Hunter's Hotel

Hunter's Hotel in Rathnew, County Wicklow, holds the distinction of being one of Ireland's oldest continuously operated coaching inns, with records of hospitality on the site dating to the early eighteenth century and the hotel in family ownership through multiple generations of the Gelletlie family. The property sits in mature riverside gardens on the banks of the Vartry River in Rathnew, two kilometres from Wicklow town and approximately 50 kilometres south of Dublin via the N11.

The hotel building retains the proportions and materials of a genuine period inn — low-ceilinged bar areas, original fireplaces, and garden-facing dining rooms — without artificial restoration. Bedrooms divide into Classic and Riverside categories; Riverside rooms overlook the Vartry through the established trees and herbaceous borders of the hotel garden. The garden is a notable feature in its own right: maintained to a standard recognised in Irish garden guides, with climbing roses, mature yews, a kitchen garden, and a river boundary that creates a natural and tranquil perimeter.

Full Irish breakfast is included in all rates and is served in the main dining room. Dinner menus focus on traditional Irish cooking using local Wicklow produce — lamb, trout from local rivers, and seasonal vegetables. The bar is a genuine public house in character, frequented by local residents as well as guests, and functions as the social centre of the property on weekend evenings. Hunter's is not a spa resort or conference hotel — it operates in the quieter lane of Irish hospitality where personal service, long lunches in the garden, and river walks define the rhythm. The Wicklow Way long-distance walking trail passes within a few kilometres, and Mount Usher Gardens, the Vale of Avoca, and Glendalough are all within a 30–45-minute drive.