Wow. Where do I start? My wife and I decided to seriously indulge ourselves so we went with a two…read morenight package (via Relais et Chateaux) in Ballyfin Demesne, a grandiose 18th century house on 600 acres in the leafy Laois countryside. We arrived at the main electronic gates (you need to dial reception for entry) and made our way along the winding 3km road to the main house. It was a bit disconcerting to have all of the staff lined up outside the hotel to greet us, but it certainly made us feel very welcome. Our luggage was taken, my car driven off to be hidden away out of sight and we were given a short introduction about what we could expect from our stay. Our deluxe room was incredible. It was very well presented, looking very much like what it would have looked like two hundred years ago (I'm sure) and the mini bar was filled with complimentary (non alcoholic) drinks and nuts. The quality of the products (soaps, shower gels etc) were of the highest order. We relaxed for a while then went down for a guided tour of the house hosted by the extremely pleasant & imitable Lionel. The house has been lovingly restored to its former glory in the finest detail by its owners. I could talk for hours about what a beautiful hotel it is. The main points to note are that: yes you do pay a lot to stay/eat there, but it is worth it for the relaxation, the excellent food, the incredibly friendly, attentive (and not in any way overbearing) staff. There are many activities on offer (we took a spin in one of the golf buggies and explored the estate and all of its follies, grottoes and forests), including clay pigeon shooting, fishing, archery etc...I enjoyed not having to worry about running up huge bills, as most teas, soft drinks, newspapers and a pre dinner champagne etc were complimentary. The team were accommodating in every way - they had no issue with us bringing a bottle of our own wine (for nostalgic reasons - our wedding wine) and just charged corkage. The food, including the breakfasts, was incredible. I recommend to anyone looking to seriously indulge themselves in truly opulent surroundings to treat themselves to a night in Ballyfin. I would personally prefer the Cliff House for a foodie break, but for the whole end to end package it is hard to beat the luxury on offer at Ballyfin.

I cannot wait to come back! This is the most luxurious and beautiful hotel I have ever been too! We…read morestayed here for my husband's birthday. The attention to detail by the staff was phenomenal! From the pictures on the wall, flowers, decorations, I could go on.... Staff very helpful & always there to offer you, tea, water or coffee. Golf carts great way to get around!

This is the Bridge House Hotel - Char Bistro inside the…read morehotel. This is our second time dining here while we're in town from Clonaslee, which is just a 15 minute drive away. The place is spacious, has a full bar with plenty of draft options, and the food and service are great.

The Bridge House is probably the biggest bar in Tullamore, and it certainly has the most prominent…read morelocation, so it was fairly natural that we decided to head in for our preparatory tipple on a recent first visit to the town. And we almost immediately regretted it. The bar felt very much like a hotel bar (which actually makes sense, as the Bridge House is a hotel): bit too open plan, carpeted floor and old people everywhere, all round over-polished feel and a consequent lack of ambiance. There was even a guitar-toting duo singing lacklustre covers in one corner, which was blasted around the pub at irritating levels. We were the only people under forty in the place, but occasionally groups of young people would wander in and then leave almost immediately, as if they were looking for somewhere else. Curious to find where this surely close by spot was, and eager to get out of this chintzy heck-hole, we finished our drinks and left. Easily the least atmospheric place I was in on my short sojourn in the town. As we were leaving, though, there was already a queue of people outside the nightclub next door, and this was before eleven o'clock! We made a collective mental note to check it out later, and headed up the town.

Stayed here the weekend. The room itself was nice; only downside was that there were 2 mattresses…read morein stead of 1 double size, which was a bit awkward. Other then this we had a lovely dinner in the restaurant, and left for our room just before the band was ready to start the music; so we missed this. Location was great, and the atmosphere of the lodge was nice; we will be back for Valentines!

This place was the best place for me to eat and to accommodate in. The potatoes have the best…read moreflavour with the chives in it also their gravy is so divine you would want it with every single meal. And the staff are so kind and helpful to the customers and the owner and the manager always try their best to be friends with everyone. I would HIGHLY recommend

There's just something about this place keeps drawing me back. The staff are lovely, the rooms…read morespacious and the hotel well kept. Food is hotel food if you know what I mean but the breakfast is above the ordinary. Add to that the spa and leisure centre and it's location in Birr close to Birr Castle, the bog sculptures etc. and there ye have it. I like it ...nuff said

We stayed here for a wedding. The reception took place here as well. The food was incredibly…read moregood. You wanted for nothing. Anything you wanted or needed was at your fingertips. The staff was very warm and receptive and extremely helpful. I recommend this hotel to anyone who wants great service, good food, and a comfortable place to lay their head down after their travels.

We arrived later in the evening so there wasn't a lot of places open to get food. We resorted to…read morethe vending machines. There was only one vending machine that was working and it wasn't fully stocked. The kitchen was closed. The late night desk clerk was nice enough to take us back to the employee vending machine just to get something to eat. I think it listed somewhere as a four-star hotel, but it didn't seem that it was actually four star and maybe more a three-star hotel but that might be the reason why they're updating and doing all the construction. They were doing quite a bit of construction which was badly needed to update the interior and exterior of this hotel. I was a little shocked at how outdated the room was regarding the fixtures and room treatments. It also smelled old and as if the dust settles often. I will say that the room was quite large but it was lacking in some of the main amenities that you would find in a more prestigious hotel. At the end of the day, it was an okay place just to rest for the night. The Wi-Fi was terrible and got worse the further down the hallway you got away from the central part of the hotel. We kept getting kicked off the Internet and maybe had one or two Wi-Fi bars sporadically throughout the evening. There aren't also a lot of places to eat around there and a lot of food delivery services don't deliver there either. It was nice to have free parking at least and like I said the night desk staff was really nice. The check out was easy as well.

We were on our road trip from Dublin to Galway and needed a good resting point. We found this hotel…read moreand we were so pleasantly surprised; it was just what we needed. The hotel and amenities were great! Clean, spacious rooms, pool/hot tub, restaurant, comfortable bar/lounge area. The surrounding town is small, but again, it was just what we were looking for on our journey. Loved it!

Ever stayed the night in a legit castle from the 1200s? We hadn't either until we came here! It's…read morethe crossover the history and comfort, and was just plain awesome! Located in Kinnity county, this castle sits atop a hill just below the Sleeve Bloom mountains. You drive through woods, turn a soft corner and BOOM, there's the castle. It's magnificent! Old Gothic style, dungeon and all. The castle is equally beautiful inside. There are dozens of rooms inside, all at different levels of the castle. We stayed in a big room up top. The view is the grounds out front was beautiful - a huge field, surrounded by woods and containing a ton of deer that just seem to hang out. The bed was huge - two queens side by side, so we slept 4 across (and one on the floor) and had plenty of room for everyone. There are four spots to eat on site. A nice restaurant, and three bars including one in the library, one in the dungeon and one outside. The grounds were magnificent. There are miles of trails out back, tons of small structures to explore outside, a lovely courtyard that housed an abbey and even a sport court for those so inclined. We also had afternoon tea in the front room. A wonderful experience with nice tea and lovely little sandwiches/cakes. They don't give it away, but it was less expensive than a nice spot in Dublin. All in all, this was a homerun! It's something we'll do again in the future and you should do if you're in the area!

We had our wedding here for about 45 people including us all from the states. Our coordination for…read morethe tasting was handled by Ana and for the day of was mainly by Emma and Connor. All three individuals and all of the other staff we met were absolutely incredible, kind and generous. We had the most peaceful and surreal weekend as did our family and all of our guests. This place is so incredibly special, from the hikes, to the surrounding land, the castle architecture, the history itself, and the people here. There are not enough words to express just how amazing this place is. We will be returning for many many many years to come

The Radisson was a decent hotel to stay at while in Athlone…read more What were the pros? Location - it is within walking distance to tons of stuff Friendly staff members The breakfast was extra but there was a good selection, I liked that I was able to squeeze my own OJ The bar was a fun place to grab a drink What were the cons? The hair dryer - it was not powerful and felt like it was going to vibrate out of my hand while using it. It also would stop working after a few minutes. There was no thermostat to adjust the air temperature, you have to open the window so it did get loud with street noise late at night The bed and pillows were a tad uncomfortable

Checked in for one night. In May. We booked a business king room including breakfast 120 Euro for…read moretwo adults, 3rd floor overlooking the River Shannon. The room is a tad small but well equipped with robes, Nespresso, tea and free parking, free wifi and s safe. The public areas are lovely especially the expansive deck overlooking the river. The breakfast buffet offered a vast assortment of options including a full Irish breakfast. My only suggestion would be add a bit of ambiance with background music in the restaurant. Also the workout room was well equipped but the blaring music put me off, we took an early morning walk along the river instead (there is a footpath along the river on the side opposite the hotel). The location is perfect, on the banks of the River Shannon in the center of Athlone. Historic sites, restaurants and bars are an easy walk.

Had a rough start here with some mechanical issues in the room but the staff quickly responded…read more This was a nice finish to a 10 day excursion across Ireland and although the places we stayed were fun. It was nice to get somewhere that was a bit more quiet with modern conveniences and some privacy. The rooms were clean. The staff was awesome. And the underground parking was highly appreciated.

This is a great hotel actually. Clean, bright and in a great location. We were there for a family…read morereunion and it was a great set up for being near everything from a good sized mall to the pubs on the street. I would definitely visit again.