I had only ever made one trip to Ireland, a weekend visit to the capital city of Dublin, for a Top Gear, television motoring show, just outside the city. I enjoyed my visit, taking in several of the sights, the Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College & the Book of Kells, walking a little of the river Liffey and the obligatory stroll around Temple Bar.
That visit, was made many years ago, and I was looking forward to exploring some of rest of Ireland. I decided to fly from Birmingham to Shannon, on the west coast, visiting the `honey pot`, destination, The Cliffs of Moher`, for a few days before making my way to County Kerry, in the southwest region of Ireland. I planned to use the beautiful town of Killarney, as my base, from which I could drive out to and view, the Ring of Kerry, a popular scenic driving route, the Dingle peninsula and Killarney National Park to take in some of its landmark sights and the stunning landscape of mountains, lakes, woodland and waterfalls, such as the Torc Waterfall and Ross Castle. Killarney is known as the gateway to the Killarney National Park, if not Kerry itself! I had been told that, if County Kerry is “The Kingdom”, then Killarney is the jewel in its crown.
I would be staying at the stunning four star, Killarney Plaza Hotel and Spa, situated right in the heart of bustling Killarney and right on the edge of Ireland’s oldest and most breath taking National Park. I had been promised exceptional food and drink, a blissful spa retreat, streets alive with activity, and the unparalleled beauty of nature, just a few steps from the lobby of the Hotel.
I was not to be disappointed!
In fact, my wife & I were surprised that the Hotel had not already been awarded Five Star status, because this Hotel complex, was something very special!
Having dropped off our luggage at the front of the Hotel, we were given clear instructions to the below ground secure car parking, at the rear. On entering the Hotel, the lobby and reception area is simply stunning. A huge decorative marble & wood central staircase, with a colourful stained glass centrepiece, depicting the mountains & lakes of Killarney, at the top of the stairs, immediately, drew my attention.
My wife & I were greeted warmly by the friendly & pleasant reception staff, enquiring about our journey and welcoming us to Killarney. Our luggage was taken up to our room and a member of the reception staff accompanied us, where she explained all we needed to know about the hotel & our stay, as well as answering some questions we had about the hotel`s history, dinner & breakfast times, details about using the spa and pool & about where we might want to visit, in the vicinity. She was extremely helpful and answered all of our questions with ease.
Our spacious feature bedroom was a very comfortable room with a king-sized bed, two armchairs and a small table, a sofa & coffee table, dressing table and chair, a wardrobe with plenty of hanging spaces, ceiling to carpet, thick blackout curtains and plenty of cushions & pillows! The décor was tasteful, traditional with clean, muted pastel colours.
A room with a view
The views from our bedroom windows were spectacular, an unimpeded view across wooded parkland to distant mountains & Killarney National Park. The room included a wide range of tea sachets, including Barry’s Irish Tea and a coffee making machine, a Hairdryer, Flat screen Television, a Safe and most impressive of all, a state of the art Ensuite bathroom with shower, bath robes, & slippers, large fluffy towels and luxury toiletries. Considering we were located in the centre of a busy town, the room was very peaceful and quiet.
As the sun set, I was met with an incredible sight from my hotel room window, reminding me of a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s film, “The Birds”. with hundreds of noisy rooks & crows converging to roost for the night, in the trees surrounding the park.
A welcome pack had been provided in our room, a couple of miniature bottles of gin & Irish Whiskey, crisps, mineral waters, strawberries, macaroons & chocolate delice. A much-appreciated gesture, after a couple of hours spent out on the road. Â
We decided to orientate ourselves by enjoying a traditional Jaunting Car Tour, with a glorious guided tour of Lough Leane & Ross Castle, on the Lakes of Killarney. We thoroughly enjoyed the ride, down to the lakes and through the woodlands, spotting some Red and Sitka deer. Our guide and horseman was a young local, who provided us with lots of interesting information about the town and local area.
Ross Castle & Lough Leane in Killarney National Park
It had been a long day, so we were looking forward to spending the rest of our day, at the Tan Yard Restaurant, situated with in the hotel.
Starters:
Atlantic Crab Claws. White wine & garlic veloute, parsley & charred sourdough. An innovative & original crab dish. The six crab claws were served in a smooth & velvety classic French veloute sauce, which had a delicate savoury flavouring. The Atlantic pincers or claws of the Blue crab were a sweet, delicate, and tender meat. The charred sourdough was a delightful way to dip and soak up some of the wonderful creamy parsley veloute sauce. My wife, loved them, stating that it was one of the best crab dishes, she had ever been served.
Gubbeen Chorizo and Manchego Cheese Croquette. Smoked tomato sauce, capers & salsa. A wonderful intro to what was to come. A delicious, Spanish style chorizo charcuterie spicy sausage, straight from the Gubbeen farm smokehouse in west Cork. The Spanish Manchego cheese, made from sheep’s milk, added a nutty, savoury flavour to the creamy bechamel sauce, baked in a deliciously crispy breadcrumb coating. Simply the best!
Mains:
Pan – Fried Silver Hill Duck Breast. Orange glazed rainbow carrots, blackberries, braised red cabbage, curried carrot puree with duck jus. To complete my meal I added Gruyère mash & mixed vegetables. The duck was soft to the bite, and had a rich, succulent flavour, a smooth, lean meaty texture and crispy outer skin. The delicious light fine sauce, perfectly complimented the delicate duck. A culinary masterpiece! The Gruyère mash, potato with Gruyère cheese is a simple dish, yet worked on so many levels. The taste was exceptional, with the nutty, creamy, herby flavours of the Gruyère coming through cleanly. The combination of creamy potatoes, heavy cream, butter, combined with freshly shredded Gruyère cheese, created a side dish that was irresistibly smooth and rich. The whole dish was excellent.
Fillet of Kerry Venison. A 6oz fillet with squash puree, wild mushrooms, potato fondant & blackberries with a chocolate juniper jus. Served with a side dish of cauliflower gratin. Several species of deer are a familiar sight in the adjacent Killarney National Park. The Kerry venison is a very healthy meat dish, high in protein, rich in iron, but low in fat. The dish had a rich, earthy, slightly gamey flavour and a lean, tender texture to the bite. The cultivated, Enoki mushrooms, resplendent in their small, shiny white caps, attached to thin stems, had a mild, slightly sweet flavour & crunchy texture to them. The chocolate juniper jus combined with the blackberries was a match made in heaven. Compliments to the chef and the kitchen staff.
Desserts:
(1) Valrhona Chocolate Fondant with Vanilla Ice cream & black sesame nougatine.
A luxuriant chocolate fondant. Only the finest quality dark chocolate Trinidadian chocolate has been used in the baking of this wonderful fondant, providing an extraordinary texture and delightful liquid centre. An heavenly dessert!
(2) Pecan Pie with a PĂ¢te sablĂ©e, or sweet shortcrust pastry, almond biscuit joconde, a light, almond sponge cake & Teeling whiskey ice – cream, offering a mix of vanilla and toffee tones and distinct after-expression of whiskey. A simply delightful dessert.
All of the dishes served to our table were beautifully presented, using whenever possible locally sourced ingredients. The hotels sustainability credentials have been helped enormously with the launch of the Killarney Urban Farm, Ireland`s first hydroponic farm. The modern installation, complete with twelve exclusive Green Towers, produces high quality food on a hyper local level, serving many hotels, bars and restaurants around the whole of Kerry. The table service and hospitality was exceptional, our waiter offered advice, explaining the detail within the menu and ensured our wine glasses were topped up! The food, wine and exclusive service at The Tan Yard, made for a glorious evening to remember.
Some Pubs of Killarney
The Tan Yard restaurant comes complete with a smart & sophisticated design & décor, that is heavily influenced by the adjacent Killarney National Park, surrounding woodlands and the old tanyards of Killarney. Dark leather seating & bronze fixtures and fittings, are a reflection of the ancient tanners products & working tools. It was refreshing to see that the Hotel & Restaurant embraces its locality, history & heritage, and is proud of its own association, to the town of Killarney.
Amuse Bouche
The 5* Breakfast was well worth getting out of bed for, too as there was a wide selection of fruit juices, cereals, various conserves, pain au chocolate, toasts, smoked salmon, pastries, yogurts, continental meats, porridge, poached apricots, croissants, fruit salad, berries & pineapple, as well as the traditional full cooked breakfast and other freshly cooked options.
My stay at Killarney Plaza Hotel and Spa was memorable. The accommodation at the Killarney Plaza Hotel and Spa and meal in The Tan Yard restaurant was first class. The Hotel & Restaurant staff could not have done anything more to make our visit, such a wonderful experience. If you are planning to visit County Kerry, Ireland, I would fully recommend that you check out The Killarney Plaza Hotel & The Tan Yard Restaurant for yourself. Why not stayover for a couple of days and fully experience what the town has to offer, by taking a break at Hotel. I simply loved it!
The Killarney Plaza Hotel must rank as one of the best Hotels in the county & The Tan Yard restaurant one of the finest hotel restaurants & deserves the increasing number of positive accolades it has recently received.
I am already looking forward to my next visit!
The Killarney Plaza Hotel & Spa,
Killarney Town Centre, Co. Kerry, V93 X3VW
The Travel Locker 
loved this visit. Best hotel in Ireland. Very central. Great food. Gorgeous building inside and out and free parking.
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