Inside the Luxury Hotel in Ireland Where Amal and George Clooney Attended a Family Reunion
While many of us spent Easter enjoying downtime with family at home, George and Amal Clooney had a slightly more luxurious holiday, attending a family reunion at the swanky Ballyfin Demesne estate in Ireland.
The magnificent country house, located an hour from Dublin, opened just eight years ago as a hotel after nearly a decade of renovations. Now the five-star property is considered the most lavish Regency mansion in the country, and was named the best hotel in the world by Condé Nast Traveler.
There are only 20 rooms, but the property is over 600 acres large, making it easy for guests to stay away from prying eyes during their stay. The Clooneys aren't the first A-listers to take advantage of the unparalleled privacy—after Kim Kardashian and Kanye West tied the knot in Italy in 2016, they jetted to Ireland to spend their honeymoon at the idyllic Relais & Châteaux property.
The inside is decorated with Irish art and antiques from around the world, and every room has a unique color scheme embracing the grandeur of the property's 1800s heyday. You’ll find canopy beds, chandeliers, marble bathrooms, and fireplaces in many of the suites (no two are the same) as well as a stately dining room evoking that same royal feel. There are also plenty of classic activities available to partake in, such as horseback riding, fishing on the private lake, archery, and falconry.
According to the Sunday Independent, George's parents set up the trip as a way of reconnecting with his Irish relatives. “The first thing he said when he arrived at Ballyfin House was, ‘The Irish Clooneys are doing OK,’” Andy Ring, a cousin of the Oscar winner, told the paper. “He’s an absolute gentleman.” George and Amal Clooney live in Sonning-on-Thames, England, and also own homes in Los Angeles and Lake Como, Italy.
