Lucinda O'Sullivan's Ireland

About The Hotel

If ever a hotel imbued a sense of romance and history living up to its name, it’s The Imperial Hotel, which stands proudly dominating the city’s elegant South Mall. For over 200 years the Grand Dame of Cork has welcomed global figures including Charles Dickens, who did a private reading in the hotel before heading the kiss the Blarney Stone. William Makepeace Thackeray, who gave us the wonderful adventuress Becky Sharp in his 1848 novel Vanity Fair, visited, as did Daniel O’Connell, not to mention composer Franz Liszt who gave a piano recital in the Clarence room. One hundred years on from his death, we recall too that our great Irish hero Michael Collins spent his last night in the Imperial, before heading next day to West Cork where in August 1922 he was ambushed and shot at Beal na Blath.

One of the most famous and beautiful women in the world, movie actress Grace Kelly, or Princess Grace of Monaco as she became, stayed with her husband Prince Ranier and their children as part of their state visit to Ireland in 1961, while Maureen O’Hara who retired to Glengarriff, and Angela Lansbury who had a home in East Cork, were both regulars. The spirit and style of all these famous people lives on in the Imperial, which in the past few years has had the best part of €20m invested in it turning it into one of the most luxurious and elegant hotels in the country.

Whether you choose to stay in the Penthouse, their Junior Suites, or their Classic, Premium, or their Deluxe rooms, you will be cosseted in luxury, each one offering a peaceful serene environment. All rooms have complimentary WiFi, mineral water, air conditioning, JJ Darboven capsule coffee machines, hairdryers, iron and ironing board, 24-hour room service, luxury bathroom amenities, laundry service and a personal safe.

Their Escape Spa is just that, a wonderful sanctuary from the stresses of the world but do book in advance, as some treatments may be limited.

You'll be wined and dined to your heart’s content in any of the Imperial’s facilities which include Sketch cocktail bar. You have to try the ‘Princess Grace’ which has Ketel One Vodka, Triple Sec, Champagne syrup, Prosecco and strawberries, living up to her famous movie High Society with Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. Here they also serve sophisticated range of small plates and charcuterie – and indeed seacuterie. Casual food and Afternoon Tea is served all day in the stunning setting of Lafayette’s Brasserie while Thyme at Seventy-Six on the Mall serves dinner in the evenings focusing on seasonal local produce from a vast array of wonderful suppliers from County Cork and The English Market – a must visit. You might fancy starting off with their lobster & prawn bisque, or soft-shell crab remoulade & East Cork prawn feuille de brick. Ballycotton’s pink prawns are famous and here they are served with a Moroccan ras al hanout and Arbutus sourdough. Mains include fresh tagliatelle allo scoglio – scallops, mussels, pink prawns and garlic, while Ballycotton halibut is with toasted hazelnut, olive oil crushed potato, asparagus, wild oyster mushroom and smoked butter hollandaise. Of course there’s plenty for the carnivore with their fantastic Irish Red Hereford 42-day aged beef coming by way of 8oz fillets, 10oz sirloins, and 10z ribeyes on the bone. All are seasoned with a homemade thyme and truffle sea salt and served with Portobello mushrooms, spinach and leek ragout, fries and sauces of your choice – wild garlic butter, bearnaise or Jameson pink peppercorn.

Leave room for desserts – including a Pornstar Martine Petit Gateaux, Ferrero Rocher, and Café Gourmand.

Service is sublime – pack your bag and get going.

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