2 Best Hotels in Portlaoise, The Midlands

This modern hotel looks out over the parkland setting of an 18-hole golf course and across to the distant Slieve Bloom Mountains. Luxury accommodation includes different classifications of rooms—from standard to suites—all finished with a soothing and muted color and some have a private balcony with stunning countryside views. A good choice of dining venues includes Blakes which serves fish, beef, chicken, and duck, as well as wild mushroom ravioli, and barley and broccoli risotto. Other options are for light fare or afternoon tea is available in the The Galleria from 1 to 3 pm and costs €36; the Vegan afternoon tea is accompanied with plant-based sweet and savory treats. A five-minute walk from the hotel leads to the spa, where there are more than 70 treatments. There's also a health club with gym and fitness studio, Jacuzzi, pool, sauna, and steam rooms. If you prefer outdoor exercise, the hotel has walking trails and a trim trail with exercise stations as well as a championship course (home to a golf school) that was co-designed by Seve Ballesteros and features challenging doglegs, as well as lakes stocked with brown trout. On wet days, guests can choose to stay indoors and watch a movie at the 50-seat cinema or enjoy some retail therapy at the nearby Kildare Village shopping outlet. Special promotional packages include advanced purchase rates and active retirement breaks, available via the hotel website.

Ask about their picnic hamper which you can take with you on a trip to the nearby splendor of Emo Court & Gardens and enjoy your own private tour.

“The best of everything” is the maxim of affable owners Dinah and Jerry Campion and that is certainly evident the minute you step inside this elegant Georgian town house next to the Portlaoise train station—open fires, antiques, and sumptuously cozy sofas await you in the beige-on-brown, wood-accented sitting room. Upstairs, luxurious drapes grace the sash windows of the spacious bedrooms, most of which are done in dramatic hues such as red, pink, and emerald, which have all been repainted. An avalanche of plump cushions scattered on your antique bed reinforces the tone of rest and relaxation while pocket-sprung mattresses add to a good night's sleep. Guests find it hard to choose from all the goodies on the scrumptious breakfast menu, but few can resist scrambled eggs with smoked salmon washed down with leaf tea.