Enjoying Extraordinary Elegance At Mount Juliet Estate

There’s a quiet piece of luxury hidden in the Kilkenny countryside – but quiet luxury it is not.

Mount Juliet Estate is grand, it’s elegant, and it’s so luxurious you could almost be forgiven for forgetting you’re still in Ireland at all, a mere stone’s throw away from the afternoon train that took you there.

Such was my experience when I landed on the five-star estate for a press night a few weeks ago. The resort is home to a golf course, a state-of-the-art spa, a Michelin star restaurant, and of course, The Manor itself, which recently underwent an €8 million restoration.

The restore marries history with modernity, but not in a way you might think. The Manor itself has retained its elegance and traditional 18th century interiors, but with an added contemporary flair – detailed wallpaper here, a rich fabric there.

Walk in and you’re met with a space that really feels like a person’s home. Yes, that person in question would boast a considerable number in their bank account, but their home would also be warm, inviting, and entirely luxurious.

Travel up the grand staircase and find your way through the ornate hallways to your own bedroom – one of just 31 in The Manor, ranging from impressive suites to cosy doubles.

@stellarmagazine Team STELLAR was lucky enough to spend the night in the gorgeous Mount Juliet estate after their €8m refurb ✨ Just divine #fyp #ireland #travel ♬ Say Yes To Heaven – Lana Del Rey

The restoration naturally included the bedrooms too, each of which has their own distinct personality. Named after a man or woman who would have frequented the estate when it was still a home, the rooms are vibrant but classic. Spacious yet comfortable.

Each of them looks out on either the banks of the River Nore or the paddocks of the Ballylinch Stud, the precisely manicured grounds of the estate rolling on beyond.

The sun was shining while we were there, and it almost felt wrong to not prise myself from bed early the following morning, only slightly nursing a hangover, to wander the grounds and enjoy its quiet nature before returning home.

Interior Designer Aisling Healy was on hand for the night to show us her inspiration for the renovation – all luscious textures and soft palettes, while maintaining the original beauty of The Manor’s Georgian architecture and fixtures, many of which were restored and preserved.

After a tour we enjoyed a few drinks in the bar before we were led into the Lady Helen, Mount Juliet’s Michelin star restaurant, for a tasting menu that was just as impressive as the estate itself.

Head Chef John Kelly’s 8+ course menu (if you include the bread and creamiest butter I have ever tasted, which I do) is a celebration of Irish produce and modern feeding. Paired with a selection of gorgeous wines from the estate’s cellar, it was the ideal space to chat, meet new people, and of course, indulge in some seriously tasty food.

The Lady Helen even has a vegetarian menu, if you’re like me and don’t eat meat. More often than not I’ve found that tasting menus will accommodate for dietary requirements, sure, but the meat-free dishes tend to have less thought put into them, less effort.

This vegetarian menu was not that. Each alternate dish was explained to me specifically by staff, and was very much its own thing: gorgeous, and so refined.

The meal finished with a spin of the Lady Helen sweet trolley – the perfect few bites to strain my already swollen belly – before I headed off to bed, eager not to fumble my plans of an early morning stroll.

Luckily I didn’t, and I sat down for breakfast the next morning already 5k steps in and ready for another beautiful spread. I went for boxty and eggs, along with a croissant on the side and a pot of tea, a feed sure to keep me going on the train back to Dublin.

Mount Juliet was a special stay. One I was always hoping to make, but with a minimum spend of €700 a night in The Manor, it was unlikely that I was ever going to get there outside of the purposes of a review.

Still, I’m glad I did.

You can find out more about Mount Juliet Estate here.