Hotel Doolin

Hotel Doolin is the most marvellously ingenious mash-up of any modern Irish hotel. Instead of a monolithic edifice, the hotel is a series of interlinked building, all serving different but complementary functions. You can eat, for example in their Chervil restaurant, but also in Fitz’s pub – don’t miss their Dooliner beer! – and in the Stone Wall café and pizzeria, which also offers a fine array of smart foods to take away. Because each eating space has such a strong design personality, each one feels individual and characterful, a fantastic antidote to the homogenous feel of so many modern hotels. True to form, the accommodation is not just the fine, funky rooms in the hotel, but is also offered in the nearby Piper’s Chair houses. What pulls this ingenious concept together, then, is the excellent team who make the whole smart shebang work, thanks to warm hospitality and, especially, thanks to their involvement in the many festivals and events that animate one of the great County Clare villages. Super smart.