Wexford and Waterford have been named in Condé Nast Travelers' Best Places to Go in the UK and Ireland in 2024.
The luxury travel magazine selected 12 locations in the UK and Ireland as their recommended "must-visit" destinations for global travelers in the year ahead, and the two counties were jointly named on the list.
The regional list is part of the publication's global guide to the Best Places to Go in 2024. The destinations were nominated by Condé Nast's expert contributors as up and coming places with new reasons to visit in 2024, such as hotel and resort openings, fresh dining options, festivals and celebrations, and more.
Wexford and Waterford, both in the southeast of Ireland, were selected for their "smart reimaginings of grand country manors."
The listing mentions Wexford's Loftus Hall, which has undergone an extensive renovation and will reopen in early 2024 as Ladyville House, and the recently restored Mount Congreve House in Waterford.
Loftus Hall in Co. Wexford will reopen as Ladyville House in early 2024. Credit: Tourism Ireland
"Ireland’s southeastern corner has always been something of a go-to for local holidaymakers, but not so much for outsiders. Later in 2024, Wexford’s Hook Peninsula will set the scene for one of the country’s buzziest hotel openings, from the owners of The Dean hotels," writes Aoife O’Riordain for Condé Nast Traveler.
"With its roots in the 12th century, Loftus Hall had the dubious accolade of being one of Ireland’s most haunted mansions, but it will soon be shaking off its spooky associations when it reemerges as the lavishly done Ladyville House. Sitting pretty with views of the sea, an outdoor pool and direct beach access, it’s also close to the 800-year-old, black-and-white-striped Hook Lighthouse.
"Hop over the border to County Waterford and the recently restored Mount Congreve House, another palatial pile, overlooking the River Suir with dreamy gardens and a café run by The Pantry at Cliff, a spin-off of Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore.
Mount Congreve House and Gardens in County Waterford. Credit: Ireland's Content Pool
"When the gates close, you will have the gardens all to yourself if you bed down at Mount Congreve’s fairytale gate lodge, which is available to rent, and the Waterford Greenway, an off-road hiking and biking trail along a disused railway line between Waterford City and Dungarvan, passes right by the edge of the estate. Plan ahead for lunch at Beach House, Tramore, an airy Victoria dining room run by Peter Hogan and Jumoke Akintola Hogan with perfectly pitched, seafood-centric lunch menus that change with the tides (reopening in spring 2024)."
12 Best Places to Go in the UK and Ireland in 2024:
- York, England
- The Cairngorms, Scotland
- Spinningfields, Manchester, England
- Oxfordshire, England
- Worcestershire, England
- Isle of Wight
- Edinburgh
- South West Coast Path
- Wexford and Waterford, Ireland
- Blackhorse Road, London, England
- Somerset, England
- Beaminster, Dorset, England
For Condé Nast Traveler's complete list of the best places to visit in the UK and Ireland in 2024, click here.
* Originally published in Jan 2024, updated in May 2024..
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