Chun P.
Yelp
Since my young days as a wee lad playing with Legos, I've always wanted to stay in a castle, or buy one, and Kinnitty mostly fulfilled the first goal...
PROS:
-€200 for the Dine and Dream package: 3 course dinner and 1 night stay for 2. The BEST value I found while shopping for a castle.
-The Slí Dala Restaurant's 3 course meal, €37.50pp normally, was great! Smoked fish cake appetizer, 10oz tender steak, and apple strudel was all delicious!
-Large room and bathroom.
-Excellent staff. No really, they were all great. Receptionist gave us the fastest directions back to the airport(90min drive). Barman was the best in Ireland. Waitress was the best in Ireland as well.
-Premises and public rooms were all awesome and fit the castle theme.
-Pints were about €4, Wine €5.50, and some whiskeys under €5...very reasonable and cheap compared to ordering a drink at an American hotel.
-Continental breakfast spread was fabulous with some nice cheeses and pastries. Sadly, we didn't have time to try the hot breakfast entrees as we had to leave early to catch our 12:30pm flight out of Dublin. (TIP1: We left 8:30am, got to the Avis rental car return at 10:00am, and after shuttle ride-checkin-security-VAT refund desk- US Customs... we only had about 20min to spare before boarding! Thank god for no traffic! TIP2: there are NO gas stations along the M50 return)
CONS:
-Dungeon Bar was closed that Friday night, so no final Irish musical night for us.
-Our room seemed wonderful at first, but upon closer inspection certain sections were very dusty and some cobwebs. I suppose this added to the atmosphere, but it was a bit too much.
-Bed mattress was mushy and needed to be replaced.
-Walls are thin...some middle-aged ladies next door were laughing loudly until about 1:00am. I almost complained. Almost.
CONCLUSION: Its an old, old, old 13th century castle...keep that in mind. We loved the vintage furniture and decor. All in all a good stay, but I just wished our room was tidier. It would be perfect if every 2-3 months housecleaning did an intensive dusting of all the hidden nooks, crannys, drapes, chandeliers, heating unit, etc. Kinnitty has so much potential...I'd love to come again after a deep cleanse and rennovations.
FUN FACT:
- This castle was once owned by the Ryan clan...my wife's great grandmother was a Ryan. We even found her family crest/cygil in one of the sitting rooms. If we win the Lotto someday(a big one), we'll return to purchase this castle to reclaim it, and give it the love it deserves.