Rosleague Manor named best in Ireland by the Good Hotel Guide

HOTEL AWARDS:ROSLEAGUE MANOR will be named Irish hotel of the year when The Good Hotel Guide 2010is published, on Monday.

Edmund and Mark Foyle’s hotel in Letterfrack, Co Galway, overlooking Connemara Bay, was the only Irish hotel selected to receive a César award in the independent guide to hotels of character and quality in Britain and Ireland.

The guide says that “guests are made to feel special at Mark and Edmund Foyle’s manor house. Mark is a personable manager who involves himself with everything that happens at the hotel. The freshest fish is featured in Pascal Marinot’s uncomplicated menus, and at breakfast”.

Desmond Balmer, joint editor of the guide, said some of the book’s favourite hotels were in Ireland. “Rosleague Manor is a splendid example of the hospitality that our readers so enjoy,” he said. “Rosleague Manor joins a distinguished line of members of Ireland’s Blue Book to have won our award.”

Mark Foyle said the award nicely capped their 10th year at Rosleague Manor. “Our staff share the excitement, and we will work hard to justify the award, which is all the sweeter because it comes from a truly independent guide book.”

The César awards, named after the hotelier César Ritz, are given annually to 10 hotels that stand out for their excellence.

“Our laurel wreaths are not given for grandeur,” said Balmer. “We champion independent hotels of all types and sizes. Each has a distinct character; what they have in common is an attitude to service that puts the customer first.”

The winners

• Irish hotel of the yearRosleague Manor, Co Galway.
• London hotel of the yearDurrants, West End.
• Cumbrian inn of the yearThe Punch Bowl Inn Restaurant, Crosthwaite.
• Restaurant-with-rooms of the yearMorston Hall, Norfolk.
• Devon hotel of the yearHeasley House, Exmoor.
• Newcomer of the yearThe Elephant at Pangbourne, Berkshire.
• Cornish hotel of the yearDriftwood Hotel, Portscatho.
• Romantic hotelHoward's House, Wiltshire.
• Inn of the yearThe Kilberry Inn, Argyll.
• Welsh country houseNeuadd Lwyd, Anglesea.