A Royal Adventure at Ashford Castle
Step into timeless luxury where history, elegance, and unforgettable experiences await
Photos courtesy of Ashford Castle
Elizabeth Benson is an expert in coordinating the complicated. As a former commercial producer based in New York, and later London, she says her job was coordinating shoots all over the world and organizing crews coming together in far-flung locales. She and her husband then moved to Denver, pregnant with her first child, and it was time to make a change. With a passion for travel and culture, she decided to become a travel agent.
Long gone are the days of stopping by your local travel agent to collect paper plane tickets. However nowadays, while people can plan a lot themselves online, Benson says travel agents are as relevant as ever, “The number one reason clients are working with me is because they’re looking for full support. I am handling every single detail for them starting with expediting them through the airport when they land, to having a car waiting for them outside the airport to take them to their hotel and handling every single step of the trip. It’s ‘You will have to dine at this restaurant in Paris, or, based on what you’ve shared with me about your favorite restaurants, I’m going to recommend X,Y and Z. So it’s really making sure that every single reservation, activity, the guides that we’re presenting to them, are very dialed in to our client’s profile and really matchmaking that to elevate their trip. You actually get to sit back and relax because we are handling every single detail.”
Benson is part of the travel advisory company Local Foreigner. Started in New York, she is part of a worldwide team of luxury travel experts, “If there’s a client who wants something really special, whether it’s shutting down the Churchill war rooms to go in with their family with a private curator, or special experiences like that-that’s what we’re really good at! We have a deep archive of fun ideas and we’re able to really create that magic!” She adds, “We’re able to get really nitty gritty about things like which hotel rooms in a given city work best for a family and why and really breaking apart the pros and cons of places all over the world.”
So where does a luxury travel company go for their own retreat? Benson recently joined them for her first visit to the iconic Ashford Castle. The 800-year-old estate once owned by the Guinness family is set in the West of Ireland, bordering Lough Corrib, the country’s biggest lake. It has played host to royalty, nobility and many distinguished guests, including President Reagan, since opening first as a hotel at the turn of the century. The 83-room castle is regularly ranked as one of the top resorts in both Ireland and Europe.
“I was wildly impressed with Ashford!” she says, “You pull up and all of these people on horseback with their hounds are greeting you and they lead you up to the castle. It was unbelievable!” She says guests are often greeted with this informal hunt gathering, sometimes with drummers and fire, all adding to the excitement as the landmark comes into view, “It gets you so excited! Ashford castle is such a beautiful place to stay, but it’s so much more than that because you really feel the heritage of Ireland. It has such a great sense of place, and you learn so much about that area while you’re staying there because everyone is so passionate about their heritage. They’re carrying on these traditions that have gone on for hundreds of years.”
Despite its imposing size and grandeur, Benson was immediately taken by Ashford’s coziness, “The service is so warm, you’re in this grand castle, but like it feels like a warm hug. There’s a very relaxed sense of hospitality that makes you feel really comfortable, whether you’re coming back in with muddy boots after a horseback ride or going for a walk through the woods, they really make you feel at home.” Massive stone fireplaces anchor many of the common areas, oil paintings line the walls. Pelmetted windows with elaborate hangings abound. Walls are covered in silk, and beds in sumptuous velvets and brocades, all while waxed Barbour jackets and the ubiquitous wellies are stocked around every corner for that slosh through the countryside.
The resort boasts over 30 activities. In addition to a 9-hole golf course, athletic pursuits include tennis, cycling and a state-of-the-art fitness and leisure complex. In addition, Ashford’s spa, located in a spectacular glass conservatory, is consistently rated one of the best in Ireland. There are acres of formal and informal gardens to wander, resident Irish Wolfhounds to walk, and an entire equestrian center offering a chance to take in the countryside either from the seat of a carriage or the back of a horse, “I loved the horseback riding there. The countryside is so beautiful so being on horseback and getting to explore more of that area was truly a highlight,” says Benson. She adds that despite less-than-ideal weather, the staff made the requisite golf experience memorable, “It was a cool day, it was drizzling, but we bundled up and they made us little warm mugs of hot toddies and sent us off on the golf cart. We had so much fun!” Boating, archery, and shooting are also on offer, as is falconry, which Benson insists must not be missed, “It was everyone’s favorite!”
One surprise to Benson? The food. “The food just truly blew me away,” she says, “Ashford, and just in that region in general, it exceeded my expectations. Some of the best Salmon I’ve ever had, beautiful fresh salads. All the food was just so fabulous.” The hotel boasts eight restaurants and three bars scattered through the castle and grounds, ranging from cozy pubs to the opulent George V dining room. There’s the not-to-be-missed Dungeon Bar, and old subterranean tunnels now host an impressive wine collection and tastings.
Benson says she can think of no better destination than Ashford for a big blowout birthday, an intimate wedding or a large multi-generational family gathering, “There’s so many fun activities that you can do. They cater to large groups really beautifully.” She adds they also cater to all ages beautifully, “The grandparents would really appreciate the traditions there, and the high level of service and beautiful interiors”, while Benson says the staff’s warmth of spirit wins over the young ones, “I have young children and I would bring them in a heartbeat. They do a really sweet job with welcoming children.”
The teams’ final black-tie dinner in Ashford’s Connaught Room, was swathed in dramatic red roses from floor to ceiling, “It was spectacular,” she says, “I think for a destination wedding- anyone who has the fantasy of getting married in a castle – I kind of can’t think of a better place than Ashford!”
Elizabeth Benson, Local Foreigner
Elizabeth.Benson@localforeigner.com
404-202-1225
Ashford Castle
Cong, County Mayo, Ireland, F31 CA48
+353-94-954-6003
Logistics: Closest Airports
Knock (40 miles)
Shannon (84 miles)
Dublin (155 miles)
