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Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links

Originally owned by the Jameson family of whiskey fame, Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links enjoys a wonderful beachside position overlooking the islands of Lambay and Ireland's Eye.

Convenient to the airport, and only eleven miles from Dublin city centre, the hotel seems to offer the best of every world - the peace and convenience of the location and a magnificent 18-hole Bernhard Langer-designed links course.

A recent extension has added a new wing to the hotel and, although this obstructs the views once enjoyed from public areas, it does afford them to many of the 40 new bedrooms.

Décor in the original hotel and old house is a little tired and dated looking in places, and this is most obvious where the existing hotel joins up with the new accommodation.

While all accommodation is imaginatively designed and furnished to a high standard of comfort, with good bathrooms, the new bedrooms are superior in many ways.

The new rooms have unusual sea green colouring with bespoke headboards featuring enlarged images of grainy sand. The cool green colour scheme and contemporary styling are extremely appealing, so it's worth requesting a new room when booking.

The Jameson Bar, in the old house, has character and there's also an informal Links Bar and Restaurant next to the golf shop (12-10 daily).

Conference/banqueting (350/250) Business centre. Golf (18). Oceana, health & beauty: gym, sauna, steam rooms & a wide range of treatments. Children welcome (under 4 free in parents' room, cots available without charge, baby sitting arranged). No pets. Garden.

Rooms 98. Lift. 24 hour room service. B&B about €169 pps, ss about €75. Open all year.

Osborne Restaurant:

Named after the artist Walter Osborne, who painted many of his most famous pictures in the area including the view from the Jameson house, the restaurant is in a semi-basement overlooking a garden courtyard at the centre of the hotel. First-time visitors may not find it easily, so inquire at reception.

When it first opened in 1996 this restaurant was an important addition to a sparse north Dublin dining scene, and a succession of distinguished chefs put this formal dining room firmly on the map.

Now it is less a culinary destination and more a semi-formal dining option for resident guests and a 'special occasion' restaurant for local residents - but those who have not eaten here for some time will be agreeably surprised by the smart new décor and more contemporary food currently offered.

Menus feature imaginative combinations attractively presented, with about six dishes on each course – and, although the dinner menu still offers some sophisticated dishes, there’s now a wider choice to include a range of salads (available as starters or mains) and grills, and more emphasis on offering value.

Evening starters might include carpaccio of beef fillet with baby spinach, parmesan & truffle, or pan-seared scallops, both priced around €10-12. Apart from the salads, main courses range from around €16 (beef burger with mixed leaf salad and French fries) to about €34 (T-bone steak béarnaise), with several fish dishes around €28.

Lunch menus are similar but with more bistro style main courses offered. Service is friendly and not overly formal, making this a relaxed, comfortable space to dine.


Seats 80 (private room, 20); air conditioning. D only Tue-Sat, 7-10. Set D from about €47, Tasting Menu from €50-60. A la carte available; house wine from €19.85; SC discretionary. Closed Sun, Mon. Links Brasserie open 12-10 daily. Amex, MasterCard, Visa, Laser.

Directions:

On the coast in Portmarnock.