Lonely Planet Review

You can't stay in Kilkenny Castle, but this historic mansion is surely the next best thing. Once the home of the Earls of Ormonde, who built the castle, these days the house is under the guardianship of the Kilkenny Civic Trust, with its 20th-century-restored rooms undergoing contemporary renovations.

Butler House's front doors open to a formal lounge room rather than a typical hotel reception area, which enhances your sense of entering a private home. Ornate staircases, marble fireplaces, an art collection and plastered ceilings and columns do nothing to dispel the illusion. Superior rooms, many of which have big bay windows, cost only a little bit more per person and are worth it for the views over the manicured high-walled gardens, which guests are free to amble. At night the sight of the iridescent moon rising above the floodlit castle beneath a velvety midnight blue sky is sublime. Each of the mansion's 13 rooms are sparingly elegant, and even the standard rooms are enormous. Free on-site parking is available.