Hunter's Hotel
Newrath Bridge, Rathnew, Co. Wicklow · A67 TN30
📷 Photo awaiting owner-supplied / licensed image — placeholder shownAbout the inn
Set in two acres of award-winning gardens on the banks of the Vartry, Hunter's Hotel is one of Ireland's oldest coaching inns — a beautifully intact early-18th-century house that the same family has run for around two hundred years. The small open-fire bar and low-beamed, antique-filled rooms have changed little, and the kitchen's traditional country-house cooking and famous afternoon tea draw people out from Wicklow town. A heritage stay rather than a session pub.
A note on the history
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage dates the building to around 1720 and calls it "an extremely rare and remarkably intact example of an early eighteenth-century coaching inn." We describe it as one of Ireland's oldest coaching inns rather than the outright oldest, which isn't independently certified.
Food & afternoon tea
Country-house lunch and dinner are served daily, with seasonal menus and a renowned afternoon tea taken in the dining room overlooking the gardens.
Staying over
There are 16 en-suite bedrooms, many with garden or river views and some with open fires.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Hunter's Hotel?
At Newrath Bridge, Rathnew, Co. Wicklow (A67 TN30), on the River Vartry, about 3 km from Wicklow town.
How old is it?
One of Ireland's oldest coaching inns — built around 1720 (per the NIAH) and run by the same family for roughly 200 years.
Does it have traditional music?
No — it's a country-house hotel with a small open-fire bar rather than a trad-session pub.
Afternoon tea or a meal?
Yes — country-house lunch and dinner daily, and a renowned afternoon tea.
Does it have rooms?
Yes — 16 en-suite bedrooms, many with garden or river views.