Barberstown Castle

We stayed at Barberstown Castle for our first wedding anniversary, and unfortunately the experience fell quite a long way short of what we expected from a hotel of this reputation and price. The grounds are by far the best part of the property. They’re beautiful and have a real sense of history, and the castle itself is impressive. Unfortunately, once you get beyond the grounds, there were quite a few issues that made our stay disappointing. 🍽️ Dinner We paid around €100 for our anniversary meal (two drinks, shared a starter and two mains) but unfortunately it simply wasn't worth the money. My steak was fatty and grey, and the pepper sauce had an unpleasant, off taste. The mash itself was nice, although I unfortunately ruined it by pouring the pepper sauce over it. We also paid an additional €6 for chips, which were fairly boring and oily. 🛏️ The room The fact that the hotel is an old castle and has antique furniture is part of its charm, but old doesn't have to mean poorly maintained. The carpet in our room was visibly unclean, wallpaper was peeling in various places around the hotel, and some of the bathroom tiles were chipped and cracked. The mattress felt like it genuinely belonged in 1288. Neither of us had a good night's sleep. To make matters worse, despite having a four-poster king-size bed, the duvet was a queen-size duvet. This meant that the two of us spent most of the night squeezed together in the centre of the mattress trying to keep warm. It might as well have been a single bed. There were also no temperature controls in the room, and we woke up cold. Noise was another major issue. We could hear doors being slammed outside our room throughout the night, every time the guests next door flushed the toilet or opened a door, and something repeatedly being knocked against what sounded like our own door. The walls seemed incredibly thin, and I was woken multiple times throughout the night. 🍳 Breakfast Breakfast was another disappointment. There were no obvious signs explaining where to go, and there was no welcome or assistance from staff when we arrived. We seated ourselves and helped ourselves, and eventually had to find a member of staff ourselves to ask for tea and toast. The sausages were honestly some of the worst I've ever had in a hotel, they tasted more like hotdogs than breakfast sausages. The eggs were cold out of the warmer, and the pudding was essentially mush. 👋 Service There were some positives with the staff. The receptionist was very friendly when she was available, and initially the restaurant staff seemed attentive. However, when it came to paying, we felt completely ignored and had to wait around for assistance. On arrival, there was nobody at the main reception desk, although there was someone working at another desk. When we approached them, we were made to feel a little foolish for going to the wrong desk rather than simply being directed towards reception. It's a small thing, but it didn't make for a particularly welcoming arrival. Ultimately, I'm really glad I brought my wife here for our first wedding anniversary and not our 30th, because she still likes me after the experience, but only just. 😂 The castle and grounds have so much potential, and the setting is genuinely beautiful. But for the price we paid, we expected a much higher standard of accommodation, food, sleep quality and service. If you're in the area, I'd recommend coming to see the beautiful grounds, having a walk around, taking in the castle, and then perhaps leaving. Unfortunately, based on our experience, we wouldn't recommend staying overnight. P.S The elevator was broken and our room was only accessible by stairs which will not suit all.

Had the pleasure of staying at Barberstown Castle on our first night in Ireland. What a beautiful experience, can only hope the rest of our trip is as good. As soon as got out of the car we felt relaxed, the gardens are amazing. Check-in staff were very welcoming. Our room was beautiful, very spacious, large four poster bed, plenty of sitting area to relax in. Dinner in the restaurant was superb, staff were lovely. Overall it was a wonderful stay. Loved that we could wonder thru the gardens and get to see and enjoy the history of Barberstown Castle.

The Barberstown castle is a beautiful place about 30 miles from Dublin. It’s located in the beautiful Irish country side. The grounds are stunning, the restaurants and bars are beautiful and offer a wide variety of local and international food choices. The rooms are somewhat outdated but certainly spotless clean and very traditional. The staff was outstanding. Overall a great experience