If you aren't sure how to spend your romantic weekend in one of the castle-hotels in Ireland, there are always lots of ways to make it an unforgettable experience.

While city bustling usually leaves you with little chance of spending a few quiet hours enjoying wonders and beauty of nature, a trip to almost any castle hotel will guarantee that you may enjoy beautifully landscaped gardens and trail walks on castle grounds.

Your weekend in a castle – hotel will allow you to break the working day/week routine and instead enjoy a picnic in the woods, do casual bird watching or a horseback riding.

If gourmet food or exquisite drink is your thing, most castle hotels will offer a vast array of wines and whiskeys and will usually have a great restaurant available for you as a guest.

It seems like there is nothing more romantic than a picnic in the woods with someone you love. Such a snack with champagne will give you the opportunity to become closer to each other and enjoy each other’s company. Besides, it's quite an original event.

If you love animals we can offer you horseback riding. You can feel the harmony with nature and enjoy the beauty of these noble animals. If fishing is your hobby, please ask for it at the reception as most likely there will be options for you to spend a few hours fishing in nearby rivers or lakes.

Each castle hotel offers so many things to do that you may not even get a chance to try them all on your shirt stay, so you will probably want to be back soon!

The Last but not least option is probably a romantic walk. With plenty of hiking trails and panoramic viewpoints, almost any place in Ireland would have a local attraction or two for you to explore.

If your preference is slow and quiet walks, you will probably enjoy public parks or luxury hotel grounds, just ask for a map at the reception.

Once the main activities of your day are done, top the day's impressions with a romantic dinner. It doesn't even have to be candlelight – just the experience of treating yourself and your loved one to a 5-course dinner in a luxury restaurant will become one of the most romantic and memorable moments of your holiday.

Some hotels have beautiful halls with natural fireplaces, so if you are not too tired it may be a great idea to have a drink or two before you go.

Ashford Castle

Ashford Castle, the magnificent five star castle hotel in Cong, Co. Mayo, Ireland, has just been sold to the UK based Red Carnation Hotels group.

Red Carnation group is a closely held hotelier that runs 14 four-and five-star properties. Red Carnation Hotels is an award-winning collection of five and four star family-run boutique hotels in London, Dorset, Guernsey, Geneva, Florida, South Africa and now Ireland.

The landmark castle property was sold on behalf of receiver Ernst & Young Ltd. through broker Savills Plc.

Commenting on the purchase, Ashford Castle’s new owner Beatrice Tollman, President and Founder of Red Carnation Hotels, said:

We are thrilled to have Ashford Castle as part of our collection and welcome the whole team to the Red Carnation family. Like the rest of our hotels, Ashford Castle is an iconic property, in a unique location and with a reputation for luxury and excellence, and we are delighted that we will be bringing some of Red Carnation’s signature touches to it.

Ashford Castle has 83 luxury bedroom suites, the main dining room with a number of private dining rooms, a drawing room, bar and a spa.

Joint receiver and manager Luke Charleton (of Ernst & Young) commented:

 In what has been a very challenging time and volatile climate for the hotel industry, it is particularly pleasing to have exсhanged contracts for the sale of Ashford Castle, maintaining 160 jobs in the Western region.

I’ve just manually reviewed (tracked down using Google Maps) most of the castle hotels represented on this website, so Castle Hotel Ireland now has quite possibly the most accurate locations ever to be found online.

The following castle hotels are now really easy to find on the map:

• Ashford Castle
• Adare Manor
• Castle Leslie
• Clontarf Castle
• Dromoland Castle
• Fitzpatrick Castle
• Kilronan Castle Hotel & Spa
• Lough Rynn Castle Hotel
• Solis Lough Eske Castle
• Waterford Castle

Do you know of any more castle hotels? Take a moments to let me know by leaving a comment below or using the contact form.