| room service is available. all have free wi-fi, minibars and flat-screens. check-in time: 3:00 pmcheck-out time: 12:00 pm. there's a palatial restaurant, a bistro, an oak-panelled bar and a medieval-style pub. overlooking lough corrib lake on 350 acres of parkland, this luxe hotel in a grand 13th-century castle is a 9-minute walk from the gothic cong abbey. in addition to an indoor pool, amenities include a full-service spa, a cinema and 9-hole golf course, plus a falconry school. suites add separate dining rooms and sitting areas. afternoon tea is served in a victorian-era drawing room. opulent rooms come with antique rosewood furniture and high-end linens; some have 4-poster beds
Shannon Airport 1 hr 38
Ireland’s School of Falconry (1 min)
Hawk and owls Glebe Stone Circle (8 min) Pigeon Hole Cave (7 min) Glengowla Mines, Oughterard (53 min)
Tours of abandoned silver & lead mines on a farm, plus turf cutting & sheep herding demonstrations. The Quiet Man Museum, Tours & Giftshop (12 min)
Quaint reproduction house from the namesake film, plus set location tours & a souvenir shop. Brigit's Garden & Café (1 hr 5)
Traditional teahouse ringed with pools, flowers & standing stones symbolising Celtic seasons. Corrib Cruises (19 min) Western Way Trailhead (1 hr 15)
Angling off a vast freshwater lake, plus hikes through a rugged landscape of hills, moors & bogs. Inchagoill (29 min)
Saint patrick Lough Mask (37 min)
Sizable lake with pastoral scenery & a popular fishing scene, especially for brown trout. The Guinness Tower (9 min) Ballymacgibbon Cairn (8 min) Statue of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara (10 min) Aughnanure Castle (1 hr 1)
Preserved 16th-century fortress with gargantuan fireplaces and a watchtower you can climb. Cong Heritage (10 min)
Abbey, ruins, and history | 
