Rosie A.
Yelp
I'm verging on 3-4 stars for the Kilkenny River Court Hotel. If I could give 3.5 I would do. Firstly- this hotel is very well kept, with lovely spacious and well decorated rooms. The staff were really friendly and helpful. The room service was probably one of the best I've had anywhere (and I've stayed in a lotta hotels). The pool here is an absolute treat, when I went in on Sunday night it was completely empty. I had a lovely swim, followed by a steam and spa pool session, with the place all to myself!
The location of the Kilkenny River Court Hotel is it's key selling point, but also it's number one problem in my opinion. The hotel is right in the town centre, surrounded by pubs, clubs and bars. I arrived late on Saturday night and had a conference on Sunday so I wasn't there to party (sadly, it looked like a fun destination for that purpose!) I didn't get to sleep until 5am on the Saturday night because it was so noisy. Sunday night was better, but still, quite a lot of talking and shouting going on outside until about midnight.
Those things said, it is Ireland, and apparently Kilkenny is known for being a party town. So in essence, take earplugs, and call in advance for a quiet room unless you're out for the partying anyway.