Ballyhoura Country Vacations from $1,284

Nice accommodation right next to the Shannon river and surrounded by green ...

This was, without question, the worst hotel experience we have had using Hotels.com in the last 10 years. For reference, this has been well over 50 hotels. The Killaloe Hotel is billed as a sophisticated 4-star establishment and charges accordingly. I briefly note that there was no coffee in the room (only tea), and the coffee for breakfast was so bad it was undrinkable. However, you can pay €4 for a cappuccino (something I have never been charged for at a 4-star hotel, and admittedly was decent). All in all, the breakfast was average. Far, far worse was the room and service. Our room was dirty and dated: cobwebs on the walls and ceiling, smudges all over the one little window, mold in the bathroom, bath scum in the tub, candy and stains on the carpet, layers of dust on the headboard, so thick that I could write "DUST" in big capital letters. When we turned the light on in the bathroom, we got moving shadows from a suddenly alive insect colony inside the light. Here is where things become appalling. We mentioned all this the morning after our first night. When we came in late for our second evening, all was unchanged except the DUST note written in dust! In fairness, at the end of our stay, we shared a stack of photos, including a video of the insect hive, to the management and staff and stressed there is no way to defend this as representing a 4-star hotel. I think (and I hope) that were truly embarrassed. In any case, they gave us half off, which seemed reasonable.

I never had of Newcastle West before, but if you are ever in this town, this is the place to be. My wife considered the breakfast "the best Irish breakfast in Ireland," and who am I to disagree? We truly enjoyed our stay (and the breakfast) as well the friendly staff including (especially Derek the manager). We need disability-friendly accommodations, and this hotel, in this regard, was a great place to stay. The true test of any hotel, is "Would you go back?," and we would gladly come back at any time.

Room was very basic. Really hot and no air conditioning. The room had 2 fans but when I checked in the room had curtains open and window shut, so fans didn’t really help. The room was a little tired and lacked some basic amenities. I was looking for a bottle opener so went to reception who just said they didn’t have anything, not very helpful at all.

Fantastic staff, comfortable clean bedrooms and a wonderful made to order breakfast