Prices revealed for exclusive boutique apartments in iconic former Wicklow hotel

Some 18 apartments have now been released to the market in phase one of Fontenoy Place by agents DNG. With the location, at the base of Bray Head with stunning views over the sea to Killiney, the legacy of the iconic building with original features left intact, as well as the amenities, which will include a restaurant/bar area on the ground floor once complete, many will view the prices as worth the ask.

After all, this was the default bolt hole for film stars working at Ardmore Studios, including Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, with Vanessa Redgrave, John Hurt, Pierce Brosnan, Neil Jordan, Colin Farrell and Daniel Day-Lewis among those to have graced its grand corridors. It’s a magnificent building whose fate was decidedly grim until it was bought by Button Real Estate Works Limited in December 2021.

Originally the hotel had 80 guest bedrooms, later revised down to 60, and the building included the Bray Head Cocktail Lounge, a large ballroom, function rooms and the magnificent standout staircase.

Developer Buttonworks’ apartments are now a blend of contemporary features mixed with historical charm, where many period features, such as the great Victorian staircase, are preserved in the original building. The apartments in the new section, to the rear of the building, will enjoy excellent views of the surrounding countryside, including Bray Head.

Internal finishes include tall ceilings in the original building, with high-quality joinery in bedrooms, quartz countertops in kitchens and pressurised shower systems. All units are A rated with air-to-water heat pumps providing thermostatically controlled zone heating.

The building will feature the elegant hotel style internal entrance lobbies and internal common areas, while there is also provision for a landscaped internal courtyard separating the original hotel building from the new wing located to the side and rear.

The communal grounds to the front of the development will be landscaped and the opportunity to acquire a restaurant/bar/café on the ground floor of the site landed on the market last year with a price tag of €1.5m.

This comes in shell and core condition giving purchasers the ability to fitout the property in their own image. The ground floor can be split to provide a bar/restaurant (361.6 square metres) and a café (98.37 square metres). The property will also arrive with a prime outdoor dining space extending to approximately 450 square metres.

With 49 apartments in total, the prices released in the first phase begin as follows:

One-bedroom apartments 48.8 sq.m – 60.9 sq.m: €450,000

Two-bedroom apartments 66.7 sq.m – 109 sq.m: €485,000

Three-bedroom apartments 90 sq.m – 103 sq.m: €540,000

Penthouse (two-bed, new building) 73 sq.m: €650,000

Penthouse (three-bed, new building) 103 sq.m: €975,000