Kinnitty Castle Hotel — Hotel in The Municipal District of Birr

I researched for months before booking, I was looking for a true castle that didn't just look like a nice hotel on the inside. I finally decided this was the one and planned my entire trip around being here on my 20 year anniversary. This was the most important thing of my whole vacation and what I was most excited for. When we arrived the castle was absolutely beautiful.. that's where it ended. We were greeted by 2 not so friendly woman (one seeming to be trained the other a manager) I asked about which room I would be getting and explained that I had been emailing months before and asked about 2 specific rooms. I was told at that time that they could not guarantee rooms but the ones I wanted were in the most expensive a 4 price levels. So, I booked and paid for that level of room. I was told at check in that yes I was able to get the room I wanted and paid for. I was beyond excited! When I was taken to my room to my surprise it was nothing like the room I had requested, I had even sent pictures in my previous email of what I wanted. I expressed this to the girl that seemed to be in training and we went back to check in where I was told that the room I wanted would be a down grade from the room I wanted, I was fine with this because I had only booked what I was told to. To shorten this story up over the next hour I was told with a look of disgust that it was a down grade, they looked up my email as if I was lying that was 6 months previous, told me that the room I wanted didn't exist (even though it was posted on tripadvisor by management),told me the person who sent it did not work there any longer, after all of this I was finally told that they could change my room. I was taken to this room with 0 help with my bags (all the way to the attic) where I was told this was the same room I asked for but that they had taken the large wrought iron light over the bath tub down (another lie it was not the same room) I then asked since I was mislead to book the most expensive room could I get the difference back. I was then told that the room was more expensive and they had to base it on that days prices.... another lie! I looked up the room I was in immediately and it was 80.00 cheaper at that exact moment. Needless to say everything that I hoped for had been wrecked by the worst customer service I experienced in my entire 11 day trip. My room was beautiful but all the treatment, lies and rudeness had canceled out all my excitement. Do not go here with any expectations. Fyi my friends rooms that paid for the cheapest rooms were nicer and more authentic then what they...

On our two week tour of Ireland, this was the stay we were most looking forward to. A night in a castle! We upgraded to a baronial room, added a three course dinner that we were looking forwards to dressing up for and making it our special night on the trip, and clay pigeon shooting to round out our stay. Upon pulling up to the hotel, it was beautiful. You can't knock staying in a castle. When we checked in, we were told the restaurant is under renovation, so we would have to eat in their pub area. Very disappointed... then upon getting to our room, I was even more disappointed. It was not like the picture of the baronial room at all! The photo online shows a room draped in red, and a sitting area. Our room was more basic. I even went back to the front desk to see if were were given the wrong room, and were told that it was in a fact a baronial room, and there is more than one and they all look different. I can't fault them for the fact it was so hot that we couldn't even stand it - and the windows only opened a crack. They can't control the weather. But when asked for a fan, the first one was broken. The second one was broken, and finally the third one worked. The pub dinner was OK. Nothing great, and not what we were planning at all. The grounds of the hotel were OK... but they seemed run down and could use some sprucing up. If given some attention, this place would be amazing. The pros were that we got to stay in a castle, the staff was very nice, and we were refunded for the prepaid dinner. Our bathtub was beautiful, but the separate shower was so small that you could barley turn around in it. The negatives were that the room was not what we envisioned for our special stay, the food was OK, but we had better in pubs out in town, there was no help in bringing suitcases up two and a half flights of stairs to our room, and there was no wifi unless you sat at the reception desk. We visted Dromoland Castle to partake in their falconry experience only a few days earlier, and they had uniformed staff at the door to welcome you, immaculate grounds, free wifi, and they made you feel like royalty, even if you were not a guest. That is what a castle experience in Ireland should be like. This was more of a plain hotel that was pretty on the outside... If you are going to splurge on a special night in Ireland, this is not the...

This hotel is amazing. This was the last stop of our 17 day tour of Ireland and was, by far, the best place we stayed. My wife and I had been there about 3 hours when we went to the front desk and asked to extend our stay another day, foregoing another location we planned on staying. The hotel is beautiful and peaceful. The staff is amazing. The food is very good and the Dungeon bar staff was excellent and this ended up being our after sightseeing hangout every night. The hotel location is awesome. Out in the country and away from the throngs of tourists but very centrally located. If you like day trips it is just over an hour drive to Dublin. The hotel was not overly crowded so it gave a very comfortable feel.

The first day we arrived we were interested in some of the things to do nearby. Within a few minutes of talking to the front desk staff they had three days of sights for us to visit. All withing a short distance. We wanted to go horseback riding and after on phone call we had a 2 hour horseback trip scheduled.

The horseback trip was amazing and went up into the hills surrounding the castle. Our guide was awesome and took us to a number of scenic areas. Just also happily took a number of photos for us. The horses were great and easy to handle, even for novice horseback riders.

Seeing Leap Castle was one of our main goals and the desk staff made a quick phone call to Sean Ryan and scheduled us a time to visit.

Now I will say if you are looking for a perfect reproduction castle this may not be the place but if you want the feel of staying in a real castle, with some modern amenities then don't miss it here.

The stories of hauntings at the castle are not just stories. Our unusual experiences started as soon as we got into our room and a number of other times throughout the stay. Nothing scary just good fun and interesting.

The entire stay was exceedingly delightful. The staff was incredible. The food was tasty. The breakfast was made to order and delicious and there is a lot to see and do nearby. I can't recommend this hotel enough. We will definitely be back. Thanks for everything...