The charming and serene 18-bedroom Ard Na Sidhe Country House, set on the magical ‘Hill of Fairies’ in the scenic Ring of Kerry, has graced the pages of travellers’ bible Condé Nast Traveller, as one of the top hotels worldwide to visit on a budget in 2015.

In the beautiful wilds of Kerry, the hotel, which overlooks Caragh Lake on the outskirts of Killorglin, was built in 1913 for Lady Edith Gordon and is one of the most impressive examples of arts and craft style in Ireland.

Condé Nast describes a stay at Ard na Sidhe as "welcoming and restful, with an ambience of graceful elegance. The hotel boasts the luxury of modern comforts, while retaining an old-world enchantment. All bedrooms within the main house have been remodeled to reinstate their original room proportions. An intimate restaurant, a terrace with panoramic views of Caragh Lake and the remarkable Edwardian garden – one of the best in Ireland and indeed Europe."

There are mullioned windows, an oak-paneled entrance hall and antique-dotted rooms. Ard na Sidhe’s setting also bewitches, with gardens sweeping down to the edge of the slate-coloured and silent Caragh Lake, almost tropical in abundance. Guests of the hotel can also spend a few blissful hours bobbing along in the hotel’s rowing boat, taking in the magnificent views of the lake and the heather-flecked MacGillycuddy’s Reeks mountain range.

Michael Brennan, GM of Ard Na Sidhe, said he and his staff at the hotel are delighted: “It is wonderful to be recognised by Condé Nast Traveller as the top hotel in Ireland and the UK to visit on a budget, alongside some incredible hotels worldwide. All of our staff at Ard Na Sidhe put in every effort to ensure our guests have a stay like no other. We are incredibly lucky to have on our doorstep the enchanting countryside of the Ring of Kerry and it is a world we are happy to share with our guests.”