K Club Hotel
Straffan, Co.Kildare, Ireland
TYPE OF FACILITY
Luxurious five-star hotel and golf resort set amongst 700 acres of gardens and countryside. The Palmer Course will play host to the 2006 Ryder Cup.
GUESTROOMS
69 superbly appointed en-suite bedrooms, including 11 presidential suites in the hotel. 25 two-bedroom garden and fountain suites adjoin the hotel.
FACILITIES
Two championship golf courses (Palmer Course & Smurfit Course), fishing, swimming pool, gymnasium, snooker, clay pigeon shooting, Jacuzzi, sauna, health and beauty treatments, bicycles, gift shop, conference facilities and business centre.
ACCOMMODATION REVIEW
K ClubRecognised as Ireland’s finest five-star hotel, the K Club is set in 700 acres of magnificent countryside on the banks of the river Liffey. This elegantly restored Georgian house was opened in 1991 and today offers the highest standards of comfort, service and cuisine. The origins of Straffan House, as it was, date back to 550 AD when Strongbow granted the property to Maurice Fitzgerald, relatives of the Dukes of Leinster and throughout the years, a number of prominent titled families held the property. The Smurfit Group purchased the estate in 1988 and transformed it to its current glory. Lying about 45 minutes from Dublin City, the Palmer Course at the K Club is home to the Ryder Cup in 2006 and has hosted the Smurfit European Open since 1995. 2003 saw the addition of the Smurfit Course (boasting its own clubhouse), a truly superb inland links style course, which hosted the 2004 European Open.
From the moment that you walk through the doors, you are met with the highest standards of gracious living. Opulent, classical surroundings with warm and attentive service, the hotel is handsomely furnished with fine antiques and artwork, including the magnificent Jack B. Yeats collection. Each of the bedrooms has been decorated in it’s own unique style, and offers every conceivable luxury. Guests can enjoy elegant dining in the award winning Byerley Turk Restaurant, which offers French cuisine with an Irish flavour. You can also enjoy the Arnold Palmer designed golf course, located on-site, or stroll through the elegant gardens, which are awash with the colour of magnolias, rhododendrons and azaleas along the riverbank.
As is expected of a hotel of this calibre, the K Club offers innumerable facilities, including a fully equipped gymnasium, swimming pool, saunas and Jacuzzi, while a superb new Spa is scheduled to open in December 2004. Coarse fishing is available on one of the estate’s seven stocked lakes, while you can fish for salmon and trout on the one-mile private stretch of the river Liffey. The hotel is conveniently located near the Curragh, Punchestown, Leopardstown and Naas racecourses, while Dublin City, located just a short drive away, is a haven for shopping and sightseeing.
NEARBY COURSES:
Carlow (1 hr, 40 min); Druids Glen (1 hr, 25 min); European Club (1 hr, 45 min); The Island (1 hr, 10 min); K Club (Palmer) (on site); Luttrellstown (55 min); Mount Juliet (2 hrs, 15 min); Mount Wolseley (1 hr, 50 min); Portmarnock (1 hr, 10 min); Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links (1 hr, 15 min); Powerscourt (1 hr, 20 min); Rathsallagh (55 min); Royal Dublin (65 min); St. Margaret’s (65 min); Tulfarris (1 hr, 10 min)
LOCATION:
Situated just outside Straffan village, about 45 minutes west of Dublin. Travelling west on the N4 route from Dublin, take Maynooth exit and turn left to Straffan. From the main N7 route, take turn at Kill village for Straffan.
