If travel felt rocky over the last two years, it hasn’t stopped established hotel brands and developers from designing for the future. This year we can look forward to a host of highly anticipated hotel openings created by design luminaries such as Jean-Michel Gathy (Aman New York), Patricia Urquiola (Six Senses Rome) and Francis Sultana (Hotel La Palma, Capri).

In Ireland, Cashel Palace, the 18th-century Palladian pile in Co Tipperary owned by Susan Magnier and her family (of Coolmore Stud), reopens this month as a five-star Relais & Châteaux hotel. The original hotel, which played host to Jackie Kennedy, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and Diana, Princess of Wales, has been closed since 2015. After renovation it has been extended to include 42 luxe bedrooms and suites, a slick spa, ballroom, and Guinness Bar reflecting the hotel’s historical links to the father of Arthur Guinness, founder of the brewery.

Guests also have three acres of gardens to wander; the original “Bishops Walk” allows guests private access to the Rock of Cashel, home to a 13th-century cathedral. We’re eager to have a proper look at the interiors designed by Emma Pearson Design Studio and Del Buono Gazerwitz Landscape Architects. The décor is said to marry neo-classical elegance with cornicing, fireplaces and centuries-old windows for history buffs to admire. Why not take advantage of the tempting “Gourmet Dine & Unwind” offer, a one night spa package, starting at €315 per person. Check into a Main House deluxe room (featuring wooden beams and a fireplace), before heading to The Spa for an outdoor seaweed bath experience and to enjoy its 17m pool, steam room, sauna and Bamford amenities. As a prelude to dinner in The Bishop’s Buttery, a Cashel Palace G&T is recommended in the private Resident’s Bar. Prior to departure the next day, a leisurely breakfast is served in the Queen Anne Room; www.cashelpalacehotel.ie.

For more spring breaks, visit www.thegloss.ie later this week.