03/18/2025
Irelands Hotels with a Story to Tell.
Harvey’s Point in Co. Donegal has been voted the top hotel in Ireland for five consecutive years. Driving along a relatively major road we turn off, to a remote and isolated rural road. As if in a wilderness the silhouette of water twinkles through the hedgerows of trees, a crocheted like curtain reveals this Alice in Wonderland hotel, nestled by the shoreline of Lough Eske, and shadowed by the Blue Stack Mountains.
There’s a story of love and romance attached to this hotel. In 1983 Jody Gysling from Switzerland arrived Ireland, wishing to escape from the hassle of life there. He travelled through Ireland and found his dream paradise in Donegal, although there were some who classed the cottage and the few fields that surrounded it as a swamp. Not to be deterred Jody stated to work towards his goal and he opened a bed and breakfast. His brother Mark joined him as a chef and in 1989 they had expanded the premises to a small hotel with twenty bedrooms and catering facilities. Deirdre McGlone, a local girl joined the staff and here’s where the romantic twist in the story begins. Love conquerors everything, Mark and Deirdre began to see more of each other outside of working hours. The hotel was thriving and expanding, the couple get married in 1996.
Today the hotel has 88 suits and 13 cabin style rooms, an amazing ballroom suitable for weddings, cabaret performances, and conference meetings. This hotel has grown to be a destination venue with an international reputation. The town of Donegal is six kilometres away, it has that village feel to it, with family-owned shops, bars with Irish music, songs, and dancing. Banks, Real Estate offices, commercial premises, schools and churches. The quality of life is entwined with the remoteness of the county. Looking at the map of Ireland, Donegal is the northernmost county in the island of Ireland, yet Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom.
The mountains, peat bogs, the coastal areas with fishing ports and their fantastic fleet of trawlers and ships are what makes this county so attractive.
Call if you would like to learn more about our exclusive small group tours to Ireland. 289-813-1969 | 1-844-564-1076