Cashel Palace to be a ‘destination in itself’, says Adriaan Bartels

General Manager of Cashel Palace Hotel Adriaan Bartels says the reopening will bring a new kind of customer to the heritage town who might not have come previously.

“We’re trying to make the Cashel Palace Hotel a destination in itself, so people can base themselves here for three to four days and see the rest of the country from here,” says Mr Bartels.

Cashel Palace management has designed day trips so guests can partake of genuine experiences in Cobh, Cork, Kilkenny Castle or Cahir Castle.

“They’re all within an hour’s drive,” says Mr Bartels. “Most Americans in particular might spend one night in each hotel. We’re telling them come to one hotel, see all these places without having to unpack for four days.”

Outside of that idea, the Palace is promoting a certain experience associated with Cashel, whether it’s seeing how to they make Cashel Blue Cheese, the Irish Piedmontese Beef BlackCastle farm, Two Mile Borris, or Hayes Farm where they make the yoghurt that will be served on the Cashel Palace’s breakfast tables.

“You will go meet the supplier, and have a real-life interaction. We’re trying to make it an authentic experience. The equine connection is huge for us. If you come here, you get an exclusive visit to Ballydoyle, to Coolmore, that you won’t get normally.”

Mr Bartels says local attractions such as fishing, the Blueways and Greenways for cycling and kayaking, and hiking in the Galtees, are a huge draw to the active person, as well as foodies.

O’Dwyer’s and Walsh’s butchers have the “best fillets of beef you’ll find anywhere”. “There’s something for everyone,” added Mr Bartels. In the Palace, guests can literally exit the hotel and you’re in the middle of town, and get to meet “real Irish life”.

Art and Design

“Mrs Magnier wanted it like a welcoming Irish country house, rather than a typical hotel,” says interior designer, Emma Pearson, explaining the house style.

Emma and her team have spent many months sourcing the finest antiques and furnishings for the Palace.

Antique dealers in Dublin, Ramsey’s Antiques, and Jonathan Bourne in London “helped me hugely”, says Emma. “Following one very late night online auction, I was particularly fortunate to secure a full set of 26 first edition Dublin prints. We were so delighted – it’s very rare you can get 26 from the same collection.”

Mrs Magnier herself has had a huge input into all aspects of the House’s finer details, down to deciding all the colour schemes for the bedrooms, and the crockery for each of the four kitchens and serving rooms, all of which is bespoke China manufactured specifically for the Cashel Palace.