First of all, go on google and read more than 150 reviews. Second of all mine is here in short…read more The good. Room we got was great. Much bigger and spacious than in competing hotels. Food is lovely. The rest is in ordinary standards so I won't be writing about the regular stuff. The bad. Service is lacking.We had our room booked and upon arriving it wasn't ready yet. Which happens, it would be okay if a four star hotel would had offered us some complimentary tea or coffee, a cake etc. We came back in one hour and room was prepared by then. One good side is the pricing for the standards you get, except the service quality is lacking. At the bar restaurant (main opens only after 5 pm) we ordered three course meal and drinks. We ordered steak for which we had to pay extra €5 once we finished and went to pay for the drinks at the till. €5 fee applies to who gets steak with a voucher, we had that. We were not advised when we ordered steak that it will be charged extra. So that is another minus for service. IMPORTANT! This hotel mainly serves as a overnight stay for people who come to see their folks at the nearby hospital. Also, hotel supports local charity or some kids organisation (which is fantastic), just be prepared to see a lot of children running around in a lobby or swimming pool area. It's good for cheaper one night stay, but wouldn't recommend for anything longer than that and if you are looking for a quality high class stay.

Looking for a great place to stay? Look no further than the Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise. Easy…read moreaccess from the motor way on the Dublin to Cork run. Plenty of free parking both inside and out. Inside meet the friendly staff who are more than accommodating with reasonably priced rooms and all the amenities you would expect in a fine hotel. Check out the bar where not only great drinks are available but food as well. I recommend the 8-oz Irish hamburger (with a pint of Smitwicks). It's a challenge but well worth it. However, their club sandwich is hard to beat. Want something more formal? Visit the Cedar restaurant where you will find a great menu with reasonable prices. I recommend the salmon dinner followed by their great apple pie. Like some wine with dinner? No problem. A good selection is available. Breakfast! Be careful. You are welcomed by your host with coffee or tea followed by selection of great Irish traditional breakfast foods. It's easy to get carried away. Looking forward to visiting again soon. Mike McGann California, USA

Quaint and cozy pub and hotel. Very Friendly people that make you feel at home. I enjoyed a stiff…read moredrink and take away coffee.

Kilkea Hotel is a spectacular and beautiful property. The renovations to turn it into a hotel…read moreinclude some modern amenities but keep a lot of the historical charm of the property which I appreciated. We had one castle room and one carriage room for our stay. Both rooms were quaint and well maintained. The gardens around the property are gorgeous and wonderful to explore during nice weather. The only thing to note is that in off-season the main restaurant is only open on the weekends and the tea service is not available during the week. While we enjoyed the food at Hermione's, the day we stayed there was a group event closing the main restaurant so we had to eat in the bar area. Most of the activities are off the property which wasn't very clear as we approached the date of our stay. We ended up visiting the National Stud Farm (about 30 minutes drive) and the clay pigeon shooting (about 40 minutes drive). Highly recommend both activities and really appreciate the staff helping us arrange these activities. The downstairs bar area is open late with a delicious charcuterie and board games are available to use by the fireplace which was a fun way to spend the later evening hours. Highly recommend staying at Kilkea Castle Hotel!

The castle was amazing!!! From the wonderful staff to the tasty breakfast and delicious pints. From…read morethe moment we stepped on property to the moment we departed. It was first class. The property itself is stunning. Plenty to do between golf, the spa, the gym, bird flying, walking around and great food plus drinks. We made the 30 minute ride to the outlet malls and loved that also. The proper Irish breakfast to start everyday was amazing! I wish they would bring that to the states. Thanks again for the hospitality! Cheers

We had our wedding at the beautiful Keadeen hotel in March. We could not recommend them enough…read more From the moment we booked, we could fault nothing. The rooms are gorgeous and the food is outstanding. The staff are all so lovely and on the ball to say the least!

The Keadeen is where I first vocalised that my longest-term relationship was not going well. In the…read morebeautiful gardens, with a cappuccino and my aunt's support, it didn't seem so bad. It's where I "supervised" my little sister's Debs. I never ended up going to my own Debs so I bought a sexy dress and brought the date I'd hoped to bring ten years previously. We took photos and drank and gazed out the enormous windows at the tall trees in the night. The only supervising we did was rating the girls' dresses as they danced with their fellas' ties loosely wrapped around them. In fact, the supervisors' table was the one with the most empty vodka bottles beneath it. The bathrooms in the Keadeen Hotel are beautiful. I love peeing here. If Avoca and Kath Kidston were compressed into a loo area, it would look like this. The Keadeen is where I brought the embryo of the book I was writing. I'd carry my laptop and a pot of tea to a comfy armchair in the lounge and type away happily, occasionally listening in on the conversations of the old folks or the business meetings. I've since discarded my novel like a novelty fling but my love affair with the Keadeen continues...

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.

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!

What a delightful hotel; friendly and attentive staff. My room key needed to be reactivated daily…read more Nice rooms; I appreciate having the option of a shower or bath. Most hotels offer shower only rooms after remodeling. Breakfast in the hotel was amazing; included fresh fruits and juices, the traditional Irish entrees or you could opt for pancakes. Every meal includes potatoes; good potatoes. Something special about this hotel is the lavender balm. I meant to request more before I left. You rub this on your wrists or neck before bed and it is supposed to relax you and promote better sleep. It smells so good.

I stayed for a conference for three in the hotel and overall spent over €1000 with them. The is…read moreokay not on the cheaper scale of things when I was checking out I realised that I had a puncture and I went into and asked the gentleman if somebody could help me change the tire I was told that they were not insured and that I should contact my insurance company. I asked him are there any decent people left in Ireland and I was given a snigger as a reply. I'm quite disappointed that I was treated like this customer service and a small budget compassion needs to be addressed by Management. I am in the hospitality business myself and if any of my staff treat any customer with such coldness and lack of concern, I would be deeply upset. the first that people see on arrival and departure and I really feel that this gentleman has left down my overall experience shall I say is not the best.