Hotel Review: The K Club

For our last night in Ireland, we knew we’d need to stay somewhere fairly close to the airport for our morning flight back to the States. But when having stayed at wonderful properties in Dublin & Adare, who wants to end their vacation at an airport Hyatt? When our travel agent recommended we spend our last night at the gorgeous K Club, we knew we’d found the place to rest our heads.

The K Club (or The Kildare Club, formally) is conveniently located 30 minutes from Dublin International Airport, but feels like it’s a world away. Best known for their championship golf courses (they were home to the 2006 Ryder Cup), this stunning, sprawling estate didn’t feel stuffy like some golf resorts. Golf is intertwined with the hotel, yet non-golfers like us didn’t feel left out (although I’m finally convinced that it’s time for me to learn).

Our Room

Walking into our room, we were mentally exhausted from driving in the pouring rain all day, getting stuck in traffic & getting a bit lost, so luckily for us, our beautiful room immediately felt like home (if our home was a gorgeous country club). The king-sized bed was super comfortable. The room was nicely appointed with complimentary in-room coffee, wifi & luxurious Irish bath products. The bathroom was huge, with double pedestal sinks, a deep soaking tub & a very fancy toilet. Perhaps the only disappointment was the shower, which was cramped with a weak shower head – it felt more like the shower in my dorm room than at a five star estate. But overall, it was a great space to spend the night.

In addition to the hotel’s 69-rooms, suites & larger garden apartments, they’re working on a 70-room expansion which will be completed this fall.

The Grounds

The day’s nonstop pouring rain finally let up right as we were getting settled at the K Club, which was great because we were able to wander through some of their gorgeous 550 acres. After dinner, we went for a stroll, exploring stone corridors & a beautiful iron bridge. The beautiful manufactured gardens were just starting to perk up for the spring. Overhead were twinkling lights & the only sound were the resident birds, happy from a day of rain. In the early spring evening, we felt like we had the normally bustling resort to ourselves.

The interior spaces were just as gorgeous as the outside. Intricate glass chandeliers hung from soaring ceilings. The walls were covered in delicate wallpaper & a fantastic art collection. We especially loved the plaster detail on the ceilings in the different sitting rooms.

Beverages at The K Club

The Vintage Crop felt like it was straight out of the glitzy life of the 1920s – you just expected Jay Gatsby to come around the corner swirling a Manhattan at any moment. After a week filled with Guinness, it was nice to cozy up with something other than beer! Luckily for me, “vodka martini, extra dirty” means the exact same thing in Ireland as it does in the United States.

After dinner, we nestled into one of the sofas in the Yeats Room (one of the ornate sitting rooms) & enjoyed two Irish coffees in front of the roaring fireplace. It was the perfect place to relax before our long travel day & reflect on a great week of exploring.

Dining at K Club

We hadn’t had any fine dining during our trip, so we decided to treat ourselves to a splurge at The K Club at the River Room Restaurant. We enjoyed scallops, smoke salmon, pork loin & duck in an elegant but comfortable environment. They even gave me a little foot stool for my purse, which was about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. The service was top notch, as was their house wine.

The next morning, we were up early to head to the airport. We had a great breakfast from their plentiful breakfast buffet (joined by all the other Americans who were heading for early flights) & noticed that the clouds were parting as we walked to our car. Our biggest regret during our stay? That we only had one night to enjoy the beautiful property.

Know if you go…
– We were able to snag a great rate from our travel agent (did I mention how much we love Jonathan Epstein of Celebrated Experiences?), but if you’re headed to The K Club during high season, expect to pay a pretty penny for you room.

– be sure & bring your swimsuit & tennis shoes: they have a great pool & fitness facility on site.

– the spa is a long, twisting, turning, pretty walk from the main hotel. We didn’t have any treatments, but I’m betting it is worth it.

– the town of Kildare is very small, with limited food options (but a very cute pub). K Club has a few different dining options on-site, including a thai restaurant in their golf club house.