Killarney Lodge

Built in 1996, Killarney Lodge has been run since by the Treacy family, who still oversee the breakfast room and front desk. The guesthouse sits a short walk from Killarney town centre and the bus and train station, and closer still to Knockreer Park, one of the entrances to Killarney National Park. It is a four-star property with sixteen rooms, each with its own bathroom, air conditioning and a safe. Double, twin and triple rooms are available, the twins and triples adding a single bed alongside the queen. Free Wi-Fi and on-site parking cover the whole house. Breakfast runs from a bright dining room facing the gardens, with a cooked-to-order Irish breakfast alongside a cold buffet of pastries, brown bread, scones and porridge. The kitchen's baking has become something of a house signature. Guests can arrange day trips from the desk, among them the Ring of Kerry, the Dingle Peninsula, the Gap of Dunloe and boat crossings to Skellig Michael. The lodge closes over winter and reopens each March, running through to October. It is a compact stay, and a plain one, built around a family business rather than a brand. For a guesthouse of its size, the location does most of the work: town, station and national park all fall within a few minutes on foot.