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Adare Manor, in Co Limerick, and Dromoland Castle, in Co Clare, have been named Europe's top two resorts by Condé Nast Traveler, whose Readers' Choice Awards 2019 also rank Ireland as one of the top 20 countries to visit in 2020.
The awards, which were decided by more than 600,000 people around the world who took part in the American magazine's annual survey, also named the Westbury Hotel, in Dublin, and Ballyfin country-house hotel, in Co Laois, as among the world's top 50 hotels.
In its verdict on Adare Manor, which also comes fifth in the awards' world resort rankings, the magazine says that, "while retaining an old-school, aristocratic vibe, Adare's fanciful gargoyles, genuinely warm staff, grand and intimate spaces, and super-comfortable rooms make it somewhere uniquely and unabashedly the Ireland of right now".
It also says that, after a €20 million renovation, Dromoland Castle “has been upgraded for today’s traveler without losing the charm that’s helped make it such an iconic place to stay, particularly among American visitors. You’ll feel like you’re traveling back in time as you make the drive from the estate gates down a winding lane, past forest thickets and a vast lake, to catch the first glimpse of stone towers and turrets.”
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Ashford Castle, in Co Mayo, comes 18th on the list, Trump International Golf Links and Hotel Doonbeg, in Co Clare, comes 24th, and the K Club Hotel & Resort, in Co Kildare, comes 27th.
Ireland comes 18th among Condé Nast readers' favourite countries. The top 20 to visit in 2020, according to the survey, are:
1 Indonesia
2 Thailand
3 Portugal
4 Sri Lanka
5 South Africa
6 Peru
7 Greece
8 Philippines
9 Italy
10 Vietnam
11 Turkey
12 Japan
13 Mexico
14 Tanzania
15 Israel
16 Colombia
17 New Zealand
18 Ireland
19 Cambodia
20 Croatia