Donn Carragh Hotel

Breakfast was lovely and freshly cooked, and the bar had great craic in the evening. Staff were friendly and helpful too. The rooms were clean and functional, though the hotel is a bit tired and could use some paint. Check-in was easy and the location is right in the town centre. I’d stay again, though it’s no London Ritz.

The cooked breakfasts are huge, too much for many people. I asked for a small one and still got two big sausages and two rashers. There was also a tiny dead fly in the cooking oil from my egg. A breakfast menu would help. I stayed three nights and was asked to pay on arrival, which I did. My room was acceptable, but my request for a TV remote went nowhere, perhaps they forgot. The reception rooms feel like they’re from the 70s or 80s, and the staff could smarten up and wear some kind of uniform. Evening meals are served in the bar. The menu, with things like burgers and chicken, is fairly unadventurous, and the atmosphere wasn’t to my taste.

The bar staff were really friendly, but I wouldn’t recommend staying here. My radiator was broken and the room was freezing. People in neighbouring rooms were roaring and slamming doors until 4am on a Wednesday. I might have put up with that at the weekend. In the morning, one staff member was trying to hoover and get breakfast ready. Nobody asked if I’d enjoyed my stay, which makes me think this sort of experience is normal for them.

Breakfast ran until 11, which was a big bonus, and the food was excellent throughout. We were treated so well. I casually mentioned to Eileen, the 'maid', that it was my wife’s birthday, and a gorgeous bouquet turned up in our room. Just one example of the care we got.