Hardly surprising, really.

Co. Limerick's Adare Manor and Co. Clare's Dromoland Castle have been named as the best hotels in Europe, according to Condé Nast Traveler. The luxury travel magazine's Readers' Choice Awards 2019 were released this week, revealing the two Irish hotels as the top spots to visit in the continent. Ireland was also listed as one of the top 20 countries to visit in the world for 2020, coming in at a respectable number 18. The awards take place every year in a bid to understand the public's travel habits, as well as their favourite luxury hotels and resorts to spend a bit of time and drop a bit of cash. https://www.instagram.com/p/B3UUdDVHa21/ Over 600,000 people took place in this year's awards too, so you know the results are going to be accurate enough, probably. Adare Manor, coming fifth in the worldwide rankings for best hotels, is described by the publication as a "delicious mix of old and new." "While retaining an old-school, aristocratic vibe, Adare's fanciful gargoyles, genuinely warm staff, grand and intimate spaces, and super-comfortable rooms make it somewhere uniquely and unabashedly the Ireland of right now—with golf and falconry to boot." https://www.instagram.com/p/B3PRlM8HYBq/ Dromoland Castle comes in at number seven on the global list, with the publication noting that the spot is particularly popular among American tourists. "You’ll feel like you’re traveling back in time as you make the drive from the estate gates down a winding lane, past forest thickets and a vast lake, to catch the first glimpse of stone towers and turrets," they say. Dublin's The Westbury Hotel also features on the list, as does Co. Laois's Ballyfin country-house hotel. Sirikoi Lodge in Kenya bagged the top spot on the best hotels list. It is followed closely by Palm Springs' L'Horizon Resort and Spa in second and Chindeni Bush Camp in Zambia in third place. The top 20 countries worth visiting in 2020 are:

1. Indonesia
2. Thailand
3. Portugal
4. Sri Lanka
5. South Africa
6. Peru
7. Greece
8. Philippines
9. Italy
10. Vietnam
11. Turkey
12. Japan
13. Mexico
14. Tanzania
15. Israel
16. Colombia
17. New Zealand
18.  Ireland
19. Cambodia
20. Croatia

You can check out the full list of top hotels and resorts here.