The best spa hotels in Ireland

Up until about the Nineties, the prepackaged concept of ‘wellness’ didn’t meaningfully exist in Ireland. But Irish culture has always been underpinned by a sense of spirituality and we’ve long understood that nature has the power to help the spirit soar; exploring the majesty of our wild, primordial landscapes readily induces natural highs. So the building blocks for a distinctively elemental take on wellness were already there as Ireland’s hotels began to consider wellness more seriously at the turn of this century.

Now, every property worth its (Atlantic or pink Himalayan) salt has a slew of spa facilities (as something of an Irish idiosyncrasy, you’ll find lots of them include purportedly good-for-the-skin seaweed baths). And they deliver when it comes to providing heartfelt hospitality – it just feels good to be in these wholesome, welcoming places. So if you find somewhere that offers all that, and then it’s additionally in yet another spectacular, uplifting setting wedged between mountain and sea, you’re pretty much guaranteed a feel-good holiday. These are the best spa hotels in Ireland.