Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1214157
Clockwise from top left, Ashford Castle's sprawling estate is 800 years old. Ashford Castle was recently refurbished. Dromoland Castle offers 97 guest rooms. Kilkea Castle patio is a perfect spot to enjoy an Irish whiskey. All the castle have grounds are impeccable. Carton House offers two gold courses. 89 in the historic part of the manor, including one where Queen Victoria once spent the night. This room is not available to guests, but upon request, it can be unlocked to view. Alternatively, you can stay in the resort's modern wing, connected to the manor house by a glass walkway. Current restorations on the property (set to finish this June) include renovating the historic manor house rooms and the spa, and opening several dining venues—a new formal dining room, a Mediterranean-style bistro, two bars, and a café. For a snug castle experience, there is the 12th-century Kilkea Castle in County Kildare on Ireland's east coast. Boston business mogul Jay Cashman purchased the medieval fortress and estate in 2011, and Like many castles, Dromoland offers a wide range of estate activities, such as falconry, archery, clay shooting, tennis, fly fishing, and pony rides. You'll also find a small spa and two restaurants, including a tavern located in the castle's Golf & Country Club and the elegant formal dining room inside the castle with nightly live music (such as a harpist). If golfing is your passion, you should also consider Carton House, an 18th- century manor on Ireland's east coast with two 18-hole championship golf courses. The 1,100-acre estate also houses a gym, indoor swimming pool, and spa and offers traditional resort activities including tennis, cycling, trout fishing, horseback riding, clay pigeon and air rifle shooting, and archery. For accommodations, there are 18 rooms with the help of his wife, actress Christy Scott Cashman, completely renovated the property. In addition to 11 magnificent guestrooms and a formal dining room in the old castle, the property has 129 contemporary rooms in the adjoining castle wing and nearby clubhouse lodge, which also houses a white-tablecloth, window-filled restaurant serving roasted fish, salads, and meats and a pub offering Irish favorites, like seafood chowder and crispy fish and chips. The estate also has an 18-hole, par 70 championship parkland golf course, a fitness center, and a spa and offers an array of resort activities including tennis, archery, falconry, horseback riding, fishing, river boat rides, off-road driving, and guided tours to nearby attractions such as several whiskey distilleries—tastings included.