Great National Ballykisteen Hotel

I usually enjoy staying here, but this visit was a letdown. The food took ages and arrived cold, with just two young staff covering both the bar and restaurant. The staff seemed uninterested, like they didn’t want to be there. Breakfast was much the same. One person was working, while several off-duty staff came in for coffee. Given how remote the hotel is, the service needs to be better to make a stay here worthwhile.

Dinner and its service were excellent, and the rooms were clean. The bar was very good too. Breakfast let down our two-night stay, though. On both mornings, food wasn’t being replenished, so we were left waiting for more hot food, and there was no white bread or pastries when we arrived.

A great hotel stay, with a comfortable room that had all the amenities and a fantastic spa, especially the floatation therapy. The staff were friendly and helpful, and there’s free parking onsite. The changing rooms are a bit dated, but the pool area was clean. I’d highly recommend it and hope to return soon.

I wouldn’t recommend this hotel based on my stay. Reception staff were friendly, and the room was spacious and generally nice, but its slightly broken window let in wind and noise, which made it uncomfortable. The spa was a major disappointment. It looked old and poorly maintained, the changing rooms were dirty, the steam room wasn’t working, and the sauna was barely warm, closer to room temperature. The pool was also in poor condition and looked nothing like the advertised photos. The restaurant was another poor experience. The tables were sticky, and we waited about 15 minutes before anyone came over. I ordered mozzarella with cherry tomatoes as a starter, but the tomatoes were completely green. When I pointed that out, the waiter laughed and asked whether I still wanted to eat it or wanted her to take it away. That felt unprofessional. The steak was good, but we weren’t given a steak knife. We then waited around 20 minutes for takeaway dessert and the bill. Back in our room, we got a call saying we hadn’t paid the bill, which wasn’t true. That was frustrating and honestly insulting. The experience was disappointing, and I wouldn’t stay again.