The Old Bank Townhouse Kinsale

We stayed two nights in two rooms. Room 3 was spacious, Room 16 on the top floor much smaller. Both were badly in need of a makeover. Arrived just after 5pm and had to go to the Blue Haven up the road to check in. Despite the description saying rooms have a safe and refrigerator only one room had a safe and it didn't work, neither room had a fridge. When I enquired about a fridge one was delivered. It barely worked.|Staff really try hard to make the best of the place but it has clearly seen better days. |Breakfast is available from 8am, if you want it earlier you go to the Blue Haven, which we did. Breakfast there was excellent. Security seems lax, someone was trying the doors after midnight. Very unsettling.|Definately not 4 star quality and very over priced. A classic case of over promising and under delivering.

Kinsale was a lovely little town with interesting history and lots of dining and shopping options. The best thing about the OId Bank was the little restaurant and the woman in charge there. I have forgotten her name but kind and efficient. The room was small but clean and comfortable. The stairs are narrow and steep. There is a lift.

My wife and I stayed for two nights at Old Bank Townhouse in Kinsale. The location is hard to beat, right in the center of town near the Old Quay. If you're driving (as we were), while the hotel doesn't offer parking, there is ample street (free overnight) and paid (€3/2hours) in front of the hotel and in the immediate vicinity. Many of the most highly-recommended restaurants in Kinsale (and there are many of them) are within walking distance, as are the best local pubs and shops.||We weren't happy with the room we were initially assigned to. I didn't feel it was up to the standard depicted in the on-line listings. We had arrived relatively late in the day, just before the on-site manager was about to go home for the day, so we didn't really have much choice. But, overnight, I lodged an email complaint with the hotel management, and boy did they ever respond! ||The next morning, Jude, the on-site manager, offered us the opportunity to move to a different room (Room #3) that was exactly as depicted on the website and in the TripAdvisor listing. The room was clean, well-appointed and very charming. We were perfectly contented. ||And then we got a call from Sabina, the General Manager of the Blue Haven Hotel group (they own both the Blue Haven just down the street and Old Townhouse), asking if we were satisfied and if there was anything else they could do. I said we were perfectly satisfied. ||Nevertheless, Jude called again and offered to host us for breakfast in the hotel's cafe (you can't get in without a reservation, even if staying at the hotel - and you shouldn't miss it!) I said that wasn't necessary, but she insisted and we have a very nice breakfast the next day on the house.||My recommendation to anyone choosing to stay at Old Townhouse is, first, to recognize that the word "Old" means something. This is a Georgian era building into which a charming hotel has been shoehorned. It has its quirks to be sure and you simply have to roll with some of them. But, when I stay there the next time, I will ask to for room specific before finalizing my booking and then ask to see the room to which I'm going to be assigned before moving in. That way you're going to get what you asked for. And, second, I would not be hesitant to express any issues you have with management. They jumped through hoops to make sure we were happy - which we were.

We had a lovely lunch. The specialty of the day, black pudding toasted sandwich was delicious. The chunky chips as a side were just perfect. Coffee was ok, but there is room for improvement. Friendly service and pleasant surroundings. Nice spot.

Jude was incredibly welcoming and so helpful when we arrived. We really appreciated her kindness with sorting out car parking. Great hotel, very clean, fabulous service. Delicious breakfast with a great choice, fresh ingredients , beautifully cooked. Recommend.

We looked forward to our stay in this centrally located historic hotel based on the lively pictures. In fairness, historic does mean OLD, so one can’t expect even floors , wide hallways, tabletop height outlets. Our welcome from Jude was very nice, including an upgrade to a larger room.|However, both nights we had noisy sewer work- trucks, lights, machine noise- right below our window from 9 pm until 2 a! Hard to do that during the day, we assumed, or the traffic would be backed up to Cork! But still, a warning ahead of time or offer to switch rooms would have been nice. |The makeup mirror in bathroom didn’t work, and the room was not made up while we were there, in spite of putting a sign in the door requesting housekeeping service. Some of the furnishings were tired and need an update. The website pictures look fresher than reality. |Breakfast was delicious with multiple home cooked selections and wonderful croissants, although you had to reserve the time you wanted to eat.|Note there are stairs going into hotel then a small lift for getting luggage to room. |The hotel now seems to be owned or managed by the Blue Haven Hotel down the street.|Next time I think I would choose a smaller, family owned B and B.

There was 1 key at check in for 2 people. Went back to ask if we could get a 2nd key cut and were moved to another room. 2nd room had tea/coffee but no kettle, espresso machine or fan, so we grabbed them from the first room as to not bother staff. There was also no iron. Window hard to open. Safe hard to lock and couldn’t unlock it. Maintenance arrived and unlocked it manually. I asked how to relock it and he said he had bad English. I was a bit worried as I had to leave and had nowhere to store passport/cash. As I was leaving, a manager arrived and figured out the safe batteries were dead, so she gave me new batteries. Room service gave us new towels and water only but didn’t replenish coffee or milk. There is no fan in the bathroom. Shower was cold on 3rd day, and reception said to wait 20 minutes while they boosted the hot water. I had a do not disturb sign on the door, yet cleaning staff scared me by walking in without knocking. To note, there were no internal-only locks, which seemed a bit unsafe, especially considering we were told that a previous guest walked out with one of the keys to our original room. All in all, the room was clean, bed comfortable (as long as you don’t fall into the middle where two twins were pushed together) and location great. The issue is it is a 3 star hotel billed as 5 star, so overpriced/overrated. If it were listed as a 3 star and priced accordingly, there would be no issue.

Beautiful town, beautiful location. Breakfast is a must add, incredible service and quality. I wish we stayed longer.