Ballynahinch Castle Hotel

Ballynahinch castle is a beautiful property. From the moment you enter the reception area you get a warm feeling of comfort, luxury and relaxation. The welcoming flicker of a log burning fire already invites you to slow down and breathe. The setting is exceptional. We were lucky to have had very good weather, considering it was October. From the moment we arrived, as our room was not yet ready as we arrived early, we chose to explore some of the many walks around the property. The grounds, walks, trails and walled gardens are exquisite. We chose to dine in the Fisherman's restaurant on the night of our arrival. Food and presentation were excellent. My husband decided on the venison burger, the special of the day. However, he did become unwell shortly after retiring to our room. I called reception to report this as I realised some other guests perhaps also chose this option. The night porter called to our room to check on the situation and asked if we needed to have a doctor called. By this stage my husband was resting. We did get a call in the morning at about 7.30 to check on his wellbeing. When we arrived at breakfast we mentioned this to general manager. He politely responded and stated that he would get back to us after checking on other guests who had chosen the same menu option. In all we had the most wonderful experience at Ballynahinch castle and would recommend a stay there for relaxation, comfort and pure luxury, with the bonus of excellent grounds for walking, in a quiet location. We found the general manager very pleasant, professional and addressed the dietary experience with the utmost professionalism. Our stay at the castle was a wonderfulgift from our daughter. It is an expensive place to stay but well worth a visit as the view over breakfast from the owenmore restaurant is simply 'heavenly'. I give the experience a 10 out of 10

Really disappointed by the experience. This place came highly recommended by a colleague, I have to wonder if it used to be a great place that's just fallen off. First, calling this a castle is really misleading. Tip of the hat to the marketing team that makes this place seem like a dreamy castle in the woods. It's more of a manor house, updated and privately owned. Our room was fine- the bed was very comfortable and the bathroom was beautifully appointed. It was the terrible (even rude) service. We planned around this stay, so to have such mid level food and terrible service was a total disappointment. We made advanced resvations in the pub, for example- the only table was somewhat late, so we asked if we could come down earlier. No, not possible. When we arrived the place was nearly empty and taking walk ins. But that wasnt isolated. It was consistent to get clipped responses to simple clarifying questions. Maybe that the staff is mostly foreigners, maybe everyone is tired of tourists by October, but I can't recommend a stay here and wouldn't go back.