We came here for a wedding and it was incredible. Each room has a unique feel to it and with over…read more100 people at the event it felt very comfortable. We stayed upstairs in room 11 and it was really pleasant. Newly remodeled and clean. Highly recommend checking this place out for an event or just to stay and admire the castle!

When one of my best friends told me he was going to get married in a castle in Ireland, I was…read moreimmediately pumped for the trip. And Bellingham Castle was the chosen venue and boy it exceeded all expectations. I even got to stay here for one night and they had such a pleasant hospitality. We ended up getting the "Kevin" room, which had a balcony view of the garden and patches of greenery that stretched as far as the eye could see. The place was really peaceful and my New York State of mind was completely gone, although temporarily. I really felt like a little kid when I went on to explore the different rooms in the castle. The furnishings and designs are things you would expect to see in films. My favorite rooms were probably the Bottlery (wine room) and The Buttery (the kitchen). Their castle dog, Ri, was super adorable and roamed around as if he owns the place. Some castles can feel intimidating but this place felt very intimate and homey. If only I could live there forever....

The Slane Castle ( as well as the Slane Distillery) are a must if you are in the area. Barry was…read moreour amazing distillery tour guide. He was full of knowledge and very fun to hang with. Tina was the best taking us through the amazing history of Slane Castle. It's such a wonder to be able to walk through history with someone who explained it so thoroughly. Thank you to the both of you for making our day so amazing. Maybe we'll see you at a concert eventually!!

Overlooking the Boyne River, with rolling hills and lush greenery, the grounds of Slane Castle…read morecreate a beautiful, natural amphitheater which is perfect for rock concerts. Lord Henry Mountcharles has been organising concerts at his home, Slane Castle, for decades. Over the years I've seen numerous bands here including Guns N Roses (1992), The Verve (1998), The Rolling Stones (2007) and more recently Guns N Roses again in May 2017. There is quite a walk from bus/car parks to and from the site, approximately 45 minutes each way, which is fine at the start of a concert, but tough after a gig, when you've been standing for hours. Plus, as an open air venue, this site is at the mercy of the unpredictable Irish weather. Nevertheless, nowhere else equals Slane for a fantastic live music experience and it makes for a spectacular day out. Even though over 80,000 people can attend such events, Slane is well run with numerous bars, food vans, nearby camp sites, toilets and security. A must for live music fans, but expect to be exhausted at the end of a day here. Plus you're going to have very late night by the time you make it back to your vehicle and escape through the traffic!

I was taken to Clonard House for my recent hen party, from the moment we arrived we were extremely…read morewell looked after, the staff were amazing, anything we needed they were on it straight away, they were extremely helpful and incredibly fun. There was 21 of us in attendance, we took a step back in time to the downtown abbey era. On arrival, we all dressed as servants to do some of the household chores around the house. The chores consisted of preparing a dessert, this was an apple cake. The cake was amazing, it came with custard, caramel sauce, fresh fruit coulis and vanilla ice-cream. We also had a chamber pot race, all the chores were under the watchful eye of the butler Andy (who has the best beard ever!) Andy was incredible, he was so funny and fantastic at getting us into character. After we completed the chores, we had a servant banquet outside in the sunshine, we had the opportunity to have some of our own drinks (as its BYOB) outside, here they provided our starter option, which was delicious broth. We then moved into the dressing room (which had the best collection of vintage costumes and accessories I have ever seen) here everyone changes attire to become lords and ladies before moving downstairs to the dining room where we had our dinner a choice of old-fashioned pepperpot beef with champ potatoes or roast supreme of chicken, herb stuffing wrapped in bacon with red wine jus served with roast vegetables and baby new potatoes. Then it was into the drawing room for some parlour games, a traditional dance. You have two options here, afternoon tea or the dinner event...I had the best time doing this activity. The staff were just amazing, I don't think I've laughed so much before. I highly recommend this activity for any hen, birthday or team building occasion. Best laugh ever! Thank you again

We went to clonard house on Saturday (yesterday) and all I can say is AMAZEBALLS. The experience…read morefrom start to finish was first class! The staff were super friendly and completely engaging. I really can't recommend it enough!

I stayed here for a period of two weeks while I was working at GP clinic here and I was quite…read moresatisfied with the Castle Arch hotel although I had expected better as it's pretty basic at best. The good things were that the staff were all very friendly, the food at the restaurant was not too expensive and quite tasty with big portions, and the showers were nice. They also supplied basic toiletries, a kettle with coffee, tea and biscuits, and the wifi was pretty good. The negatives were that the hotel is quite old so I found the rooms to be quite cold and the carpet was a bit dirty. The cleaning staff also don't seem to hover when they clean your room, only between guests. Also, there's no mini fridge but at least there is a hair dryer and TV. The breakfast was pretty nice albeit basic. It's not a buffet so you have to order exactly what you want, but they have the usual things like eggs (poached, fried, scrambled, boiled etc. ), full Irish, cereals, fruit yoghurt etc. The coffee was also pretty good. They have a hot carvery and deli bar at lunch, and the restaurant is open for dinner until around 9pm. The hotel is quite convenient in that it's really near the shopping area and Trim castle as well as Apple green petrol station. If you drive, you can use the gym and leisure facilities at the Knightsbrook hotel for free which has a pool, gym, golf court and sauna. Otherwise, Aura leisure centre is only a 6 minute walk away and costs only 5 euro to use the gym. Overall, basic but maintains quality and standard. Rooms are around 145 euro/ night with breakfast.

One of the best venues for a wedding that I ever attended…read more The interior of the Castle Arch is classy, refined, and cosy. It certainly isn't over-the-top and tacky, rather it is a perfect balance of functional and refined. The staff is very friendly and efficient. They attended to our every need with the courtesy and graciousness you should expect. The conservatory, where breakfast and the initial reception was held, was very warm and comfortable. Separated from the bar for privacy, but close enough to where you had access. Upstairs, the ballroom facility was fantastic. It definitely was not like similar hotels which featured "conference rooms" and passed them off as reception areas. No, this was different - a proper ballroom with a bar, wooden floors, and beautiful lighting. A private balcony for smokers and a private WC was also available. The food was tasty and filling. It was not your typical catered food, but rather was of quality and flavour. I was filled and satisfied. The rooms themselves were very nice. Comfortable bedding, nice facilities, and reasonably priced. The full Irish breakfast that came with the room was gorgeous, especially the black pudding. I can't reiterate enough how attentive the managers and serving staff were. Always polite, discreet, and eager to please. Price-wise this could not be beat. Seriously. They definitely want your business and have a proper attitude as to who the customer is. While many contemporary hotels seem to act as if they are doing you a favour and are eager to squeeze every last Euro out of you - the Castle Arch has a much more fair and respectable approach. Their prices were significantly less expensive then their contemporaries and the quality of the facilities and service were certainly higher. The savings on price will not require a sacrifice in outcome or result. I'm seriously impressed. With elegance and class they treat you, the customer, like a king. I couldn't recommend them enough for negotiating a wedding, 21st, anniversary party, or Christmas party.

Yelp 100 Challenge 2019 - # 87/100…read more A love story turned sour, the family drama of brothers who became bitter enemies, a wall built between two houses because of jealousy are but few of the curiosities and intrigue surrounding the history of the Belvedere House. The Jealousy Wall is both grotesque and impressive. I can only imagine the intense anger and hatred someone would have to intentionally put up a hideous wall to separate yourself from family. Our visit was on a day of true Irish weather, rainy, windy, and cold. Walk through the gardens and let both nature and man-made architecture fascinate you. We enjoyed our Irish breakfast at their cafe. Restrooms are clean and parking was readily available (we were the only crazy visitors that rainy day).

I've given this a three star as we felt cheated. We were staying in the nearby Bloomfield hotel and…read morewe bought our passes there. We were told that the house was open as we wanted to see it and on arrival, but only after tendering the tickets and going through into the place did we find the house was shut and the glasshouse was shut. There were no signs or indications that the house was shut - it's almost dishonest. Had we known it was shut we wouldn't have bothered. So like many other people that day we effectively paid to walk round a park and lake when we could just as easily have walked around the lake and a nearby picnic area for free. There is a lovely cafe and coffee bar in the grounds that merits at least 4 stars but there's equally good cafes around that you don't have to pay just to get in. They also have dog kennels to leave pooch as pooches aren't allowed in the gardens but pooches can accompany owners around the lake and a nearby picnic area outside for free. I'd better stop writing as I dislike being ripped off and the more I think of it I'd be inclined to drop this to 2 stars.

If you've an alternative to here take it; if you're committed here then take note. I'll leave the…read moreworst aspects of it to the end. This review has to be reduced as it was over Yelps limit so it may read disjointed. What they do very well is take your money - as a guest you'll have paid for your room before you even get there; don't expect an email to tell you once your hard earned is taken. It's hit and miss with rooms. All were really hot which isn't a criticism, we had a coffee machine, our son upstairs didn't. Another son had a fridge in his room but neither of us did. Our bathroom toilet flushed occasionally, the shower door wasn't flush so didn't close properly. There's nowhere to hang clothes in the bathroom. A pint of beer is €7. Two 200ml mini bottles of Diet Coke and a 330ml Heineken beer is €14.10 (£12.31). I heard reception staff being challenged by a guest claiming that they'd been charged €26 for two bottles of sparkling water. The tea and coffee each tasted yellow label grim and fresh milk was rationed. Similarly the savoury food morsels sporadically given to guests on arrival - one fish-based likely tuna (maybe paste) was rancid. I didn't eat two and regretted eating one. Wedding meal: the demitasse of tomato & red pepper was 5 star delicious as was the mini loaf and whipped butter side. The pre - frozen duck confit wasn't confit. Confit means slow-cooked in duck fat until the meat is meltingly tender, then the skin crisped to golden perfection. This wasn't: the duck meat was tasty 2 stars, but dry and the fat was flaccid, tacky and awful. The pre frozen sea bass main was tasty. A good 3 star but again the crushed baby potato and accompanying ingredients were over-salted and clashed with the delicate fish: no stars. The vegetables - carrots, cauliflower & broccoli 5 star superb. The other equally awful main choice was pre frozen pork belly which was grim as it wasn't rendered so the cook served flaccid fat accounting for half the weight of the unpleasant to eat meat portion: 1 star. The sticky sesame was invisible. The brûlée was 5 star perfect - it didn't need the pistachio sweet bread. It is shocking to say that staff will steal drinks and lie to guests. We heard guests being told that there was no more wedding cake after it had been cut by the bride and groom and some distributed, but next morning the groom asked us to bring the wedding cake home for him and we brought over 75% of the wedding cake away with us. We were served wine with dinner. We had other drinks on the table. We went to our room 5 minutes away to change for dancing and on return all our wine was gone, taken by staff by stealth, and on speaking with other guests this was done wholesale. Now that's totally unacceptable and not accidental as management intentionally do this. Buyer beware on this deliberate stealing of guests drinks that brides and grooms pay for. No stars. One particular receptionist is obnoxious as a mask to cover incompetence. While she claimed to have no authority on accounting matters she faced no similar barrier to being sarcastic with guests but couldn't even manage that well. I'd get rid as she is not just inept but has confused hospitality with hostility. Next day breakfast. Awful service. Awful tea and coffee again. Staff point - blank refused guests espresso - based coffees despite them having the machine. Orders arrived with food on the menu not on the plate (no mushrooms with some fry ups but with others) and toast had to be asked for three times in our case. I got my porridge and main order together so the main was cold by the time I'd eaten the porridge - this happened to many other guests. The porridge was 5 star as was my albeit cold scrambled egg & salmon. The three servers frequently walked from the dining area without carrying away dirty plates. We eventually got toast but the server struggled to find table space for the plate. It never occurred to any of them to take away the accumulated dirty plates right under their noses. All three servers were equally, consistently, incapable of this simple thing. I was thinking about describing the staff and management we encountered and overheard a conversation between two guests. One said that they were sour. I can't argue, in fact as I thought about it the observation is spot on.

An absolutely beautiful wedding venue. I was the photographer for a wedding here yesterday and it…read morewas just perfect. The staff were all so accommodating and kind. The food was incredible. Several courses of the most delicious and thoughtful dishes. Excellent coffee! Everything was clean and staff went above and beyond for guests and fellow wedding vendors alike. Highly recommend.

First of all food was very good and serving staff very friendly and helpfull…read more But. The rooms in the main house certainly not up to standard. I appreciate rustic but things should work. For example, sockets loose in the wall, only one socket of double socket working, bedside lights can only be turned on/off from one side of the bed. Both room and en-suite very small as en-suite has been partition off from the room leaving no space in either, toilet so close to the wash hand basin that one has to sit sideways.

Ok so I was shooting a wedding so my experience might have been slightly different! I found the…read moreplace to be charming and very pleasant. The staff were so lovely and accommodating and the food was very tasty as I had the soup and sea bass at dinner time. It's a lovely spot for a wedding, even more so in the summer I'd say :)

Yelp 100 Challenge 2019 - # 16/100…read more Located inside Belvedere House and Gardens visitor Centre, it's a convenient place to have breakfast, lunch or snacks, coffee and tea. I had the half Irish breakfast- bacon, two sausages, toast and eggs cooked to your liking, I opted for boiled. Bacon was salty but was good paired with the boiled egg and toast. The roasted cherry tomatoes not only gave the plate a beautiful pop of color, they were perfectly sweet and tart as well. My sister had the poached egg brekky which came with bacon and bran bread. My friends both had the Irish salmon breakfast. They had different kinds of cakes, pies, breads, scones, and muffins. We were too stuffed to try them though. There's cold food/salad bar options as well and a cooler for drinks.