Cork

Luxury hotels in Cork with plush spas and ocean views

Leave your daily life far behind with a break in a luxury hotel in Cork.

Whether you’re choosing between a stay in the festival-filled county capital or on the peaceful coastline, we’ve picked out our favourite spots for celebratory breaks with your partner or pals.

With a stay at one of these places, you can feel free to indulge – whether that’s with food, pampering or even golf – surrounded by cutting-edge interior design and views of the Atlantic.

Flavours of the local area fill restaurant menus, while whisky fans will have impressive selections to browse. For a real break from the norm, escape to a spa for a luxurious treatment or soak in a hot tub beneath the stars.

An award-winning luxury hotel in Cork with a fully equipped spa

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Stay at The Kingsley and you can look forward to taking time out in the hotel’s decadent spa. As well as indulgent treatments, there’s a thermal suite for the ultimate in warm welcomes. The aromatic steam room or Finnish sauna is also great shout to ease you into your wind-down weekend. Brave the tropical rain or ice shower for a pore-tightening refresh, then lie back on a curved, heated lounger and drift off to the soothing sound of trickling water.

Afternoon tea in the hotel’s K Lounge, looking out across the River Lee, is made up of delicious hot baked scones and colourful pastries. In the Springboard restaurant – named after the baths that stood on the site between the 1930s and 1980s – watch the chefs in the open kitchen plate up eye-catching dishes. Or go low-key in the cosy Fisher’s Bar, where you can wash down satisfying pub grub with small-batch Cork beers and Irish ciders.

Your room’s luxurious yet homely with its dark-wood furniture, tactile fabrics and sleek monochrome bathroom. Celebrating? Book the Penthouse, which is set over two storeys to give you plenty of space. You’ll have a living room with a wall of windows framing views of the leafy area, an open fire for all-out cosiness and an en suite with your very own sauna.

Hotel The Kingsley

Top rated
Cork
9.2 Excellent (2056 reviews)

A luxury hotel in Cork with three championship-standard golf courses

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Surrounded by neatly kept grounds stretching across nearly half a hectare, Fota Island Resort has a secluded vibe — so it’s the ideal option for getting away from it all. Forget the outside world and make yourself at home in a light and airy room with huge windows that overlook woodlands and the golfing greens. For some outdoor space to play with, book an option that opens out onto a balcony or has its own separate lounge.

If an evening of fine dining is on the cards, reserve a table in Fota Restaurant for plates of locally sourced food. This is where you’ll eat breakfast when the rays are out, preferably a full Irish on the terrace to line your stomach. With views over the hotel’s pristine grounds and an easy-going atmosphere, the Amber Lounge is a casual option for a tipple later on.

Keen golfer? Spend an afternoon with your irons on one of the hotel’s three championship standard courses. If a gentle swim is more your idea of a workout, find the heated 18 metre indoor pool in the serene spa. Let tensions melt away in the hydropool, which has nine different massage areas to benefit your whole body, or wander down to the hydrotherapy suite to test out the only walking river in Ireland.

Fota Island Hotel & Spa

Top rated
Cork
8.9 Excellent (1774 reviews)

A luxury hotel in Cork with a retro American twist

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With its New-York vibe, The River Lee’s dining area brings American cool across the Atlantic. The covered terrace is a laidback spot where you’ll have views over the water by day while strings of light create an intimate ambience by night. It’s just the place for sipping on one of the bar’s signature cocktails – old favourites with an Irish twist. You’ll see these shaken over at the mahogany bar topped with polished white marble, where you can also order rare regional whiskeys in crystal glasses. The Grill Room, meanwhile, decorated with curved leather-covered booths and retro-inspired lights, is popular for juicy dishes like giant prawns or boards filled with produce from Cork’s marketplace.

Work off treats in the hotel’s members-only gym or with a swim in the 20 metre pool. You can pamper yourself, too, with sessions in the bubbling Jacuzzi, soothing steam room and detoxifying dry-heat sauna.

Make yourself at home in a room decorated in calming natural tones with playful accents of bright colour. Clean-lined furniture in simple shapes highlight the space’s luxe qualities, from the fluffy duck-down duvets to the Nespresso coffee machines. Large windows make sure rooms feel light and airy, with many giving you views over the surrounding leafy area.

Hotel The River Lee

Top rated
Cork
9.3 Excellent (2714 reviews)

Luxury hotel in Cork within a landmark Victorian building

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You’ll notice the Victorian architecture of the Ambassador Hotel & Health Club Cork straight away – it sits on the top of Military Hill in the middle of historic St Luke’s. Built in the 1870s, the hotel has a striking red brick exterior and elegant lobby with a polished marble floor underneath a glass chandelier.

Because they’ve recently been refurbished, bedrooms have a fresh look, with rich fabrics and antique-style furniture creating a sense of traditional elegance. Upgrade yours to a Superior Room for views of the city and harbour – some have balconies, too – and free use of the hotel’s gym. Deluxe toiletries in the bathroom and morning papers delivered to your door add an extra-special feel to your stay.

The McGettigan’s Cookhouse & Bar is a sophisticated spot featuring walls lined with books, aged leather chairs and cosy alcoves. The kitchen prides itself on using vegetables, meat and fish sourced from nearby in dishes, like 28-day dry-aged beef sizzled on the grill, and platters with a selection of local cheeses. Get comfortable in one of the velvet-covered tub chairs to sip blended or pot-still whiskeys with a tasting board from the bar, or head outside for a glass of fizz on the decking and views of the city.

The Address Cork

Cork
8.4 Very good (2228 reviews)

Luxury hotel in Cork with a chandelier-lined Elemis spa

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As soon as you set foot inside the serene Beautique Spa at Hayfield Manor Hotel – all glamorous treatment rooms decorated in antique furniture and sparkling chandeliers – you’ll start to unwind. Take a fragrant therapy, like a hydrating massage with poppy seed and rose oils, in Ireland’s first wellness centre by iconic skincare brand Elemis. There’s also a heated pool if you fancy swimming a few lengths, as well as a rejuvenating steam room and sauna. Make sure you pop outside and discover the outdoor hot tub, too.

The hotel’s Superior Rooms are individually designed, with lavish touches like silk textiles and vintage dressing tables giving the decor a traditional charm. In the bathroom, you can chill in the classic roll-top tub, with deluxe toiletries to upgrade your soak. The huge Manor Suite, on the other hand, lets you go all Downton Abbey with a drawing room featuring a marble fireplace and original artwork. There’s also a bedroom with a crackling open fire, his and hers bathrooms, and a party-starting free bar filled with alcoholic drinks.

Dine on gourmet dishes in the candle-lit Orchid Restaurant, with views over the estate’s grounds, or take a seat in Perrotts Garden Bistro conservatory. This 2 AA Rosette-awarded restaurant serves dishes made with locally sourced ingredients such as rib-eye steak from Macroom.

Hayfield Manor Hotel

Top rated
Cork
9.6 Excellent (1448 reviews)

Beachfront luxury at a hotel in Cork with an outdoor hot tub

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Right by the sandy beach, between the rolling countryside of eastern Cork and the waves of the Atlantic, you’ll find the family-owned Garryvoe Hotel. Admire views of the water from its lounge, decorated in a modern take on 1920s style with brown leather Chesterfields and jewel tones on walls. This social space is flooded with natural light through full-height windows, which frame the wild seascape a stone’s throw away.

Focus on your wellbeing in the hotel’s deluxe health club with a dip in the two-lane lap pool or a workout in the aqua jogging ring – the only one in Ireland. To help ease tense muscles, stand under the massaging jets of water in the pool before cleansing your skin in the steam room and sauna. As well as soaking up the views of the waves from the indoor Jacuzzi, you can head outside to bathe in the warm hot tub while watching the crashing waves.

Decorated in colours inspired by the natural surroundings, rooms have a restful feel to serve as the ideal backdrop for a weekend of R&R. The understated decor helps make sure you’re not distracted from the views of the seafront opposite the hotel. Luxe touches, like rich fabrics, patterned throws and fresh white cotton linens, mean you’ll stay comfortable as well as calm.

Garryvoe Hotel

Top rated
Castlemartyr
9.3 Excellent (1651 reviews)

Balcony rooms with sea views at this luxury hotel in Cork

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Open up your French doors and let the salty air of Bantry Bay into your room at The Maritime Hotel. From your balcony, look out across the water or towards the ancient woodland of nearby Bantry House. Rooms here are decorated in rich colours that complement the honey-coloured wood furniture, while lavish fabrics and an extravagant cushioned headboard give a sense of luxury. You’ll also have designer toiletries and a plasma TV as upscale touches.

In the Ocean Restaurant, prep for the day ahead with a full Irish breakfast of sizzling rashers and fried tomatoes. The gently lit, wood-lined room takes on a romantic atmosphere for dinner later on. You’ll have a choice of tempting dishes made with locally sourced produce, like Atlantic salmon in white wine served gourmet style. Join the party in the energy-charged Maritime Bar, filled with music by local artists and a choice of 40 bottles of whiskey including local labels from western Cork and the rest of Ireland.

The wave-like curves along the ceiling at the Club Maritime health centre and You Time spa are inspired by the hotel’s location, sandwiched between three peninsulas on Bantry Bay. Be pampered with organic treatments using seaweed gathered by hand from the shores of nearby Beara.

The Maritime Hotel

Top rated
Bantry
8.9 Excellent (958 reviews)

A harbourfront luxury hotel in Cork

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or an afternoon of boat-watching on the waterfront, find a table on the Wharf Tavern’s open-front terrace at Trident Kinsale. Or experience sailing without leaving dry land from inside the restaurant – it’s decorated in polished wood decking with portholes and rope-wrapped masts by local yacht designer Rob Jacob. Order tastes of the sea to go with the maritime atmosphere, like Oysterhaven mussels served by the pint. You’ll also see other local delicacies on the menu, such as charcuterie boards filled with meats cured in west Cork.

With floor-to-ceiling windows making up one of the walls, rooms are bathed in natural light. You’ll be treated to views of Bandon river estuary and Kinsale harbour, as well as the painted houses dotted along the coastline. Taking inspiration from the nautical setting, tones of blue, natural wood and stripes decorate these spaces, complemented by a mix of prints and neutral walls. Make the most of the great outdoors by upgrading your stay to a Master Suite, where you’ll have your own balcony and uninterrupted panoramas. Added luxuries include a Nespresso machine, fluffy robe and slippers, and a super-king size bed. The daily turndown service means your room will stay looking fresh – however long your break lasts.

Trident Kinsale

Top rated
Kinsale
9.0 Excellent (945 reviews)