Randles Killarney. A Splendid and Friendly Stop on the Ring of Kerry.

Randles Killarney. A Relaxing 

and Friendly Stop on the Ring of Kerry.

Killarney, as you all know, is a busy spot and Randles Hotel on the Muckross Road, itself part of the famed Ring of Kerry, is one of the popular venues in the area. The Randles have been welcoming guests since 1906. 

Ready for your morning juice?

As we arrived last week, we found a champagne reception for a French touring group in progress on the terrace. The space is high above the road and looks out at the mountains which were a splendid sight in the May sunshine.

But it’s not just touring coaches that the hotel caters for. Manager Tom Randles told me that golfers are a major factor in the hotel’s business. He pointed to the location, a central location that can allow the dedicated golfer play at a string of top quality courses over the course of a few days. These include Killarney, Beaufort, Tralee, Ring of Kerry, Dooks, Ballybunion, Waterville, even the Old Head of Kinsale, all within two hours. And if you need to go further, or faster, Randles will arrange a helicopter.

Dessert in the Lounge

Walking, Hiking, Climbing, Biking & Horseriding – Make your own way or join one of the many guided experiences. But not all of us will want to be that active during a break. And here the hotel is very well placed indeed for more leisurely sightseeing with the National Park (including Torc Waterfall) and both Muckross House and Killarney House a few minutes walk away. And the racecourse is easily reached by car.

A spacious and well-equipped junior suite

And even more relaxing possibilities in the hotel itself where leisure facilities include spa treatments where guests can unwind with an extensive range of holistic, non-clinical treatments and massages available.  The Leisure Club offers you the chance to enjoy an invigorating dip in the 20m indoor pool or relax in the steam room or sauna.

Our host Tom was talking to us in the renovated lounge where we were having an evening meal. The bedrooms have also had a makeover in recent times. Tom says there’s more to be done but he’s finding it hard enough to get tradesmen. He thinks they have all gone to Cork! 

Comfy corner in the Lounge

In any event, he has quite a team of employees in the hotel here. Service was excellent from start to finish, here in the lounge, at breakfast in the morning and at the reception desk both coming and going.

That lounge, which essentially encompasses a bar and two tidy spaces, one dedicated to eating, the other to just sitting down and relaxing with cup or glass perhaps. Both are superbly fitted out and once you get to sit in one of those comfortable chairs, you won’t be in any hurry to get up. 

The hotel also has two larger restaurants but the lounge is more informal, the menu including everything from soup to nibbles (eg hummus on pitta bread) to pizza to sharing boards to salads to grill (28 day dry aged Angus fillet). 

The pool

We sampled a few dishes here including olives, Mexican Chips, a grilled chicken salad and an impressive Wagyu Burger (the beef raised locally by Jim Good). Drank some lovely wine too, most of it available by the glass, the 250 cl measure or bottle.

The high standard of food continued at breakfast which is served in The Court with its spectacular ceiling. Right along side is Checkers Restaurant with its distinctive black and white floor tiles and a classic mural all along one wall. There were quite a few at breakfast, probably a tour group included, but it made no difference. The food and the service were excellent and there was no delay at all. Practice makes perfect!

Ready to go in Checkers

The Drawing Room is there for the guests to enjoy. Sink into the comfortable sofa with a book or complimentary newspaper while the fire blazes away. Or enjoy the views to the Kerry mountains while just soaking up the atmosphere of this room filled with antiques and comfortable sofas, harking back to the days when the original house was a splendid family home. And it is here also that you can enjoy their lovely Afternoon Tea experience.

Weddings are also well catered for in Randles and General Manager Tom will personally oversee your big day ensuring that you are pampered, taken care of and spoilt as your new life journey begins. Here, the big day can be as elaborate or as simple as you wish, from a small simple private affair to taking over the whole hotel and its close to 80 rooms.

French Toast in the morning

Our own bedroom was rather splendid also, with a excellent view out towards those mountains. This Junior Suite was perfect and that luxury bed meant a great night’s sleep. They are ideal for getting work done on your laptop and tablet, and with WIFI available throughout the hotel, you will be able to catch up with family and friends through social media and email. Widescreen TV, tea-making plus Espresso machine, bathrobes, toiletries, everything you’d need. And if you have a particular request, then there’s a 24 hour room service available. And, by the way, there is a security clasp inside your door so you can check who's knocking!

Randles has quite a depth to it, that you don't notice from the front.

The family also own the adjacent Dromhall and indeed some of the facilities are shared between the two. We had strolled over the few yards to the Dromhall to enjoy a drink in the more informal Kayne’s Bar (there’s a popular bistro upstairs). Sipped a local ale here (it is produced across the road by Killarney Brewing Company, another possible visit for you!) and we could see straight away the importance of golf in this area. There was an international tournament on the screen (no sound, of course) and a few golfers checking the play while enjoying a plate of food at the bar.

Wake up to this in Randles!

Soon we were on our way, up the shortcut steps, past the champagne reception and about to make a real start to our very enjoyable short break in Randles.

* Car-parking is not a problem here. There is limited room at the level of the hotel and the includes set-down. But there is a spacious underground car park as you drive in from the road. Lighting is automatic and excellent and a short set of steps takes you up to that lovely terrace and the entrance doors. And you may ring if you need help with luggage.

Randles Hotels Celebrate 50 Years

Ross Castle on the lakes, quite close to Randles Court and Dromhall hotels.

Randles Hotels Celebrate 50 Years

First she said she was six. A little later, Kay Randles admitted to maybe being sixteen when she and husband Neil started in the hotel business in 1964.  That was the year they purchased a bungalow across the road from their thriving garage business in Killarney and opened an 18 bedroom hotel on the site.

Sadly Neil died in 1987 and Kay was left to carry on managing the Dromhall and the other family businesses as well as rearing their six children, three of them at that stage involved in the family business. No stopping Kay and in 1992, The Rectory next door was purchased and another hotel built, this the Randles Court, a 4 star hotel.

The family decided to knock down the Dromhall in 1999 and in June of the following year, it was reopened as the brand new 72 bedroom, conference and banqueting hotel, that it is today, along with the well known Kayne’s Bar and Bistro which is attached to the hotel.

View from the terrace of Randles Court

So in 2014, the four star Dromhall celebrates 50 years in business and that means fifty years in her own hotel business for Kay who still continues to play a major role in its management. The young lady from Kilworth has come a long way from her days working up the ranks in the Victoria Hotel in Cork City. Her teenage dream of having her own guesthouse has been spectacularly surpassed. It was great to have a brief chat with her on a recent visit, even if we didn't get anywhere, not that I was pushing, about her true age back in 1964.

Daughter Susan is the Sales and Marketing Director at Randles Hotels and she is expecting a busy season. We met in the stylish and comfortable drawing room of Randles Court and indeed that style is present throughout the hotel, much of it thanks to Kay.

Susan says that not all diners now require a sit down three or four course meal and so the Randles menu has been adjusted, is more flexible. You can of course still get your big meals but, between the bar menu and the restaurant menu (and that Checkers Restaurant is another striking room), you can have small meals and in-between ones (light bites from seven euro) as well.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Kay Randles start
the celebrations earlier in May.

Everything from Marinated Olives for two euro to a steak. The steaks, served with a Knockanore Smoked Cheese, Onion and Mushroom Tart, Garlic and Rosemary infused Tomato and Pommery Mustard Cream, are supplied by Cronin’s and are as popular as ever.

Late in the evening, we enjoyed some banter and a lovely glass of Rioja in Wiggs Bar and The Conservatory. Wiggs Killarney Bar brings you back in time as it is part of the original building dating back to 1906. Even the stained glass feature has been maintained. Indeed, the original facade of the Rectory has also been maintained and fronts the hotel's reception area.

Our room in Randles Court, by the way, had everything we needed, including WI-FI and views of the mountains, but we also enjoyed some very comfortable furniture and there was no shortage of paintings on the walls. Indeed, you’ll see lots of paintings and sculptures and occasional furniture throughout the hotel, in the rooms and along the corridors. Kay has been collecting for a long time!

The facade of the old rectory was maintained.

And the same high standard is seen in the breakfast room. Terrific service and quite a menu here as well, including the ever popular Full Irish! And they do list their suppliers. On the day, I picked the freshly made Crèpes Normande with Apple Purée. A slightly different start to yet another lovely day in Killarney.

The adjacent Dromhall is another four star hotel and you may check out its many facilities here. We didn’t get to visit this time but we did eat there about a year ago and it was a very enjoyable meal indeed as you can see in this post. And you’ll find a previous review of Randles Court here.

Jarveys pick up passengers in hotel car park

Both hotels are within minutes of Killarney town centre and are ideally situated as a base for the nearby National Park and also the spectacular Ring of Kerry. Killarney is one of my favourite towns as there is so much do in the immediate area and even more in the general County Kerry area. Either of the Randles hotels would make a terrific base if you are following the newly established Wild Atlantic Way.

Other posts on this trip:
The new Heather Restaurant. Eat in style at the Gap of Dunloe.
Twenty Four Hours in Killarney. New bus services.



If you do get to Kerry you may not want to leave. I have details of things to do and see available in my Corkman on Tour blog. See the Kerry portfolio here.

Crèpes Normande for breakfast.