Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt, County Wicklow

The hotel's main building is a five-minute walk from Powerscourt's 44 acres of formal gardens and a 30-minute cab ride from central Dublin. The 200 guest rooms feature eiderdown-swathed beds and massive marble-clad bathrooms with heated floors and Bulgari bath products. There's a Gordon Ramsay restaurant, a pub, an Espa-run spa with 22 treatment rooms, and access to the Powerscourt Golf Club. The enthusiastic multinational staff is knowledgeable about both hotel amenities and the attractions in the rolling, church- and castle-dotted hills of County Wicklow. With so much luxury, one would think they could have hidden the helicopter pad, which is visible from the Sugar Loaf Lounge.