We stayed 2 nights at this hotel and loved it. Yes, some of the furnishings are a bit tired in the old part of the building, but this is not a characterless chain hotel. Our room had a fantastic four poster bed and antique style furniture, plus a sitting area, amazing views from the huge bay window and an en-suite. The cream carpet was immaculate as was most of the room (apart from a cobweb behind the tv!) although it did smell a little musty - well, it is a Victorian building! The towels were white, fluffy and big enough to wrap round yourself.

The service was great - friendly, but not pushy and the food was the best we have had in Ireland (maybe even the world and we've stayed at some of the world's best! My hubby also works in food quality.) The breakfast was to die for - melt in the mouth scones and perfect scrambled eggs. Plenty of choice too.

We arrived late (due to my hubby's map reading) and Declan was happy to put our dinner reservation back 45 minutes to give us a chance to freshen up. Our order was taken over a drink in the lounge and we were brought some delicious canapes. Even the breads brought to accompany the meal were gorgeous. My husband said his chicken starter was the best he had ever had and his seafood platter contained a prawn that was more the size of a langoustine!

My only small complaint would be that the bed was quite uncomfortable and creaked loudly! And my only regret is that we didn't get a chance to enjoy a drink in the bar as we were too tired. I would have no hesitation in recommending this hotel to anyone and it was the best value place we stayed in Ireland.

This hotel is in a beautiful setting with great views of the West Coast of Ireland. The hotel lobby is well-decorated. However, our room had old furnishings, felt damp, and smelled like mildew. For the price of the hotel I would expect higher quality in the rooms.
The service was fine and the breakfast was excellent.

The service, facility and food were exceptional here for our one night stay. I had contacted the Ballinalacken Castle Country House by email several months ahead to inquire about availabiity. A family room was suggested for us with a double and 2 twins with an ocean view. All the email enquiries were answered quickly and kindly. They even contacted us one week prior to our stay and asked if we would like reservations in their wonderful restaurant. We asked for 8 pm reservations for dinner. Then, my family of four that included a 19 and 17 year old were traveling for the second day in Ireland. We anticipated getting to the hotel much earlier, but ended up catching a ferry to the Aran Islands from Rossaveal, near where we had spent the previous night. The trip to the Island was unforgettable, but longer than I expected, so it put us driving to our hotel late. I called them about 7pm and asked them what we should do. We still wanted to stop off in the Burren area, but that might put us getting to the hotel about 9 pm. They asked the chef if he could serve us at 9 pm, and he told us, no worry, arrive around 9 pm and dinner will be no problem. So we enjoyed the rest of the scenery and arrived about 8:55 pm. We were shown to our gorgeous room down oriental carpeted quiet halls. The room was beautifully decorated in gold brocade and very comfortable. There was even a table and 2 round stting chairs. It was a very large room with a window overlooking an ocean view in the distance. The bathroom was larger than most, clean, and bright. We hated to go into the nice dining room in our traveling jeans, but went on to dinner. They had told us casual dress, but the elegance of the dining room, made many people dress up, and the dining room was full when we arrived. They had saved us the last table. The meal was served with fine service and fabulous food. Our food came out perfectly timed as if we were the only patrons, instead of a full restaurant. This was the finest meal we had on our stay in Ireland. We had everything from the soup to dessert. The only hangup was we waited for our check, but we need not have as it is automatically put on your room tab. We needed to get an early start the next am, so they told us to come to the buffet about 15 min early , at 8 am, and all would be ready. The buffet was laid out of cereals, wonderful fruit, etc... and then we ordered a hot breakfast as well. Everything, especially the pancakes were exceptional! All was delicious and served in such a quiet and elegant setting overlooking the castle ruiin and ocean view. Check out was easy and we were on our way early. Once we arrived home, Ballinalacken Castle had an email waiting for us hoping we had had safe travels and a good visit. We had originally chosen this hotel for it's close proximity to Doolin to hear the music in the pubs, but we were too tired to take advantage of that. Doolin was just down the road a few minutes away. I would recommend it for anyone for a fine place to stay and fine food, in an area that could keep you busy for days.

Planning our trip to Ireland we selected the Ballinalacken Castle because of its close proximity to the Cliffs of Mohr and other magnificant sights of Ireland's West Coast. We opted to upgrade to a suite...great choice! Ballinalacken Castle exceeded our expectations with accomodations, gourmet cuisine, beautiful decor (including outstanding antiques) and above all else, genuine Irish hospitality. If you are fortunate to travel to Doolin, Ballinalacken Castle is a must. Our fondest memories of Ireland are those at the castle!!