I was drawn to the Adare Manor for its elegant Afternoon Tea that appeared as if it would be picture perfect. Situated in the small and charming Limerick countryside, the town of Adare is renowned for its funky thatch-roofed houses.
It was a short scenic drive from our wonderful stay at The Old Convent in County Tipperary, and on the way to our next destination of County Clare. Both the grandeur of Adare Manor and its decadent Afternoon Tea, more than met our expectations.
We had till 3 o’clock to explore the small, windy back roads from Tipperary to Adare before our Afternoon Tea time. We were excited for our high tea adventure as the Adare Manor hotel looked delightfully grand and the tea menu scrumptious. As we drove onto the hotel grounds through the large stone gate, we could tell this place would live up to our expectations.
We were greeted by a friendly security guard who pointed us to the main hotel building. Even with directions, the various crisscrossing paths and vastness of the grounds was confusing. But soon we saw the hotel looming in the distance, not unlike Downtown Abbey, and we wended our way to the parking lot.
The hotel is enormous and we had no idea where the tea room was located. We decided to wing it and entered the closest door. We found ourselves inside an enormous wood-paneled room that matched the grandeur of the exterior – high ceilings and large polished-wood staircases…an aristocratic hunting lodge came to mind.
The concierge greeted us and told us that we were, indeed, in the right place. The hospitable staff escorted us through the large tea room with its giant windows that looked out over the manicured gardens.
Afternoon Tea at Adare Manor
We arrived into the smaller, cozy library. Our table, with its comfy wingback chairs, was already dressed for tea.
The cozy room was arranged into couchy seating areas, the walls lined with books, and the large ornate window perfectly situated for garden viewing.
This is exactly the type of room that I had conjured in my mind for the perfect high tea setting.
We relaxed in our formal, but comfy chairs and perused the menu that offered both meat and vegetarian selections.
Soon the waiter brought our earl grey tea and personal dishes of luscious raspberry jam, lemon curd, and clotted cream – foreshadowing the deliciousness to come.
Our anticipation was soon rewarded with a 3-tier tower spilling over with mini sandwiches, pastries, and scones.
We were almost – but not quite – able to make it through the piles of Irish goodness… but we prioritized the mini scones that we slathered with lemon curd and clotted cream.
Walking the Grounds at Adare Manor
Luckily, the massive grounds afforded the opportunity to walk-off the generous afternoon tea. But mostly we were anxious to explore the spacious bucolic landscape of the Manor.
We started with the symmetrically designed, maze-like garden that segued into a sprawling lawn that seemed to go on forever into the horizon. We discovered a small river running through the property, dividing the gardens from an expansive golf course that was reached by an adorable foot bridge.
Adare Manor was the perfect, high-brow country experience: friendly grandeur.
We reluctantly departed The Manor and headed to check-in at our nearby hotel. We needed to rest up for our drive that night down pitch black, one-lane roads to the nearby town of Ballingarry for dinner at The Mustard Seed at Echo Lodge. Even though Restaurant 1826 didn’t work out for this visit, Christine at The Old Convent had graciously snagged us a last-minute, Saturday night reservation at The Mustard Seed — so it turned out that we would have our fabulous foodie dinner in Limerick after all.
