Condé Nast Traveller has named Waterford and Wexford among its list of Best Places to Go in Ireland and Britain in 2024, for its “smart reimaginings of grand country manors.”
Contributor Aoife O’Riordain name checked Loftus Hall (soon to reopen as a new hotel, Ladyville House), Hook Lighthouse, the Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore, and Beach House in Tramore.
Mount Congreve House and Gardens in Kilmeaden earned a recommendation for its breathtaking views, dreamy gardens, fairytale gate lodge, and its proximity to the Waterford Greenway.
The citation read: Ireland’s southeastern corner has always been something of a go-to for local holidaymakers, but not so much for outsiders. Later in 2024, Wexford’s Hook Peninsula will set the scene for one of the country’s buzziest hotel openings, from the owners of The Dean hotels. With its roots in the 12th century, Loftus Hall had the dubious accolade of being one of Ireland’s most haunted mansions, but it will soon be shaking off its spooky associations when it reemerges as the lavishly done Ladyville House. Sitting pretty with views of the sea, an outdoor pool and direct beach access, it’s also close to the 800-year-old, black-and-white-striped Hook Lighthouse. Hop over the border to County Waterford and the recently restored Mount Congreve House, another palatial pile, overlooking the River Suir with dreamy gardens and a café run by The Pantry at Cliff, a spin-off of Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore. When the gates close, you will have the gardens all to yourself if you bed down at Mount Congreve’s fairytale gate lodge, which is available to rent, and the Waterford Greenway, an off-road hiking and biking trail along a disused railway line between Waterford City and Dungarvan, passes right by the edge of the estate. Plan ahead for lunch at Beach House, Tramore, an airy Victoria dining room run by Peter Hogan and Jumoke Akintola Hogan with perfectly pitched, seafood-centric lunch menus that change with the tides (reopening in spring 2024).
The Condé Nast Europe ‘go to 2024’ list:
- Antwerp in Belgium: intriguing new architecture and a clutch of sharp hotel openings
- Asturias in Spain: eco-focussed tourism that doesn’t scrimp on luxury
- Biarritz in France: a sweet surf scene in a lesser-known stretch of the Basque Country
- Bodǿ in Norway: epic stargazing, spectacular nature and a programme of cultural events that’s not to be missed
- Budapest in Hungary: a fresh take after 150 years of the city
- Carlsberg City District in Denmark: new-new-wave eateries in the city’s district of the moment
- Costa de Prata in Portugal: boho openings in an unsung corner of the country
- Kosovo: new hiking and biking trails across the beautiful countryside – and to mark a quarter-century since the Kosovan war
- Mallorca in Spain: an outpouring of exciting new hotels across the island
- Northern Italy: next-level cycling, need-for-speed motorsports and a slower take on travel with the advent of a new train line
- The Cyclades in Greece: salty-air island-hopping made easier than ever
- Yorkshire in England: star chefs leading a foodie revolution
The Condé Nast Ireland & Britain ‘go to 2024’ list:
- Beaminster, Dorset in England: a literary weekender spotlighting homespun design
- Blackhorse Road, London in England: brilliant breweries and the first-ever British brandy house
- Cairngorms in Scotland: wide-scale rewilding and vast open spaces
- Edinburgh in Scotland: intriguing new architecture and a clutch of sharp hotel openings
- Isle of Wight: a preppy seaside break with a cool new look
- Oxfordshire in England: a thriving festival scene that goes heavy on food
- Somerset in England: farm-to-fork dining and a fresh take on some ancient land
- South West Coast Path: a film-like adventure through widescreen landscapes
- Spinningfields, Manchester in England: a reinvigorated neighbourhood home to the country’s biggest cultural project in more than 20 years
- Wexford and Waterford, Ireland: smart reimaginings of grand country manors
- Worcestershire in England: a sip of England’s most exciting winelands right now
- York in England: an age-old city break with new energy.
