My wife and I stayed at the Clontarf Castle Hotel on the night of the 10/11 November and attended the US Marine Corps Ball. We found the hotel to have a wonderful atmosphere with friendly professional staff and excellent food and good accommodation. When we made our initial booking, we intended taking our toddler kids and booked a large room. When we decided not to take them, the hotel was able to accommodate us with a smaller room at short notice. Our room was very comfortable and clean, although drainage from the bathroom sink was poor and the filter was dirty. Following a pleasant sleep, we had a thoroughly enjoyable breakfast (self-service, great selection for food). This hotel was a wonderful venue for the Ball and it possesses a fine function room. I would particularly like to mention Michael -the Concierge - he couldn’t do enough for us while we were there, whether sharing his extensive knowledge of Irish Whiskey (which I greatly appreciated!), or organising our taxi to the train station very quickly and at short notice. The hotel is located a short distance from the waterfront at Clontarf and it is well worth taking a walk there on a sunny morning, as we did. Ask Michael for directions!

Would we go back? Absolutely.

just returned from a weekend break with my wife. 10/12/Nov 2012 i booked the romance package direct through the castles own web site. the on-line booking was easy and fast. I upgraded our deluxe room to an executive room, and was well worth it. giant four poster bed, champagne and chocolates in the room for when we arrived. breakfast on 2 mornings and a dinner on the night of our choice in the hotel restaurant. we arrived at about 9 am having got an early flight from UK, and driving to Clontarf from the airport which took about 20 mins. we liked the fact that the hotel was not in the centre of town , instead set in a leafy suburb we were advised our room was not ready yet, which is understandable as it was quite early, we were advised to go and have some breakfast in the hotels Fahrenheit restaurant. which we did, and very nice it was too. full Irish breakfast, or continental style.Our luggage was stored securely for us. we decided to have a wander round Dublin city while our room was being prepared, the concierge was very helpful with directions and places to visit. after a few hours in Dublin and a few pints of the black stuff, we returned to the hotel, we were overwhelmed at our room, giant 4 poster bed, fluffy bathrobes and slippers, and champagne and chocolates waiting for us. definably the nicest room we have stayed in, even had a personal welcome to us on the TV screen. tea/coffee making facilities, and very nice bathroom. view was poor though, all we could see was the car park, but that took nothing away from the whole experience. the hotel is stunning,and everywhere you look there is an interesting. very authentic castle feel to it,although not much of the original castle remains. best thing to do is have a wander about, as there are corridors leading all over. the great hall is stunning when laid out for special occasions.
great history to this place, with lots of banners,wall carvings , and paintings, describing the battle of Clontarf. we hit the town on our first night, and ordered a taxi which arrived in 5 mins. we were told about temple bar area where all the pubs are and about how busy it gets.
the taxi driver was great ,with lots of information. as with a night out in any city centre it was heaving, and most of the pubs in temple bar were full to overflowing, which is not my scene, with all the people about and being in a strange city we still felt pretty safe. eventually found a bar with a great singer (cant remember the name of it. too many Guinness I think) warm friendly atmosphere even though busy. safe return back to hotel. taxis to city centre cost about 15 Euro
the bed was comfortably the best bed we have ever slept in. breakfast was excellent again.
we had hired a car from europcar and collected from Dublin airport. we asked the concierge Michael where to go for a day trip, he suggested Malahide and Howth.
Malahide is a nice fishing village about an 8 mile drive from Clontarf, and has a castle. we took the castle tour ( 12 Euro ) It was very informative and the castle is stunning. next on to Howth, we wasn't that impressed, nice scenery and walk round harbour and you get to see other islands just off the coast, great fish and chips at Berthoffs chip shop on the front near the car park. driving is easy with road signs that are easy to understand,
back to hotel for our dinner. well presented food which was hot, both my wife and I had the rib eye steak, mine was perfect, but wife said hers was fatty, just personal preference I guess.
all in all a fantastic place, warm,friendly and knowledgeable staff who cant do enough for you . sumptuous surroundings, elegant and sophisticated, old and new in perfect harmony. we cant rate this hotel high enough. thank you to ALL the staff for making our first trip to Ireland such a memorable one, and we will definitely be returning to Clontarf castle. and Ireland again,

What an awesome experience! It was our first ever trip to Ireland and we can't stop talking about it. Clontarf Castle was everything we had hoped for and more. Michael, the concierge gave us an impromptu tour of the castle which included its history, original architectural features and of course the haunted staircase and it's inhabitant! The accommodation was extremely comfortable and we received excellent service. Having a young child with us, we particularly appreciated the kiddies menu options as well. And FYI the soup of the day is an excellent choice! We were assisted with taxis and Michael gave us excellent advice regarding 'must see' attractions. We would love to go back for a return visit. It would be like visiting family.

Only stayed one night but this was my second stay. It is handy if travelling from the north. Food is good. Rooms are well decorated and good. You can search around and get good deals for this hotel.
We took bus in and out of Dublin easily from this hotel. Bull Island is about 1km away and well worth a walk.