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The pillared entrance and ivy-clad facade of this classic Victorian railway hotel still convey a sense of occasion and its convenience to Killarney town - and, of course, the station - is unrivalled. This protected building has gone through several changes of ownership in recent years but now - in the ownership of the Scally family (of Hayfield Manor Hotel, Cork and the Killarney Royal) - its much-loved original name has been restored and it has regained its confident presence.
This Killarney Hotels fine old inner entrance doors may have gone (hopefully resting somewhere safe until there is a change of heart) but the welcoming open fire at the entrance remains and still draws guests through to the spacious, pillared Grand Foyer. Comfortable seating makes the foyer very welcoming, and the smaller drawing rooms off it have retained their elegant old furnishings.
Accommodation in the newer section of the hotel has been upgraded in a style appropriate to its age and, in the original building, the bedroom corridors (built wide enough ‘to allow two ladies in hooped dresses to pass comfortably’), still set the tone for generously-proportioned suites and executive rooms, furnished to individual designs.
The bar is pleasingly clubby (the famous Malton prints feature), and the great gilt-domed Garden Room Restaurant is a prime example of Victorian opulence.
The six acres of gardens surrounding the hotel make a lovely setting for the gracious old building, and they provide an especially welcome amenity at a town centre.
So, happily, this pleasant hotel remains a destination of choice with plenty of reminders of its glorious heyday.
