Fodor's Expert Review Powerscourt Hotel

The gargantuan Palladian-style exterior of this Xanadu may seem out of place in the bucolic surroundings, but luxury always makes itself at home, and the views of the fabled Sugar Loaf peak outside the soaring windows are breathtaking. Once you're past a cavernous lobby, the hotel's decor strikes just the right glamorous note, which is held throughout the hotel's lavish array of restaurants, bar, lobbies, and other deliciously sumptuous settings. Guest rooms with a view cost a bit more, but even the standard rooms—in relaxing beige and robin's-egg blue with modern versions of 18th-century furnishings—are large and have marble bathrooms warmed by under-floor heating. Conversation-worthy are the TV sets recessed into bathroom mirrors, the mammoth crystal-lighted indoor pool, and the "lifestyle" showers at the spa, one of the most luxurious in Ireland. Taste buds are indulged, too, thanks to the Sika restaurant. Cheaper fare is available at McGills' pub, while the Sugar Loaf Lounge is just the place to sit on an emerald-green settee and count your blessings.