ireland

Cork

Ireland's second city, its first food city, and a south coast designed for the lingering kind.

3-4 nights recommendedMay-September (mild, long evenings); September is the food festival peakPlan this chapter →

Cork is the south of Ireland, and the south is, by general agreement, where the food is. The English Market in the city centre has traded since 1788; Kinsale, an hour's drive, claims more Michelin keys per capita than anywhere else in the country; and Ballymaloe in East Cork wrote the book on modern Irish cooking. The Montenotte sits in the leafy quarter above the river Lee, a Georgian-bones hotel restored with a contemporary hand and one of the better hidden cinemas in Ireland.

We also arrange Blarney Castle and its stone, the harbour town of Cobh, Fota Island, and Mizen Head, arriving via Cork (ORK).

Ideal for

Food Lovers · Slow Travelers · Couples · Whisky Enthusiasts

Cork, Ireland's second city, its first food city, and a south coast designed for the lingering kind.
Plate ICork. The Montenotte Hotel, Small Luxury Hotels of the World
01
The Stay

Restored townhouses and country-house hotels at the heart of Ireland's food country.

The Montenotte Hotel

A Georgian-era hotel on Cork city's leafy north slope, restored with a contemporary hand.

  • Bellevue Spa
  • Hidden cinema
  • Panorama Bistro

Castlemartyr Resort

17th-century manor on a 220-acre estate east of Cork city.

  • Championship golf
  • Forest spa
  • Heritage gardens

Ballymaloe House

The Allen family's seminal country-house hotel, the cradle of modern Irish cooking.

  • Original Allen-family kitchens
  • Cookery school
  • Garden-driven menu
A Glimpse Inside

The Montenotte Hotel

Courtesy of The Montenotte Hotel, Cork · a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World

The Montenotte Hotel exterior framed by flowering trees on Montenotte Hill, Cork

The Montenotte

The Montenotte Victorian gardens with fountain and Cork city and harbour beyond

Victorian Gardens

Panorama Bistro at The Montenotte with dark banquettes and floor-to-ceiling wine wall

Panorama Bistro

The Montenotte Woodland Suite bedroom with floor-to-ceiling forest views and sculptural bath

Woodland Suite

The Montenotte Merchant Suite with Cork city map headboard and gold and grey palette

Merchant Suite

02
The Palate

Ireland's densest cluster of serious kitchens, anchored by Ballymaloe and the markets it feeds.

  • 01A morning at the English Market and lunch at Farmgate Café upstairs
  • 02A long dinner at Bastion in Kinsale: Michelin star, modern Irish kitchen
  • 03A cookery demo and dinner at Ballymaloe House, where it all started
  • 04Pint and oysters at Murph's in Skibbereen, then walk the harbour
03
The Stillness

River fog, headland walks, and the small daily rituals of a city that never had to perform.

  • 01Dawn over the Lee from the Montenotte's panorama deck
  • 02Sherkin Island at sunset, the ferry leaves Baltimore at six
  • 03The Old Head of Kinsale, where the Lusitania went down, Atlantic on three sides
  • 04Walking the Beamish & Crawford courtyard before evening service
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Luxury Properties in County Cork

Exceptional properties in County Cork, selected for their distinction and service

Experiences

Tours & Activities

Top-rated experiences in Cork

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