Arklow Bay Hotel

We slept well, thanks to the comfortable beds, and the bedroom was satisfactory. The food was excellent, both at breakfast and in the bar, with good quality ingredients. Everyone we dealt with was welcoming and chatty, from reception through to the bar and restaurant. We had a lovely overnight stay.

The venue was clean and welcoming, and everyone was friendly. We had a great time at the show and would visit again. Getting a drink took some patience, as the bar staff were struggling with the crowd. Parking was difficult too, since the car park is shared with the leisure centre. There wasn’t much direction for the queues or finding seats, so I was glad we arrived early to get organised.

We were really disappointed with the cleanliness for a 4star hotel, and we won’t be back. I told the receptionist about all of it when we checked out. She said someone would contact us, but so far I’ve only had limited email contact from a manager and no phone call. The problems started on Sunday night in March, when the room assigned to us for two adults and one child had a black hair in the double bed and a stain on the net curtain. Reception moved us. I checked the double bed in the new room and it was fine, and a woman from reception checked the single bed, but the room still wasn’t clean. My 8 year old found another hair in the single bed. There were tan fingerprints on the inside bathroom door frame, and the soap dispenser dripped the whole time we were there. Housekeeping left a card, chocolates, drinks vouchers, and a cookie and strawberry milk for my daughter. There was a fly on the cookie when we got back. At dinner in the bar, the floor behind the bar looked filthy from our seats. My husband ordered truffle fries that never arrived, and despite plenty of bar and serving staff on duty, nobody checked on our meal or asked if we needed anything else. On Monday at breakfast, the carpet on the stairs and in the hallway leading to the pottery room was disgustingly dirty. I had to ask for a clean cup and saucer because the one at my table was dirty. I chose not to eat, since after what I’d seen elsewhere in the hotel, I felt the kitchen was likely to be dirty too. I don’t like complaining, but the lack of cleanliness throughout the hotel disgusted us.

The nature reserve behind the hotel was lovely to walk around, and it’s very close to town. The rooms were beautiful and the staff so helpful. We enjoyed the spa and its steam room, though the sauna was broken when we visited. I’d definitely recommend it.