Wexford Hotels

Photos: The many faces of Wexford Town's accommodations: (top, left) White's Hotel; (top, right) Talbot Hotel; (middle, left) Faythe House Guesthouse; (middle, right) McMenamin's Townhouse Guesthouse; (bottom, left) Abbey Houise B&B; (bottom, middle) Rosemount House B&B; and (bottom, right) Blue Door B&B.

Known for its narrow streets and Viking/Norman ambiance, the ancient town of Wexford is adding a new riverfront marina. Accommodations are available both in the town itself and the surrounding countryside. The places featured below offer all rooms with private bath/shower ("en suite") unless otherwise noted. Here are some of my favorites.

Price Key
B&B per person
per night

€ - under 50

€€ - 50 to 75

€€€ - 75 to 100

€€€€ - 100 to 150

€€€€€ - over 150

Wexford Hotels

Carlton Millrace Hotel, Main St., Bunclody, Co. Wexford, tel. 053-937-5100; e-mail: info@millrace.ie. Off the beaten track in the verdant Wexford countryside, this new hotel is a real find. On the site of an old timber mill amid four acres of gardens, it sits beside the River Clody on the main street of a busy but small market town, an ideal retreat from major cities and national roads – yet it is just a short drive from Wexford, Carlow or Enniscorthy. Opened in 2004, it is contemporary in design, with lots of curved windows overlooking the surrounding countryside. There are 60 guest rooms and 12 apartments with every modern amenity, and the public areas include a roof-top (4th floor) restaurant, ground-level bar, and a leisure centre and spa. It is an ideal central base for touring the whole Southeast. Closed 24-27 December. €€ to €€€

Ferrycarrig Hotel, Ferrycarrig Bridge, Wexford; tel. 053-912-0999; e-mail: ferrycarrig@griffingroup.ie. Expanded and enhanced over the years (recently elevated to 4-star category) , this contemporary-style hotel is a great place to settle in and relax for a few days. It sits beside the River Slaney estuary, north of Wexford town and across the road from the Irish National Heritage Park. It offers 103 rooms, most with waterfront views, plus two waterside restaurants, a nautically-themed bar, and a leisure centre with indoor pool. €€ to €€€€

Riverside Park Hotel, The Promenade, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford; tel. 053-923-7800; e-mail: info@riversideparkhotel.com. Located on the edge of an historic town in the heart of County Wexford, this 3-star hotel sits beside the River Slaney. The eye-catching ketchup-red façade is flanked by trees and lawns reaching down to the river. The public areas are spacious with floor-to-ceiling windows and blend old and new designs including a six-story round tower-style reception area with a dazzling bog oak sculpture. There are 60 contemporary guestrooms, most of which have balconies with river views. Facilities include a nautically-themed restaurant; a bar facing the river and a pub housed in an adjacent old stone wool mill. Closed: 24-26 December. €€ to €€€ Web site: www.riversideparkhotel.com

Talbot Hotel, Trinity St., Wexford Town; tel. 053-912-2566; e-mail: sales@talbothotel.ie. Step outside the door, turn the corner, walk a block, and you are on Wexford's Main Street — so a convenient location makes the 3-star Talbot a favorite for most visitors. Situated on the quay overlooking Wexford Harbour and opposite a parking area, the boxy 6-story Talbot offers great convenience to business travelers, tour groups, and individual tourists with cars. The 115 bedrooms are contemporary in style and guests enjoy full use of a leisure centre with swimming pool, gym, sauna, solarium, and more. Closed: 23-26 December. €€€ Web site: www.talbotwexford.ie

Whites of Wexford, Abbey St., Wexford Town, tel. 053-912-2311; e-mail: info@whitesofwexford.ie. If you haven’t been to Wexford in a while, you will never recognize Whites! Although the name and history of this hotel date back to 1779, a from-the-ground-up re-design and re-building was done in 2006/7. As a result, the former vintage charm has been replaced by a cruise-ship-like façade, and lots of contemporary pizzazz, from the dazzling marble and glass atrium-style reception area, outdoor courtyard, and extensive underground car parking to the state-of-the-art leisure centre and spa complete with cryotherapy clinic. There are 157 air-conditioned guest rooms fitted in contemporary style, each with plasma flat screen TV, hairdryer, safe, and iron/ironing board. Floor to ceiling windows provide views of the town and river. In addition, the public areas, which offer wireless connections, include the Terrace restaurant, Library bar and Esperanza café bar, which overlooks the town’s main street. Closed: 23-26 December. €€ to €€€. Web site: www.whitesofwexford.ie

Whitford House Hotel, New Line Rd., Wexford Town; tel. 053-914-3444; e-mail: info@whitford.ie. Owned and run by the Whitty family, this 3-star 36-room hotel has gone from strength to strength, having started as a two-bedroom B&B in 1964 and improving and expanding ever since. Guests enjoy a friendly ambiance, combined with luxury guest rooms, plus an award-winning restaurant on the premises — popular with locals and visitors alike. Best of all, the price remains reasonable. Closed: 23 December - January 10. €€ to €€€ Web site: www.whitford.ie

Wexford Guesthouses and B&Bs

Abbey House B&B, 34/36 Abbey St., Wexford Town, tel. 053-912-4408; e-mail: info@abbeyhouse.ie. Located in the heart of town opposite White’s Hotel, this three-story townhouse is just one block from Main Street, and two blocks from the bus/train station. Hosts Georgina and Bernard O’Connor offer 5 compact but comfortable rooms in the double, twin and family configurations, and each with TV and coffee/tea-maker. Breakfast is available from 7 a.m. (an unusual convenience for B&Bs) and Georgina will also prepare vegetarian options as well as evening meals for guests on request. € to €€ Web site: www.abbeyhouse.ie

The Blue Door B&B, 18 Lr. George St., Wexford Town, tel. 053-912-1047; e-mail: bluedoor@indigo.ie. Convenient location is the trademark of this B&B, situated in the center of town a half-block off Main Street and three blocks from the bus/train station. As its name implies, you will easily recognize this 200-year-old Georgian house by its distinctively colored door. It offers guest rooms configured as singles, doubles and family rooms, each with TV, tea/coffee-maker, hairdryer, and alarm clock radio. Breakfast choices include full Irish as well as smoked salmon or vegetarian. If you have a car, however, you’ll have to find parking on the street. € Web site: http://indigo.ie/~bluedoor

Faythe House Guesthouse, Swan View, The Faythe, Wexford Town, tel 053-912-2249; e-mail: faythehse@iol.ie. Situated in a quiet residential neighborhood on the east edge of town near the harbour, this long-established 19th century 3-star guesthouse is set back from the road amid gardens and built on the grounds of a former castle (one original castle wall still remains). Hosts Damian and Siobhan Lynch offer 10 totally updated rooms, each with TV, DVD player, hairdryer, clock radio and coffee/tea-makers. Some rooms overlook the harbour. There is also a large private car park for guest use. €€ Web site: www.faytheguesthouse.com

Glenhill, Ballygoman, Barntown, Co. Wexford, tel. 053-912-0015. Located about 3 miles west of the town, this modern B&B home makes a good base for touring Wexford or Waterford. It is set back from the main N 25, next to the entrance for Slaney Manor, and surrounded by views of the undulating Wexford countryside. Hosts Nicholas and Kathleen Murphy offer 5 guest rooms, each with a TV. Closed: 20-31 December. € Web site: www.BandBIreland.com

Granville House, Clonard Rd., Wexford, Co. Wexford; tel. 053-912-2648; e-mail: emmetcullen@eircom.net. Sitting on the crest of a hill and surrounded by trees and award-winning gardens, this modern non-smoking house is in a secluded residential neighborhood, but is well sign-posted off the main N25 road just over 1 mile west of town. Hostess Grainne Cullen offers 6 luxurious guest rooms, each with TV and coffee/tea-maker. Closed: mid-December to mid-January. € Web site: www.accommodationireland.net

McMenamin's Townhouse, 6 Glena Terrace, Spawell Road, Wexford Town, tel. 053-914-6442; e-mail: info@wexford-bedandbreakfast.com A Victorian ambiance prevails at this attractive red-brick townhouse filled with antiques. Situated in a serene residential neighborhood on the west edge of town opposite the county hall, it is the home of Seamus and Kay McMenamin who have long been in the hospitality business (they previous operated a guesthouse that was a familiar fixture on Auburn Terrace, off Redmond Road, but had to move to make way for a new road) and are famed for outstanding breakfasts with home-baked goodies. They offer 4 guest rooms, each furnished individually with four-poster, canopy or brass beds and other heirlooms; yet melded with modern comforts such as TV and coffee/tea-maker. It's ideally located in town, two blocks from the bus/rail station, and has private car parking for guests. € to €€ Web site: www.wexford-bedandbreakfast.com

Rosemount House, Spawell Road, Wexford Town, tel. 053-912-4609; e-mail: info@rosemounthouse.ie. This stylish 18th century townhouse is nestled in a quiet residential area on the west edge of town, near the Westgate Heritage Centre and a five minutes walk from Main Street and near the bus and train station. Hosts Carol and Timmy Kelly, who previously ran a B&B on Auburn Terrace, moved here from their previous location to make way for a local road expansion. They offer three antique-filled and spacious guest rooms, each with TV and coffee/tea-maker. There is a secure private car park for guest use. € to €€ Web site: www.wexfordbedandbreakfast.ie

Favorite Places to Stay — Wexford

Wexford Guesthouses and B&Bs