entertainment. The much-expanded village-center hotel has guest rooms that vary in size and shape but all have modern pine furniture and color-coordinated drapes and spreads. Ask for a room overlooking the Burren, and check out the amazingly clear night sky. The bar hosts live music most nights from June to mid-September and on Sundays the rest of the year. 

Understated modern bedrooms and a cornerstone location on O'Connell Street, right in the town center, is the key to the enduring success of this 18th-century ivy-clad landmark hotel. Old-fashioned charm meets contemporary élan at this winning entry to Ennis's hotel stakes—rest on the lobby's inviting brocade sofas as you study paintings on the wall from the hotel's striking collection of new Irish artists, including Donald Teskey, Cecil Maguire, and Mick O'Dea. In contrast to the period furnishings of the public rooms, guest rooms have an uncluttered but sophisticated style, with furniture painted in soothing shades of taupe or eau de Nil, crisp white linen, and spacious bathrooms. For dinner, go formal with a four-course menu in the Brendan O'Regan Room, or enjoy a casual meal in the hotel's Town Hall Bistro, one of the finest restaurants in town—roast rack of Clare lamb with rosemary ratatouille, perhaps. Then adjourn to the Poet's Corner pub, which, set on Ennis's main street, is the very heart of the town's social life, with award-winning live Irish music sessions most nights.