Hotele niedaleko Kinsale, Kinsale

We ended three weeks of our Ireland holiday at the lovely Kinsale Hotel & Spa. We travelled from the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland to Dublin, Belfast, across to the Cliffs of Moher, the Dingle peninsula, to Kilkenny to finally conclude our holiday in the beautiful sailing town of Kinsale. We experienced quaint B&B’s and several hotels, but none were as comprehensive as the Kinsale Hotel & Spa. The rooms were large and very comfortable, the included continental breakfast was delicious, the gym was great to use after nearly a month of holiday indulgence, the bar with large televisions was inviting to relax and watch Irish football, the barman a gem and the front desk reception courteous and helpful in arranging transportation from the hotel to the Kinsale town center. Although we had hired a car, it was nice to have the transportation to town and the luxury of drinking a pint in the lively pubs and get a taxi at the stand in the town center for just €15. We did not use the pool, hot tub or spa, however, they were clean and well attended to by the hotel staff. The last day of our holiday (day 22) we opted to spend the entire day relaxing in the hotel with a glorious walk through the ruins along the forest paths behind the hotel near the water’s edge. Our drive to turn in our rental car and fly to London was just 24km (15 miles) to the “very” easy Cork airport. We enjoyed all of our B&B stays throughout Ireland, however, as far as hotels, we definitely preferred the Kinsale Hotel & Spa above all others. Our next trip to Ireland, we may only visit Kinsale and return to this lovely hotel!

Traditional style, comfortable rooms, restaurant and bar are very atmospheric, great breakfast

On the positive side, the hotel is easy to reach from the airport, the rooms are large and beds comfortable. The breakfasts are generally of a good standard with a interesting selection. We were able to park easily. Staff friendly and helpful. The areas for us that could have been improved would include the breakfast system for having eggs cooked freshly, as most people abandoned the idea when being told there were many orders waiting to be cooked, so there would be a fair wait. Our room faced West, so by the end of a hot summer’s day, the room was also well warmed! The aircon setting of 19 degrees was hopeless in bringing the temperature down quickly and effectively, and the window only opened a tiny bit. We are still waiting for someone to explain to us why hotels still have winter weight quilts on beds in the summer…we seem to spend more time sleeping on them than under them!!!! Unfortunately this hotel is probably not an option for those on a limited budget.