Carton House is a beautiful property with vast grounds for golf, falconry, and hiking. My room was…read morespacious and the bed was very comfortable for a night's rest. The Rose 31 shampoos, conditioners, and lotions in the room were lovely. Breakfast was included with the room rate, and there was an ample selection of warm and cold traditional breakfast items, including my favorites black and white pudding, potato farls, creamy scrambled eggs, poached eggs, local cheese, local jam, honey comb, and assorted espresso drinks and teas. If judging by the room, breakfast, and the grounds alone, I would provide a 5-star rating. However, I found the climate control to be inconsistent throughout the hotel (1 star off). Air conditioning was mostly available in individual rooms, but lacking in main hallways and public bathrooms. The woman's bathroom on the ground floor felt like a sauna. The staff was pleasant, but service seemed forced, and at times awkward (1 star off). For example, when I arrived, the greeter asked me where I am from. I said California, and then he said nothing. It seemed like he had been trained to ask guests that question, but had no idea how to follow up to carry on a conversation. There are a couple restaurants on-site. I had dinner at the Carriage House, which is where the hotel breakfast is served and open to the public as a restaurant for dinner. The striploin with fries was good, but the pan-seared cod was not. I also did not like the shrimp cocktail (way too much dressing) or chai crème brûlée (no chai flavor, just a very heavy custard). The sourdough bread was delicious (we ordered several baskets!) Dinner on-site was convenient, but hit-or-miss. Lastly, the hotel has many doors that close off hallways. They are fire doors and must be closed. I understand this is an old property and the architectural design may not have been updated, but it made the hotel feel closed off and uninviting. Well, if the main hallways are not hot like a sauna, maybe it would not be a fire hazard in the first place.

Truly a five star golf resort, but a wonderful hotel where you are greeting by a true gentleman…read moreasking what he can do. Lovely rooms and amenities with some some of the best service we have had. Lovely hallways that beg with a Jameson and intimate conversation. Both restaurants are similar yet different and great food. A totally different Irish retreat, on to Galllway!

I stayed here last night. It's a real castle. It's pretty awesome. I didn't have an opportunity…read moreto do any golfing or use the tennis courts. We DID do a Falconry experience that was really cool. (I recommend it) The bar was great. The high point of the stay was the dinner we ate at the Hermione's restaurant. I had a ribeye steak with a pressed potato. Both very good. Our server Glenn was outstanding. Out of every dinning experience that I have had in my entire life, Glenn would rank in the top 5 of the servers. Can't say enough about the service.

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!

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.

There is not much to do in Portlaoise. We just stopped for the night and spent the evening in the…read morehotel. Parking is free for hotel guests, check in was very good and the rooms spacious. We had dinner in the bar due to one or 2 functions. Food was quite decent and well priced. Either though the Saturday night was busy and the hotel was occupied with wedding guests we did not hear any noise in our rooms. Just when they all left and chatted on the parking lot I woke up. Breakfast was busy ( Sunday madness) but the buffet provided everything for all kind of different tastes.

Check in by Yelp and you will get breakfast and dinner along with your hotel for 52 Euro!…read more Charming hotel with friendly staff. Quiet for being so close to the highway. Would be great for commuting into the city. Just a quick bus ride to city center. Something to think about if you are staying for business or do not want to stay in the city. There is not much near this hotel and you will have to go into Lucan if you want any kind of "scene," which there is little of in Lucan. Oh, and a little to quiet at times. As I was walking up the stairs from breakfast alone, the pictures on the wall while interesting brought memories and visions of Jack Nicholson in "The Shinning." Probably was quite the hotel in its hey day, though. The food was lovely and there were LARGE portions! Cheers!

Spent last night at a club Christmas party in this hotel. The meal was standard Christmas party…read morefair and to be honest nothing to write home about. However, the entertainment more than made up for it. The band were excellent giving us renditions of all the cheesy performers we know and love complete with change of costumes. We were treated to Tom Jones, Joe Dolan, Neil Diamond, Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, and the finale was Elvis. I was dying of a hangover and have to take my hats off to the lead singer who belted out the numbers. There is something comforting watching people enjoying themselves, tettering on ridiculously high heels, protecting their dignity as they reefed their mini dresses down over their arses.. Would I recommend it for a Christmas party...... most definately, suits all ages, special offers on rooms for the night and the ballroom has had an overhaul so is now very pretty with fancy schmancy chandeliers and swaggy curtains. One drawback was the bar didn't accept laser but reception were giving cash on laser so panic averted.

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.

The manager here is actively hostile to visitors. We bring business to them every year with family…read moreget togethers in either the lobby or bar and without fail, every time, the manager is blatantly rude and cold every time. For two years in a row, my family and I have come here for a reunion and we are done coming here after this behavior two years in a row from management. While the food and drinks are good, we are treated poorly and will not be returning.

I stayed here twice in Sept 2014. I chose it as its right off the main highway around Dublin and…read morenear the airport, so it was my first night there, and also the last night before a very early flight out. I booked myself on the hotels own website. It charges a small fee, like 2 EURO to hold the room. Then they charged the balance when you check out. Irish hotels, esp in season can be very high and I was very very pleased with the rates I got. I booked early. Those that wait to the last moment were paying double what I paid. If you are driving, look for a small sign on a post directing you to the hotel once you exit Hwy 50. There is plenty of free parking out front. My rate included breakfast, which incl a choice of Irish Breakfast, or other items. The hotel is a bit dated, feels like something from the 60's to me, but that doesnt mean its bad at all. There is a bit of a step down out of the tub, so be careful! I had one room the first stay facing the back, which is nothing but an incline. Its nothinig to look at but it is quieter than the front view where you get a bit of street noise. Street noise isnt really bad and there is a view of some housing, etc and you can watch the buses go by. You can get downtown on buses too. Driving in downtown is not recomended, as parking is tight, and most streets are one way. They dont make it easy to get from one place to another as your constantly forced to go one way or another and its often not your choie of ways. So maybe take the bus! I ate in the bar/pub twice and food was ok, Typical Irish fare. Prices were reasonable. For me the location was ideal to start and end an Irish itinerary and for me the prices were great. I would gladly stay again.

Beautiful resort. Felt so welcomed and clean. Will stay again for our next trip to Dublin.read more

My husband and I spent 5 days here in one of their King Luxury Suites. We really enjoyed our stay…read more The staff was friendly and helpful. The full breakfast each morning was awesome. The grounds were clean and quiet, and the room was pristinely clean and comfortable. The bed was comfortable and we slept great, which is rare in a hotel. I definitely would stay at Castleknock again.

Beautiful place. Large room and bathroom are the one highlight in our tour of Ireland. I wished we…read morehad more time to enjoy the facilities and to walk the expansive grounds. The breakfast, dinner and drinks served at their 3 separate places were just wonderful. Food was served hot and was not basic. It was a pleasant surprise

This us such a beautiful hotel on a lovely estate in Enfield. I was only there one night for a…read moreconference but the staff were wonderful and attentive. I would definitely come back to take advantage of their spa services as well