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There are confinements and confinements. And that of this couple in an Irish castle converted into a five-star hotel could not be more original. Not surprisingly, the castle in question, the Ashford castle , built in the 13th century, has hosted celebrities such as Oscar Wilde, the Kennedy family , Brad Pitt, Barbara Streisand or the Dukes of Sussex throughout its history .
They have enjoyed it during the entire quarantine (and still live in it) imposed in Ireland by the couple formed by the English Laura Jamieson and the Scottish Michael Smith , who are enjoying the retirement of their dreams in the county of Mayo. Not surprisingly, the medieval castle has been chosen as the best hotel in the world by the international edition of the Condé Nast Traveler editorial, specialized in travel, while the prestigious Forbes magazine also has it among its most luxurious favorite corners. For something it costs from 450 euros a night.
Ready to open in July
The couple regularly works in the building, an award-winning 800-year-old hotel that has all the unimaginable luxuries. With numerous towers dating from the thirteenth century, it has an area of more than 140 hectares distributed by a spectacular natural enclave with a background full of forests, lakes, rivers and mountains where green is the protagonist.
Since March Laura and Michael have been the guardians of this castle and its 83 rooms . Their task is to ensure that everything continues to work perfectly by the time the hotel reopens in mid-July , by which time Ireland will be ready to open up to international tourism like most of Europe.
32 seat private cinema
Laura's role at the hotel is usually to organize special events for guests, such as private cruises and luxury picnics. Michael, for his part, manages the land on the estate. But during these months, her daily tasks include cleaning 160 toilets (the least pleasant task: not everything was going to be rosy), dusting and maintaining the rooms and their sumptuous decorative elements, or answering phone calls and emails.
They are also dedicated to observing owls and hawks in the falconry club , one of the field sports that the hotel offers its guests along with horse riding, golf and fishing. In the evenings, Laura and Michael can enjoy all the luxury the castle has to offer to its distinguished guests: from its impressive billiard room to its extensive wine cellar , 32-seat private cinema, gym and luxury spa.
Then they retire to rest in their majestic and humble, magnificently decorated room. "We are very lucky," Laura told the Irish network RTÉ. "It is an incredible place. We work hard, but we enjoy all the advantages that the castle and its gardens offer ." "It's like being on your own reality TV show , but no one is watching you," adds Michael.
In addition to the Kennedys, Reagans, or Dukes of Sussex, filmmaker John Ford, whose two Oscar- winning film The Quiet Man , was shot on the estate grounds and in the nearby town of Cong , also stayed here . But none of them had the opportunity to enjoy the entire castle exclusively.
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