Luxurious, welcoming, and with one of the best views in Ireland, this is among the country’s top spa hotels. Perched on a hill to the north of Killarney Town, this modernist building boasts floor-to-ceiling windows that take in the full, glorious panorama of Lough Lein in Killarney National Park. (In winter an atmospheric fluke can mean that you’re literally above the clouds here, an effect that’s nothing short of fairy-tale.) Guest rooms have all been renovated in the past couple of years—it’s worth paying a little extra for a lakeview room—and suites are positively apartment-sized. The Lake Room serves French-influenced seasonal Irish cuisine with an emphasis on fresh seafood in an elegant atmosphere. Alternatively, you can graze on lighter fare in the adjacent lounge and piano bar. Service is excellent throughout, but it’s in the restaurants that the staff really shines. When you’re not sightseeing you can relax in the opulent Voya spa and thermal suite, or if that feels like work, you can even call the “bath butler” to prepare a relaxing soak in your guest room. If all this isn’t enough to charm you into a state of hotel bliss, the delightful staff surely will. Take time to explore the ethereal ruins of Aghadoe Cathedral, directly across the road from the hotel.