Dingle Skellig Hotel — Hotel in Kenmare Municipal District

Absolute Waste of Time!

We thought it would be a good idea to spend a night away celebrating my mom over coming cancer and celebrating my Dads 60th birthday!

We made contact with the hotel and asked for 2 of the best rooms with a sea view and were qouted nearly 900 Euros for 1 x night.

After 7 hours of travelling we arrived at reception and were told how lucky we were to be upgraded to a much better room than originally booked, this was confusing as we had previously asked for the best room in any case.

We went up the dinky lift which was designed for one human with no cases and made our way to these 'fantastic' upgraded rooms. Well... we were hit with a musky stinky warm wall of air when opening the door. Not sure how I even made it across the room with the carpets so lose they had waves (a hazard to those less able). The windows were closed and the place resemelmed something out of the 20's. The toilet couldnt handle a single flush and our fantastic sea view was a parking lot full of cars. NO AIRCON! (apparently something that only comes with the best rooms) The best part is that we had a tour bus arrive full of people looking straight into the room!

My parents room had exactly the same problem but their view was a wedding with loud music and drunk people - Great way for a 60 year old and a cancer survivor to spend a relaxing night away!

It took us a whole of 10 minutes to walk back down to reception to naturally complain. Not sure if we were assisted by the manager or someone clearly not happy to be working there but she was soulless, unhelpful and bloody rude! The blame was put on us for not asking about an airconed room when we asked for the best room possible, apparently only the new rooms have these available - yet once again, we asked for the best rooms. We were also told that the wedding would probably go on until about 2.30am. Basically a catch 22, either have windows closed so you dont have to listen to loud drunk people and sit in a musky sauna, or open the windows to get the little bit of air they offer and dont sleep. After a couple of minutes of the blame being passed over to us they offered up one new room and we were told to make up our minds quickly as she had a tour bus coming and needed to attend to them. The cheek!

We decided to cancel the night away and make the 7 hour return journey home.

How on earth you can charge nearly 900 euros for one night, in a dated, tatty and non functiong shoe box is a complete joke! You are better off travelling overseas for a few nights and staying in a 2 star hotel. The pictures on the website are misleading and anyone spending that sum of money should be warned way in advance of a wedding.

This venue deserves no more than 2 stars.

PS - the 7 hour journey home was refreshing, I had aircon, the car was clean and the service station I stopped at had a toilet that flushed!

Sorry...

The hotel has lots that is great about it. Exceptionally clean, friendly, well located, great views, and more. I booked this hotel last minute as a relaxing weekend to unwind at a spa hotel, but I think it might be better described as primarily a family hotel. On arrival, I was keen to get to the pool and spa facilities, but I was met with a school load of children entering the pool. Absolute chaos in the pool, hot tub, changing rooms, and steam room. There were kids of all ages everywhere. I tried to switch to the spa steam room or sauna or outdoor hot tub, but I found out you had to book entry in advance, which I did for later in the day. Went to the gym instead, and it was very disappointing. Most cardio options were not working properly or clearly damaged. The strength training area had quite old-fashioned equipment and very little space to move. Again, if a few people were there, you were probably going to feel on top of each other. This wasn't the end of the world, but it was a disappointing start to my stay.

The hotel is a short walk to Dingle town and the hotel is on the coast with gorgeous views from some areas of the hotel such as the restaurant and some lounges.

The spa is small but very nice. As a hotel guest you have to book time in the free facilities such as the outdoor hot tub and steam room. The sauna was out of service while I stayed. The outdoor hot tub had gorgeous views, but keep in mind it is very cramped with just 3 or 4 people in it.

The staff were all excellent. Very friendly and helpful.

The room was nice. Quite spacious. I didn't pay extra for a view, so the view was just of the car park, unfortunately. The bed was very comfy and they kept the rooms very warm. Some things that were disappointing were that the Nespresso machine in the room didn't work. I am familiar with how to use them, but this one produced no coffee! The drawers and wardrobe in the room were slightly broken or shabby in places. The shower was a bath and shower curtain setup with the shower curtain attacking you mid shower, so not my favourite. But again, the room was absolutely spotlessly clean, so there are no complaints there.

The breakfast is good. You book your time for breakfast at reception when you check in. Some cold options available at a buffet, and then you order the hot food from a menu. The restaurant for breakfast has amazing views. I ate at the bar also and the food was very good.

Overall, it was a lovely hotel, but I had felt that when searching, I had paid a little extra compared to similar rated hotels for a more luxurious experience, and the details in this hotel let...

My experience at the Dingle Skellig Hotel was disappointing, primarily due to the poor customer service I encountered at checkout.

The receptionist, an older woman with short hair, was unprofessional and dismissive. While I approached the front desk to check out alone (my husband and son were loading our luggage in the car park), she was engaged in a lengthy conversation with other guest. After I provided my room number, she handed me an invoice and immediately began assisting a man behind me, asking if he needed to check out, without acknowledging me further.

I paid the bill with my credit card, but the receptionist offered no thanks, no eye contact, and no acknowledgment. When I asked if that was all, she curtly replied, “Yes, that’s it.” Having spent nearly €600 on a room and dinner, I felt disregarded and disrespected.

As someone who frequently visits Ireland with my Irish husband, staying at numerous hotels over the past 20 years, I have never experienced such indifference.

Later, while reviewing the invoice in the car, I noticed a €2 gym charge for a facility we never used. Though very minor, the receptionist’s earlier rudeness prompted me to return and address the error. When I pointed out the mistake, she checked her computer, said, “Oh, €2,” and placed a coin on the counter—no apology, no explanation.

When I expressed frustration that a customer had to return to correct an error and still received no apology, she deflected responsibility, stating, “I didn’t charge the fee, the gym put it on!”

This was unacceptable. As the hotel’s representative, a simple apology for the oversight should be standard, regardless of who applied the charge.

The hotel itself was underwhelming for a supposed 4-star property. The room felt dated, and the restaurant was average at best. No air conditioning in the room. While these aspects were tolerable, the lack of basic customer service training for the staff, particularly at the front desk, was a significant letdown.

After this experience, I will not return to the Dingle Skellig Hotel. Spending hard-earned money to feel dismissed and undervalued is not something I’m...