Slieve Donard Hotel

We had a restful overnight stay, starting with a swim, steam room and jacuzzi in the Spa. Afterward we relaxed on the beds and admired the Mountains of Mourne. Dinner was a good three courses, and I had pork shoulder with a glass of red. Breakfast was buffet style with a good choice, and the service was friendly but professional.

Our weekend here turned out to be perfect, and we'll definitely be back. The reception staff member surprised us at check in by upgrading our Slieve King room to a Junior Suite. What a room, the bed was about as big as my whole bedroom at home! It's been years since my last stay, when it was Hastings, but my affection for the hotel is still the same. The staff were incredible, as always, and I found the leisure facilities just as relaxing as I remembered. Breakfast was plentiful too. My only gripe was that the Percy French menu shown on the TV screens didn't match the one in the restaurant.

Our dog was thoroughly spoiled by the treat bag, bed and bowls waiting in the dog friendly room. We booked two rooms for a Saturday in January for my dad's birthday, and both were spotless, with clean, comfortable beds and superb linens. There were cupcakes in his room with a happy birthday note too. We had a great birthday dinner in the restaurant. The food was incredible, and the staff were so attentive and friendly with guests. A young woman whose name I didn't catch and a man from downpatrick really stood out. They brought out the cake we'd delivered beforehand and sang happy birthday to my dad, which made the meal special. The whole staff made this an unforgettable, five star stay. Even during the terrible storm on 10th January, the doormen were lovely and helped us through the wind. I'd come back on a weekday to enjoy the spa when it's less busy.

We stayed over Valentine's weekend, 14th-16th Feb, and it was a completely awful experience. The service was shocking, and I can't see how this is even a 4 star hotel. At checkout they took our keys without asking how the stay had been, so I never got the chance to explain all the problems. On arrival, reception looked miserable, gave us the spa and breakfast times, then sent us off without saying where breakfast or the spa were, or explaining the restaurants. The staff all seemed miserable. We thought perhaps the full Valentine's night booking was to blame, but the next, quieter night was just as bad. Our bathroom hadn't been properly cleaned: there were fake eyelashes on the shelf and mold at the window and in the bath. The spa required slippers, but there were none in our room. After asking at reception, we waited 20 minutes and still had to ring down to get some. The robes were extra small. We asked for larger ones and were told housekeeping would bring them, but housekeeping then told us to ask the spa, and the spa sent us back to housekeeping. I wore the small one. Everyone else seemed to have large robes with the hotel logo. Thankfully, the next day a nice housekeeping staff member was honest about a robe shortage and managed to find larger logo robes for us. Probably the nicest staff member we met all weekend. The spa itself was messy, with towels and robes lying around and plastic cups. Our room was extremely loud, probably because it's an old building, so I'm not sure much could be done about that. Breakfast was just as frustrating. The first staff member we met was really friendly and helped with vegan options, which made me hopeful. We waited 30 minutes for breakfast, and it arrived stone cold. I couldn't eat it and sent it back. The staff member took away the untouched plate without asking what was wrong. We weren't offered tea or coffee like other tables, and had to ask, then wait a while for drinks on both days. On the second morning, with only about three other tables occupied, I asked for vegan breakfast as soon as I sat down. After 35 minutes with no food, we walked out. The manager, or I assume it was the manager because of a different uniform, just said “thanks”. They'd clearly forgotten about us.