Amber Springs Hotel & Health Spa

A good spot for a few days with young kids. There’s enough to do nearby in Gorey, and you could easily stay on the hotel grounds the whole time. The place is very family focused, with helpful, friendly staff and plenty to keep children busy. The food is great and the portions are generous, though out of season some of the hotel restaurants are closed. The rooms are good too, especially the Amber Suites, which are a bit more modern and better equipped.

The front desk staff were really nice and answered all our questions, but in the tuck shop I got the feeling we were interrupting the staff’s conversation when we asked something. There were three sitting around, and they seemed bothered by us. The hotel needs a major revamp. The carpets are dirty along the edges, the furniture is old, and it feels like the place was built and left as it was. They charge enough that I’d expect some money to go back into maintaining it. In our room, things were clean and tidy, but both towel rails were loose and the toilet flush mechanism came off in my hand. The pool was pleasantly warm, though it can get very crowded. The locker rooms were dirty and poorly maintained, and many lockers didn’t work. The safety gate between the lockers and poolside was broken. I mentioned it, but the staff didn’t seem to take it on board. BBG was the only restaurant open during our stay. At check-in, the staff member started describing the other restaurants, then realized halfway through that they were closed. Service was slow even with a 5:30 booking when it wasn’t especially busy. My chicken burger arrived cold; they replaced it, which was fine, but it shouldn’t have been cold to begin with. The beef burger was just okay, with two patties that seemed frozen and cooked. The steaks on our second night were much better, though there was a small supplement. Kids’ meals and desserts were fine. The adults’ desserts were like frozen box desserts. Breakfast’s hot food was inedible. The egg was rubbery, and the bacon and pudding were rock hard. The cereals, fruit and pastries were okay. The sensory room is a great idea and welcome in a hotel, but charging €20 for neurotypical children is a real stretch.

The outdoor area was lovely, with loads of space for kids in the playground. It felt like the closest thing I’ve seen to a Spanish resort for outdoor activities with children. We tried archery, small-kid go-karting, eight holes of mini golf and a bird show on Sunday morning. There was also a small area to view a handful of animals, maybe five or six. The food was lovely, and the restaurants were nice. We got takeaway pizza from one and brought it into another to suit our child. The pool was nice too, though quite dark, and small enough for the kids. Staff were good and very young, and seemed to be learning on the job, which was fine. We didn’t use the cinema room with the Netflix projector, but it looked cosy. We enjoyed our stay and would come back for the kids. Very nice hotel, 3.5 out of 5.

Chloe and her colleagues made all the wedding arrangements so easy from start to finish, especially with us living in London. We got married at the Amber Springs Hotel on 27 June 2025, and the food that day was so good. People were still talking about it for days and weeks afterwards. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for everything. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the hotel. Patrick and Sharon O'Callaghan