Maynooth Campus — Hotel in The Municipal District of Clane — Maynooth

I hate to write bad reviews, but this one got to come out. Just about everything went wrong. I came here for 5 nights in May with my daughter who was attending a seminar at Maynooth University, and my 2 yr old grandchild. We had requested two rooms in a 3 room apartment, one with a double bed for mom and toddler to sleep together (she even called ahead to reiterate the double) and a single for grandma. The apartment had an unfinished feel to it, grey unpainted cement walls and a green dirty floor carpet. To our surprise both rooms had single beds. The person at the reception was a nice lady but didn’t seem to know a solution, no she was not able to give us a key to check if the 3rd room had that sought after double bed, nor find us an extra bed that mom could put next to hers. Yes she would try to reach the manager. We noticed that she was alone, had a long line of check inners, dealing with us and probably other guest issues as well. After a long international travel day with a tired toddler, a grumpy grandma, repeated walks over to reception and waiting we just wanted to go to sleep, so a good enough solution was needed. We discovered a messy storage room in the apt wherein we found a small bedframe on wheels! We moved it next to the single bed. Bravo! Just needed mattress and bed sheets. We walked back to the reception to inquire. This time greeted by a new and more experienced lady. She was able to give us a key to the precious 3rd room and a permission to use it as needed. Oh no the key to that important room did not work. By this time, we were really done with obstacles. After a few calls reception picked up and actually came over (for the first time) to assist. We finally had a single mattress and bed sheets for toddler. The mattress was too long for that small bedframe, but all we wanted was to go to sleep, so we found a a coffee table to support the flapping end. Next discovery on our road of misery was no hot water and no heat. Mom took a cold shower that night, which was not really a shower but more like a knob on the wall that created a spraying mist like a watering system in a yard. Not user friendly for moms with long, thick hair. Next we discovered the barren kitchen. It was missing pots and pans, glasses and coffeemaker, just about nothing was in there. We asked and got a pot and some bowls. Only one of the rooms came with towels, we asked for more and got. We inquired about the heat the next day, it turned out that there was a mounted thermostat on the wall that needed to be turned on. Strangely no one thought of turning it on before our check in, nor inform us of its existence. Promptly at 8:30 AM the next morning a flock of workers and the manager showed up! To install a double bed. Mom politely turned the offer down, having worked all last night to come up with a suitable sleeping arrangement for her and toddler, and having lost all faith in bed arrangements at this place. They insisted. The double bed had to be installed right then. A double mattress was fetched from that messy storage room, that actually turned out to be a bathroom. Once a pile of sheets, towels and that mattress was gone a toilet appeared. A strange place to store bedsheets. Next obstacle turned up on day 3. Grandma needed a good shower after a day with a toddler who likes to throw sand. With the hair conditioner still in I noticed a puddle of water on the shower floor. Oh no flooding the entire bathroom floor and seeping into the green carpet of the room as well. Oh dear the drain was totally clogged. It was not fun crawling naked on that floor, wringing a soaked towel repeatedly into the toilet, shivering (the heat never worked), with that hair conditioner still in. Fortunately, the shower downstairs worked well enough to finish the job. Maynooth is a lovely place to visit, the university and its gardens are a work of art and the staff at the reception is indeed very nice. Just keep your expectations to minimal if you want to stay at their...

My girlfirend lives in Maynooth and I took a trip up to see her, I stayed here, upon arrival the reception was unbearably rude to my partner, when she tried to check in the was apparently a sign saying no entry to the recetpion.. which was actually there but in a place you wouldn’t see it, she was told to leave then, we then got an email to say we could go back and check in but the sign was still there so we emailed and a woman came out and tore it up and huffed and puffed. We got in and she didn’t take any details, (her details were taken online booking but mine were for room) |She was very distraught by the actions of the reception. I go upstairs and try to find the room as we didn’t get directions. I found the room and the state of the room was rediculous, the floor was torn up, the mugs were dirty, white stains on the bed(I hope it wasn’t what I think it was) I emailed to make a complaint and got passed along a chain to be followed with a threat saying it’s not my room and I’ll be fined 120 for it!! How have they made such a holy f*uck up… emailed back saying this was my room and this was what we tried to say to reception but they didn’t care, they only wanted the pay at the end of the week… |They threatened to call authorities and have me blacklisted. For what? Making a complaint? That is absurd… |I would advise any solo people or couples to avoid, as we are looked down on and threatened with blackmails when asking about the pure state of the room!! |Photos...

La petite ville de Maynooth, située à 25km à l’ouest de Dublin mérite le détour pour ceux qui aiment les lieux historiques, les petites villes typiques, les belles universités anciennes. On y accède facilement par la quatre voies (N4/N6), en train (30 min) et en bus à l’impériale (bus 66, 1h). La visite commence par le célèbre Maynooth College fondé en 1795 sur le double site du collège Sainte-Marie fondé en 1516, supprimé par la couronne anglaise lors de la réforme protestante, et du château médiéval des Fitzgerald, puissante famille irlandaise, propriétaires de la plus importante collection de livres au 16e siècle et dont les imposantes ruines se trouvent à l’entrée du collège. Ce dernier comporte aujourd’hui l’Université nationale d’Irlande (université publique), l’Université pontificale (université catholique et privée) et le Grand séminaire catholique d’Irlande. Le campus historique comporte plusieurs imposantes maisons des 18e et 19e siècles : la Stoyte House du nom de celui qui gérait la propriété du temps du duc de Leinster (18e s.), les maisons Rhetoric et Logic (début 19e s.) qui rappellent le cursus d’études d’alors, les bâtiments Saint-Patrick et Sainte-Marie de style néogothique (mi-19e s.) , la magnifique chapelle aux 454 stalles individuelles, deux squares imposants l’un planté d’arbres et de fleurs l’autre en forme de jardin mystique, un musée, un superbe parc avec son touchant cimetière au bout d’une allée d’ifs. L’édifice néogothique possède la plus grande salle à manger collégiale d’Europe, aux portraits des premiers professeurs dont de nombreux Sorbonnards et une très belle bibliothèque académique aux nombreux manuscrits et livres rares. Un deuxième campus très moderne possède plusieurs bâtiments contemporains et constitue le reflet parfait de ce qui est sans doute le plus beau campus universitaire d’Irlande. On peut y loger (réservations au Maynooth Conference Centre) dans une intéressante gamme de chambres : de la simple chambre de séminariste (single et double) à la chambre épiscopale et à la suite cardinalice. Ceux qui disposent d’une voiture pourront explorer le parc du Carton House Hotel, dîner au Moyglare Manor ou au Barberstown Castle tout proches ou manger chez Michelangelo à Celbridge (5 km) devant l’entrée du célèbre Castletown House (manoir du 18e s.). Maynooth possède aussi plusieurs restaurants et surtout des pubs typiques : le Roost, Caulfield’s, Brady’s, laissez-vous tenter. Pour résumer l’Irlande propose plusieurs beaux campus qui méritent la visite : Belfast (la « Queen’s U.» toute en brique rouge au sein d’un véritable quartier universitaire), Dublin (le « Trinity » collège, célèbre université anglaise malheureusement très confinée par le centre urbain de Dublin et très touristique), Derry (une des villes les plus historiques d’Irlande avec son « Magee » collège qui domine le delta du Foyle), Cork (le « University Collège », bijou d’architecture au quadrilatère inachevé), Coleraine (fac des années 1960 sans charme et sans arbre, exposé aux vents arctiques), Galway (campus bilingue exemplaire où on entend pourtant peu parler l’irlandais quand les étudiants sont en vacances et qui tourne malheureusement le dos à la rivière Corrib, dommage), Limerick (l’UL au beau campus mêlant l’ancien et le moderne le long du fleuve Shannon mais loin du centre ville), la DCU (périphérie de Dublin, au campus ultra moderne et assez étriqué, située dans un quartier excentrique sans charme), l’UCD (plus grande université d’Irlande au très grand campus et assez loin en banlieue), la petite « Sainte-Angela’s » à Sligo qui domine le magnifique lac Gill, mais le campus historique de Maynooth Collège n’a pas son égal pour approcher l’âme intellectuelle du pays. N’hésitez pas à y réserver une chambre pendant une nuit ou deux, c’est un régal pour le touriste sérieux à l’affut d’expériences originales, abordables...