Slieve Donard

Dinner was a good three-course meal, and I enjoyed the pork shoulder with a glass of red wine. Earlier, I’d had a swim, steam room session and jacuzzi in the Spa, then relaxed on the beds overlooking the Mountains of Mourne. The buffet breakfast had a good choice, with friendly but professional service. A very restful overnight stay.

The only thing that bothered me was the Percy French menu being different on the TV screens and in the restaurant. Everything else made this long-overdue return special. I hadn’t stayed since it was Hastings, and my affection for the hotel is still there. We’d booked a Slieve King room, but the receptionist surprised us with an upgrade to a Junior Suite. What a room, the bed felt as big as my whole bedroom at home! The staff were wonderful as ever, and the leisure facilities were just as relaxing as I remembered. Breakfast was plentiful too. We called the weekend “the perfect weekend,” thanks to the Slieve Donard Hotel. We’ll be back.

We had a lovely stay, even though we were there on Saturday during the terrible storm on 10th January. The doormen were attentive and kind, helping us through the wind. Everyone was pleasant, and the staff made the whole visit feel five-star. We’d love to thank them, and we’ll be back, perhaps on a weekday to enjoy the Spa when it’s less busy. We booked two rooms for a Saturday in January to celebrate my dad’s birthday, including one dog-friendly room. Both were spotless, and the beds and linens were superb and comfortable. They left cupcakes and a birthday note for my dad, plus a treat bag, bed and bowls for our dog, who was living the luxury life. We had a birthday dinner in the restaurant, where the staff were incredible and attentive, especially a young woman whose name I didn’t get and a man from downpatrick. The food was incredible, and they brought out the cake we’d delivered beforehand and sang happy birthday to my dad. Unforgettable.

We stayed over Valentine’s weekend, 14th-16th Feb, and the service was shocking. At checkout they took our keys without asking how the stay had been, so I didn’t get a chance to tell them about all the problems. I can’t see how this is a 4-star hotel. The staff generally looked miserable, even on the quieter second night. On arrival reception gave us the Spa and breakfast times and sent us off without explaining where either was or giving us information about the restaurants. The room was very loud, probably because the building is old, so perhaps little could be done about that. The bathroom hadn’t been cleaned properly: there were fake eyelashes on the shelf and mould at the window and in the bath. We were told to wear slippers in the Spa, but there weren’t any in our room. Reception didn’t get them to us after 20 minutes, and we had to call down. The robes were extra small. Housekeeping said they’d send larger ones, then told us to ask at the Spa; the Spa sent us back to housekeeping. I wore the small one and saw other guests had large robes with the hotel logo. Thankfully, the next day a kind housekeeper admitted there was a robe shortage and found us larger logo robes. She was probably the nicest staff member we met all weekend. The Spa itself was messy, with robes, towels and plastic cups left lying around. Breakfast started promisingly: the first staff member we met was friendly and helped with vegan options. But our food took 30 minutes, arrived stone cold, and I couldn’t eat it, so I sent it back. The staff member who took the untouched plate didn’t ask what was wrong. We weren’t offered tea or coffee like other tables; both mornings we had to ask, then wait for it to arrive. On the second morning it was quieter, with only about three other tables. I asked for vegan breakfast as soon as we sat down, waited 35 minutes with no food, then left. The manager, or I assume it was the manager because of the different uniform, just said “thanks.” It seemed they’d forgotten us.