There’s something about laying your head where you know a celeb has been that just makes the whole hotel experience that little bit nicer.
It doesn’t matter how lush the hotel might be, knowing that someone famous has also stayed there just adds an extra layer of kudos to your stay.
Of course, it’s even sweeter when the celeb in question just so happens to be a member of the royal family.
With that in mind, EVOKE has rounded up the glitzy places around the country where the royals have stayed. Oh if the walls of these hotels had ears!
Ballyvolane House in Cork
This family-run hotel played host to the couple while they toured Cork on an official tour in 2018 and it’s easy to see why palace aids selected this spot for the couple.
It provides the relaxed country living both are said to enjoy with rolling green fields and woodlands and an interior that is homely and welcoming with vintage-inspired decor.
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Then there are the Green family’s pet terriers who apparently aren’t shy about making guests welcome.
Ballyvolane House also offers tastings of its homemade Bertha’s Revenge gin and Prince Charles was so taken with it he even took a bottle home.
Ashford Castle
The 13th Century Castle has played host to film royalty Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne while they were filming The Quiet Man but it’s easy to see how actual royalty could feel right at home.
The Queen’s grandparents King George V and his wife Queen Mary visited the estate while it was in the hands of the Guinness family and the dining room still bears his name.
Visitors have the option to stay in one of the 83 individually styled rooms or rent out the cozy boathouse and it’s the beautiful surrounds of the hotel that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are believed to have spent their mini-moon.
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They touched down in Dublin in July 2018 and are believed to have spent at least part of their stay in the uber swanky Ashford Castle. EVOKE reported that the castle was under virtual lockdown and heavy security to play host to ‘very special ‘ guests. Ashford Castle has also played host to Harry’s uncle Prince Edward.
The hotel also welcomed Grace Kelly and Prince Ranier in 1961 when the oscar winner turned princess retraced her family’s ancestral home in Co. Mayo. The princess is believed to have enjoyed a spot of fishing in Clew Bay and even caught a dogfish and 7lb Skate.
The Imperial Hotel
2021 marks the sixtieth anniversary of Princess Grace’s visit to Ireland and while the royal may have rediscovered her roots in Mayo she found her family in Cork.
The princess and Prince Ranier stayed at The Imperial Hotel while visiting the city and were treated to a famous afternoon tea with pastries shaped like her favorite things including a Hermes bag and perfume bottle.
For the accompanying photos, the hotel drafted in staff member Leah Kelly who as the Independent reports was distantly related to the royal in her mother’s side.
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To mark the anniversary the hotel has dedicated its afternoon tea menu to the princess including the famous pastries so now you too can eat like a royal.
Dromoland Castle
This Clare haven for those with deep pockets and an eye for the finer things in life has also played host to the former King of Spain Juan Carlos 1.
The monarch ruled the country for 39 years until 2014 until he chose to abdicate in 2014. His decision to retire from public life came after he faced backlash for going on an elephant-hunting safari in Botswana during the midst of the country’s deepening financial crisis.
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Juan Carlos traveled to Ireland with Queen Sophia in 1986 where a delegation took over eighteen rooms of the hotel for a reported £3,009 bill, an enormous sum at the time. The five-star hotel has been welcoming visitors since the 16th century and boasts lavish interiors fine dining and a world-class golf course.