Arrived at 9.30pm tired after a 5 hour drive, two hour ferry trip and another 5 hour drive with a short break for dinner.

As you can imagine, I did not want to check into a "iffy" hotel, but all fears were dispelled at reception. Checked in by charming friendly staff and off to a very pleasant room overlooking the river and the outskirts of Cork.

Breakfast was served to order (no self service here) and was fine. Did not use the restaurant otherwise.

Good location if driving, but a bit out of town if not. Did not check, but I would think a local bus would pass the door, or a taxi would not be expensive.

Would stay here again without any hesitation.

We frequently stay in hotels and we found this one to be a good pick. It seemed to be well managed and the staff was attentive and friendly. Initially we were given a smoking room but we were swiftly provided with a non-smoking room with a view over the river. Other than this initial hiccup we have no complaints at all. None of the usual gripes were there (there were two ironing boards on every floor, breakfast times were reasonable, check out time was fine, water was hot, noise from the motorway was muffled, room clean, breakfast was served quickly, couldn't hear neighbours). Clearly a business hotel with an industrial facility not far away but seemed very popular at the weekend. Perfect for a no-nonsense stop over in Cork if you're driving.

I stayed in the Silver Springs Hotel in Cork for a week and was extremely disappointed.

The reception/lobby is spacious and welcoming with a nice bar area which serves excellent food. Below the lobby is the Watermarque restaurant (where breakfast is served) and I had a meal here with some friends. Not bad, but you will do a lot better for your money in the city centre.

The room I had was not great and as there was a conference on in the hotel, I was unable to change rooms. The decor was tired looking and altough I found the bed a tad small, it was comfortable. The window opened onto the main road and was located directly above a generator which seemed to be on 24/7.

The bathroom was by far the most disappointing. It was very small and even though I am only a little over five feet tall, I had to kneel down to take a shower because the shower head was so low.

The hotel advertises leisure facilities 'within the grounds' but you will be in for a shock as it is about a ten minute walk from the hotel and up a very steep hill. Not the most appealing trek after a long day. A soak in the bath tub had to saffice.

Without question the very best asset of this hotel is it's staff. They are by far the best staff I have encountered in any hotel in Ireland and if anything, the hotels actually lets them down.

With other hotels offering better locations and genuine 'on site' facilities, I would look elsewhere in Cork first.

Very nice hotel. Large, clean and comfortable rooms. Staff very friendly and helpful.

Excellent bar which serves a good selection of snacks and a fantastic, stylish restaurant downstairs serving some delicious food.

Some of the bedrooms were being refurbished while I was there so I expect the hotel to be even better once they are complete.

Only negative is the location - beside a busy road and a good mile or two outside the city