Ballyvaughan, Co Clare, Ireland - Tel: +353 65 707 7005, Fax: +353 65 707 7111, email: stay@gregans.ie |
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LATEST NEWS February Gregans Castle Hotel is Awarded 3 AA Rosettes
There are only two other 3 Rosette Award winning Restaurants in Ireland, The Byerley Turk restaurant at The K Club and The Restaurant at Nuremore Hotel & Golf Club Carrickmacross, Monaghan. Emerging as one of Ireland's top gourmet destinations that is "well worth the detour", AA's Hotel Inspectors described the exceptional cuisine as a "highlight of the trip." This assessment is given added weight considering the individually-styled rooms, quality furnishings, beautiful grounds and breath-taking views of Galway Bay and Ballyvaughan Valley that the elegant Country House Hotel offers its guests. Gregans Castle Hotel was also bestowed the prestigious, AA Courtesy & Care Award, in 2006, for its dedication to impeccable service and hospitality. Giovanna Grossi, Group Area Manager of AA Hotel Services UK said "I was extremely impressed with the standard of cooking I experienced at Gregans Castle. Mickael Viljanen's food is innovative and imaginative, whilst still relying on tried and tested classical formula. Mickael boasts the ultimate understanding and respect for ingredients and utilises the best of seasonal and local produce. The flavours in his cooking are clear and intense. It is definitely worth the journey to this beautiful hotel to experience this talented chef's food". "Three rosettes for food is really, really good," said Simon. "We are delighted. We have been working towards this for three years. We had our inspection back in May. A UK inspector came over. We had two inspections last year too. They watch you for a year or two to make sure the consistency is there. It is very thorough. We were the only new existing ones. Mickael is delighted and so is the kitchen and service team," he commented. AA Rosettes are awarded solely for the quality of a restaurant's cooking. Consistent standards are expected across all dishes on all menus, at all meal times, every day throughout the year. All Rosette-awarded restaurants demonstrate a use of ingredients that are fresh and of sound quality. Flavours are well-balanced and each dish is appropriately presented; and the menu reflects an obvious enthusiasm and commitment to promoting good quality food. In food critic terms, 3 AA Rosettes are considered the equivalent of 1 Michelin Star. Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud adjoining the Merrion Hotel, Dublin and Deanes Restaurant, Belfast are the highest rated restaurants in Ireland with Four Rosettes, amongst the highest rated restaurants in the UK are Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck and Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons both with 5 Rosettes. AA inspectors commended the flair, imagination & clear passion for cooking consistently evident in the modern European-style dishes created by Mickael and his team. 'The Dining Room's melt-in=the mouth specialties include, organic Burren Lamb and Beef and fresh Atlantic fish and shellfish which are cooked with a level of intricacy and technical skills that merit 3 AA Rosettes. A choice of unusual quality wines from every continent, including a selection of organic and bio-dynamic varieties is on offer to accompany the award-winning cuisine. September Gregan's Castle Hotel Strikes Gold Burren Country House Wins Industry's Highest Accolade
Owned and lovingly operated by husband and wife team Simon Haden and Frederieke McMurray, Gregan's Castle won the top industry award at the 22nd Annual Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Awards, held in The Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin on 20 September. The country house hotel triumphed ahead of hundreds of its peers in the Irish hotel and catering industry to win the coveted Gold Medal Award for Excellence after scooping the hotly-contested Gold Medal Award for Country Houses & Guesthouses, sponsored by Laurent-Perrier, earlier in the night. Organised by Hotel & Catering Review, the leading magazine for the Irish hospitality industry, the Gold Medal Awards are recognised as the industry's most rigorous and competitive independent awards programme. As well as the supreme award, a total of 14 category awards were presented at this year's gala black tie ceremony, which was attended by over 350 leading hoteliers, restaurateurs and caterers from across Ireland.
Opened as a hotel in 1967, Gregan's Castle was purchased by Simon Haden's parents, Peter and Moira, in 1976 and has been run by the family ever since. It is no stranger to the Gold Medal Awards winners' enclosure, last year picking up the highly competitive Gold Medal Award for Fine Dining, sponsored by Paul Jaboulet, and the country house was also nominated for this award once again this year. Celebrating 22 years this year, the Hotel & Catering Review Gold Medal Awards are recognised as the leading independent awards programme for the Irish hospitality industry. Competition for the awards is intense, with a record number of entries in 2010. Entrants hailed from the four corners of Ireland and underwent a rigorous assessment process conducted by the Gold Medal Awards team of 14 expert industry judges, who travelled more than 27,500 kilometres across the island this summer to search for the Ireland's best hotels, restaurants, caterers and hotel groups. August The Food & Wine Magazine Restaurant of The Year Awards were held in Dublin on Sunday August 22nd. We had a great night in the ballroom of The Four Seasons Hotel and came away with two awards and two commendations. Food & Wine Magazine is Ireland's food bible and these are the most prestigious Restaurant awards in Ireland. Restaurant of The Year Award 2010 (Ireland overall) Commended (3rd) Best Restaurant, Munster Winner "When the evening light falls on the lunar Burren views from the understated dining room of Gregans Castle, and chef Mickael Viljanen's extraordinary food is being delivered by warmly enthusiastic floorstaff, you know you are under the spell of one of Ireland's finest country house hotel experiences, under the careful guidance of second generation owners Simon and Freddie Haden. Pure magic". Best Chef, Munster - Mickael Viljanen Winner "From the moment your amuse bouche - an exquisite beetroot meringue with foie gras cream perhaps - is delivered right through to the final petits fours, there is no doubt that Finish chef Mickael Viljanen is one of the greatest talents cooking on these shores today. Expect a soaring imagination tempered by a deeply grounding respect for the ingredients themselves and aided by faultless technique and dogged dedication". Style Award Commended (3rd) "Gregans Castle has long had a sensitively wrought country house style, but second generation owners Simon and Freddie Haden have contemporized many of the key rooms, including the admirably restrained dining room upon whose warm slate tones the special light coming across the Burren landscape from Galway Bay makes an ever-shifting play". October
September
August Gregans Castle Hotel Rated 6th Best Restaurant and 6th Best Chef in Ireland. We were delighted to attend the annual Food & Wine Awards at Dublin's Mansion House on Sunday August 23rd where we received the following accolades: Munster Best Chef Award 2009 - Mickael Viljanen - Highly Commended. Overall, Mickael was rated the 6th Best Chef in Ireland. "The exceptional Finnish-born chef Mickael Viljanen has in a very short time enamoured himself with both local diners and touring gourmands, thanks to an exciting style that revels in the celebration of local produce. Currently one of Ireland's hottest gourmet destinations." Munster Best Restaurant Award 2009 - Gregans Castle - Commended. Overall, our Restaurant was rated the 6th Best Restaurant in Ireland. "With a strong track record for showcasing local produce and an exceptional Finnish-born chef, Mickael Viljanen, the gourmet bar has been raised in Munster. Mickael's creative skills combine with an off-the-wall approach to make this one of the best hotel restaurants in the land." January Gregans Castle Hotel in Ireland is one of Andrew Harper's Top Hotels for 2009 Grand Award Winners revealed in the January issue of the Hideaway Report New York - January 21, 2009: Gregans Castle Hotel in Ireland has been named a 2009 Grand Award Winner by Andrew Harper in the January issue of the Hideaway Report, it was announced today. Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report is a top resource for intelligence on luxury travel and is based on unbiased, first hand research. Hotels considered for the prestigious award must be relatively small and possess a strong individual personality. Properties are also required to have a relaxing atmosphere and demonstrate a devotion to personal service. However, all offer the traveler comfort, warmth and charm, as well as a spirit of sincere hospitality. About Gregans Castle Having been awarded many national awards such as Georgina Campbells Hideaway of the Year 2007, AA Courtesy and Care Award 2006/2007, Good Food Ireland Best Member Award - West 2008, Bridgestone Ireland 100 Best Places To Stay in Ireland 2009 etc., Gregans Castle Hotel has now followed these awards with this highly important and prestigious international award from Andrew Harper. One of only 20 international properties divided between 10 global regions chosen each year it is the only Irish property to make the list in 2009. In fact no Irish property made the list in 2008. In a list that includes the Four Seasons Hotel in Florence and Six Senses Yao Noi, it is in particularly esteemed company and this reflects the continuous and genuine commitment that Simon Haden and Freddie McMurray, owners of Gregans Castle Hotel have invested in their business over many years. Eschewing transient fads in the hotel industry Gregans Castle Hotel places its emphasis on individuality, attention to detail, offering real value, good food and a genuine sense of welcome and care. Simon & Freddie are very aware of the importance and beauty of the Burren, the unique in which the hotel is located and have always strived to make sure that the hotel complements and reflects this natural ecological paradise where possible. www.gregans.ie About Andrew Harper Disappointed by out-of-date guidebooks, in 1978, Andrew Harper created an independent, monthly publication for sophisticated travelers, Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report. Traveling incognito and always paying his own way, Mr. Harper's unbiased reviews detail the world's finest hotels, villas, resorts and culturally authentic travel experiences. Now, 30-years after the launch of his publication, Mr. Harper has developed a full-fledged, private membership program, offering his loyal readers highly personalized travel planning assistance, bespoke tours, exclusive trips, and other VIP services that allow members to step into Mr. Harpers’ shoes. For more information, please visit www.AndrewHarper.com. October The Good Food Ireland Awards 2008 – Gregans Castle Hotel - REGIONAL WINNER - WEST The Good Food Ireland Awards Dinner took place in the Shelbourne Hotel Dublin on Monday night 29th September and provided a showcase of the best of local and artisan food produce. Good Food Ireland is a unique not-for-profit all island network of members who are diligently working to drive Ireland forward as a food tourism destination. Over 300 key representatives from the food and tourism sectors including chefs, restraunteurs, hoteliers, farmers, fishermen and food producers from the four corners of Ireland attended. Guest of Honour Martin Cullen, T.D., Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and Good Food Ireland Chairman, Redmond O' Donoghue presented the awards. "The key objectives of these awards were to honour those members who epitomise the philosophy of Good Food Ireland and to raise standards within the food and hospitality industry," says Margaret Jeffares, Managing Director, Good Food Ireland. Good Food Ireland promotes the link between the food producer and the hospitality sector so as to steer the 9 million visitors to this country to places that are committed to using local food. Cuisine and food produce satisfies new traveller demands for hands-on, interactive experiences. Good Food Ireland promotes the people behind the food from the chef to the cheese maker and highlights the cultural relationship between a country, its people and its food.
September Gregans Castle Hotel applies for the EU Flower Ecolabel Gregans Castle Hotel is one of the first hotels in Ireland to apply for the EU Flower Ecolabel for tourist accommodation. The EU Ecolabel is an official sign of environmental quality that is both certified by an independent organisation and valid throughout Europe. The European Ecolabel was created to reward tourist accommodation services and tourists that respect the environment. The Ecolabel: We are currently going through a rigorous training process and hope to have our inspection in January or February. For more on what we are doing see our Environmental Policy. For further information on the EU Flower Ecolabel May Gregans Castle was featured in the lead article "Castle and Manor Hotels in the Irish Countryside" in the May edition of the very exclusive Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report. Gregans Castle gets the highest rating (97/100), higher than all the other Irish hotels reviewed. A score of 95-100 represents "A truly great hotel/resort, among the finest of its kind in the world". "The food is delicious and scrupulously sourced from local producers." "Large windows provide lovely views of the Burren or the ocean." "The public areas are filled with light and decorated with an eclectic mix of art that includes everything from old hunting prints to an arrangement of African masks." "the atmosphere is delightfully informal and supremely comfortable." "In many ways, Gregans Castle is the embodiment of the perfect Irish hideaway". The Hideaway Report ® is a privately published newsletter for the sophisticated traveler, 85% of their executive members hold the title of CEO/President/Owner/Partner. It has been issued monthly since June 1979.
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