Liss Ard Estate

Rooms

Accommodation is spread across 3 buildings. The original 1850s Manor House also contains the main common areas (dining room, lounges), and highlights of pink and green to bring life to the tall Victorian rooms and wide plank hallways.

Upstairs are 6 bedrooms of varying sizes, with views across the countryside and some original features such as fireplaces and black and white bathrooms. Our room had double windows overlooking the lawns, an original fireplace, and a large bath on a plinth in its spacious bathroom. Next door, we got a glimpse of the Manor Suite, which has a lovely spacious sitting room.

Adjacent to the main house, the 19th-century stable block has been transformed into the Garden House. These rooms are more cosy in feel and can be configured flexibly into sets of 4 or 3 rooms plus 2 rooms are twins (so ideal for family parties or larger groups of friends). The ground-floor rooms open onto private gardens, while first-floor rooms look out over the walled and herb gardens. Some of the rooms in this house are pet-friendly.

Nestled between Lough Abisdealy and the forest is the refurbished Victorian Lake House, a 10-minute walk from the Manor House. It's ideal if you want more privacy, and popular with families and couples alike - but don't stay here if you prefer to have the facilities of the main house on tap, or aren't keen on a stroll. There are 10 bedrooms and guests get their own shared conservatory and living rooms; enquire if you want to book the lodge in its entirety for a special occasion.

Décor throughout is comfy country contemporary with lots of white and dark wood, enlivened with woven bedspreads and antique Parisian-style furnishings. The bathrooms, big or small, all feature marble tiling, gold hardware to offset the brilliant-white ceramics and walk-in rainfall showers. Some suites also come with freestanding clawfoot bathtubs.

Features include:

• Central heating
• Coffee / tea making
• Cots available
• Hairdryer
• Toiletries
• TV
• WiFi

Eating

Expect to dine well at Liss Ard for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner in the Garden Restaurant. The chef takes delight in sourcing excellent quality produce from local farmers, fishermen and artisans. The claim is that the food served is not measured by miles but in metres. The breakfast buffet, served in the Manor House, consists of fruit, cereals, juice, and locally produced porridge oats, yoghurt, fruit compote and jams. Breads and scones are cooked in-house daily. Hot dishes cooked to order include the full Irish, and scrambled eggs and smoked salmon.

It's a 3-course seasonally changing a la carte menu for dinner, packed with flavour and interest. It could be flame-touched trout with golden beet salad or fresh crab to begin, or monkfish on the bone or dry-aged Hereford steak as mains. There's always a vegetarian dish of the day as well as gluten free options and a range of desserts. Teas and coffee, and well-selected wines round off the meal.

If dining out, try Mary Ann’s in Castletownsend, or The Church Restaurant in Skibbereen.

Features include:

• Breakfast
• Chef on request
• Coffee maker
• Dinner by arrangement
• Kids' meals
• Lunch by arrangement
• Meal delivery service
• Organic produce
• Picnics on request
• Restaurant
• Vegetarian options

Activities

• Explore the superb gardens, ancient trees, ponds, lake and hedgerows. There are woodland walks, a waterfall garden, an arboretum, a wildflower meadow, and lawns to romp on, plus a tennis court
  
• Don't miss the unique thrill of lying on the 'Vault Purchase' stone slab in artist James Turrell's The Irish Sky Garden sculptural installation, gazing up at the sky framed by a huge 'bowl' rampart, all sound diminished. Go at night for a heightened sensory experience, even better if the stars are out
  
• Liss Ard also has its own fishery on Lough Abisdealy (50 acres in size) - rods, nets, flies and life jackets supplied; angling on other local lakes, rivers or at sea can be arranged, too. The lake is also perfect for wild swimming, kayaking and taking a boat out
  
• With a pleasing diversity of habitats (and variety of plant life, the woods are predominantly oak, ash, fir and beech) the birding is good all over the grounds
  
• There's a riding stables next door, and Skibbereen has a golf course
  
• Ireland is renowned for ruins spanning millennia (Liss Ard has its own Iron Age fort site dating back to 1000BC); 30 minutes drive away is the beautiful Drombeg Stone Circle with views to the Atlantic Ocean
  
• West Cork can be wet any time of year. In the 'can't beat 'em join 'em' spirit, you can go sailing from Baltimore and Schull, try surfing, kitesurfing, SUP and windsurfing at Barleycove and Clonakilty, scuba diving also happens in Baltimore, and its where whale-watching trips set forth
  
• Relax after an active West Cork day with a sauna session or massage from the resident therapist, either in the treatment room or in-room; a yogi can be arranged to lead a yoga class, either private or group, on request

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Birdwatching
• Boat trips
• Cycling
• Fishing
• Golf
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Horse riding
• Kayaking
• Kitesurfing
• Plantlife / flora
• Private guided tours
• Sailing
• Scuba diving
• Shopping / markets
• Surfing
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Well being
• Whale watching
• Wildlife
• Windsurfing
• Yoga

Kids

Children are warmly welcomed at Liss Ard Estate which has acres of grounds for exploring and adventuring. There's also heaps to do in the area.

Best for:

Babies (0-1 years), Toddlers (1-4 years), Children (4-12 years)

Family friendly accommodation:

Only a select number of rooms in the Manor, Garden and Lake Houses can take extra beds/cots, ranging up to the Manor Suite which can take a family of 4. You can group some of the Garden House rooms if a couple of families are holidaying together; you can enquire if the Lake House is available for large family parties/celebrations who want their own private space.

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available, Family Rooms

Distances:

• Airport: 1.5-2 hours
• Hospital: 10 minutes
• Nearest shop: 2 minutes

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Liss Ard Estate is 2 minutes' drive outside Skibbereen in West Cork, Ireland. It's a 1.5-2 hour journey from Cork airport, depending on traffic.

By Air
Fly to Cork Airport (100km) or the smaller Kerry Airport (150km). Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving these airports.

From the Airport
Hire a car from either airport and drive; allow 1.5-2 hours from Cork and 2.5-3 from Kerry as traffic can be bad. For car hire see our car rental recommendations.

By Public Transport
Get a Bus Eireann bus to Skibbereen from Cork, and the hotel can collect you from the town. In the summer there is a coach service from Killarney.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

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