Tucked down a winding laneway in the heart of Ireland’s Ancient East, the Station House Hotel is less than an hour’s drive from Dublin (traffic dependent) and yet, feels completely secluded; a hidden oasis of peace and tranquillity, surrounded by nature.
Better yet? It’s accessible by public transport. Neither my boyfriend nor I have a driving licence between us, so finding staycation spots that don’t require a car can often be a challenge. Lucky for us, the Station House is just a 10-minute walk from Kilmessan village, which has a direct bus link to Connolly Station.
A family-run boutique hotel with buckets of charm, the property was first opened as a bustling railway junction back in 1862. Over a century later, Thelma and Chris Slattery bought the site, opening the Signal Restaurant and launching The Station House Hotel on Easter Sunday in 1981… a baptism of fire, to say the least.
Sitting on 12 acres of lush manicured gardens and woodlands, listed on the Boyne Valley Garden Trail, the property has just had a whopping €2 million refurbishment, and it shows. Trailed by twinkling fairy lights and with flower petal confetti falling from the trees, it’s a scene straight out of a fairytale and the dotey bedrooms only add to its appeal.
We spent the night in one of the carriage house cabins; located on the upper floor of the building originally used to store and maintain the railway engines and carriages. A cosy room with a king-size bed and luxurious power shower, it was small but snug… not claustrophobic but reassuring, like a warm hug. The furnishings and decor are bright and colourful to make the best of the space and light. Irish contemporary seating, tables and light fixtures sit alongside a variety of eclectic touches, including individually selected paintings and hand-embroidered Suzani cushions from Jaipur.
The sound of live music drifting in our open window called us down to the terrace for a pre-dinner drink, where we sat and enjoyed the tail end of golden hour. From there, we moved inside to the restaurant where we were booked in for the Boyne Valley tasting menu – a whopping eight-course meal with accompanying wine pairing. Showing off the wide range of foods available in the locality, courses ranged from summer beetroot with goat’s cheese and toasted hazelnuts to wild Irish monkfish and the most divine cheeseboard.
Running once a month for the remainder of the summer (more details here), the tasting menu is carefully chosen in collaboration with Swainstown Farm, where much of the produce is sourced from. Chefs select and prepare dishes based on what’s available and at its best for the season which inevitably makes for quite the dining experience.
Full after an evening of tasty food, good wine and even better company, we ended our night with a fairy-lit stroll through the trees where a winding path brings you to The Turntable – a sunken amphitheatre and the most magical outdoor setting for the hotel’s civil wedding ceremonies.
For those who’d like to explore the natural world even more deeply, one of The Station House’s most extraordinary neighbours is naturalist and film-maker Randal Plunkett, 21st Baron of Dunsany, who, in 2014, took the unorthodox gamble of deciding to rewild his family’s storied Co. Meath demesne, building a thriving 750-acre nature reserve that he pretty much leaves to its own devices.
Dating back to the 11th century, the Dunsany Estate covers approximately 1,600 acres. The land not forested or being rewilded is used to grow crops. The soil here is very fertile, so the income from agriculture is enough to support the estate, along with the income from the film production facilities based here (part of the movie Braveheart was filmed here).
Quite a character in and of himself, Lord Dunsany is not what you’d expect – for one, he’s a vegan who, in his words, “hates bees” (he’s still installed climate-controlled bee boxes around the property though and hopes to eventually have as many as 200 dotted around the place) – but he’s a wealth of knowledge on all manner of topics and is only too happy to chat and explain his vision for the future of the estate.
If you have time, be sure to call into Fergie Maguire’s pub in Kilmessan village on your way back. A beautiful stone-front building with overflowing flower baskets, it’s about as picturesque a drinking establishment as they come. Inside, it’s like stepping back in time (in the best way).
The Taste of the Garden package at The Station House Hotel starts from €280 for two people sharing and includes one night B&B with a glass of rosé on the terrace before a three-course dinner in The Signal Restaurant and an a la Carte breakfast. Visit stationhousehotel.ie for more information and booking details. If interested in a rewilding tour of Dunsany Castle and Estate, please email dunsanynaturereserve@gmail.com for more information.
Photography by The Station House Hotel.
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