Ashdown Park Hotel and Leisure Club — Hotel in The Municipal District of Gorey — Kilmuckridge

I booked a spa weekend for 18 people. It was a hen for an ever so slightly more mature crowd. From the initial enquiry email and right through the entire process it was a pleasure to deal with the reservations staff at the Ashdown Park hotel. We had some people stay one night, some two nights, some had afternoon tea and we all had dinner and spa treatments. Nothing was too much for the staff.

The bedrooms were much bigger than we expected. Three of us stayed in a triple which was actually a really large family room. From what I could see it could sleep 8. This was ideal as we wanted everyone to congregate in this room before dinner for a few glasses of bubbles and chats. The decor in this room was a little more dated than other rooms but it was perfect for the large group and exactly what we were looking for.

The spa was just delicious. From the moment you enter it's just peace and serenity and the treatments were fabulous. 6 of us went in at the same time and there was a lovely tranquil lounging area for us to sit and chat while others received treatments.

The bar area is lovely, with a separate dining area and a large leafy courtyard beer garden that makes you feels like you are far from the busy crowds.

The 3 course meal included in the package was amazing. I was a little fearful that due to the size of our group we may have received a smaller menu with less option but so many commented on how much they enjoyed it. The Rowan restaurant is tastefully decorated and has a lovely large terrace where we could chat before courses.

All in all I was very impressed. At least 7 people in the group commented on the morning of check out that they would be returning for another break in the future and asked how we came to find this hotel. I hope that the business and clientele of Ashdown Park hotel grow as this is truly a great hotel.

Small note : The only small thing we felt could be improved upon was the breakfast. There was a small continental buffet, and then a menu which had the traditional fry up breakfast that we all expect but the alternative options just didn't spark joy. The avocado smash with poached eggs (my go to) was disappointing. Avocado seemed to have come from a tube perhaps, sour dough was toasted making it very crunchy and dry and poached eggs were a bit over cooked on both mornings. Frittata was also a bit disappointing. However restaurant staff were lovely and we didn't mention any of this to them as we were so happy with everything else...

★★★☆☆ – “Nice setting but disappointing service and noisy nights”

We stayed at Ashdown Park Hotel in Gorey for three nights as a couple. The location is convenient, the hotel has a certain charm, and the rooms are spacious enough. One real highlight was the Steakhouse at Rowan—the food was fantastic, perfectly cooked, and the service there was genuinely wonderful. It felt like a completely different standard compared to the rest of the hotel and was easily the best part of our stay.

However, a number of things stopped this from being the relaxing break we’d hoped for. Breakfast was just ok. The choice was fine, but nothing to get excited about. The biggest let-down was the coffee—strong, burnt, and frankly awful—and if you want a proper barista coffee, you have to pay extra for it. For a four-star hotel, that felt a bit mean-spirited.

The rooms have no air conditioning, so we had to sleep with the window open, but the outside noise was constant and loud. If you like to turn in early (around 10 pm), forget about a good night’s sleep—there’s too much going on outside for that.

One particular incident in the Coach Bar left a sour taste. We were sitting there with about ten other customers being happily served by the bar staff. When I went up for two pints of Guinness, the staff had briefly stepped away and Paula appeared. She asked what I wanted, and when I told her, she said, “This bar is closed—you’ll have to go to the other bar.” I did so, only to come back and find everyone else still being served by other staff in the Coach Bar. It was clear the bar wasn’t closed—she simply didn’t want to serve me. Paula also came across as lazy throughout our stay, spending more time standing around giving orders than helping guests.

To make matters worse, three days after we checked out and paid our bill in full, the hotel sent another invoice claiming they had undercharged us by one night and tried to charge an additional €165. For a supposed four-star establishment, this left us feeling more frustrated than valued.

The hotel does seem to cater heavily to the over-65s, which brings a quieter, more traditional atmosphere during the day, but if you’re after consistently friendly service and a peaceful night’s sleep, it may not be the best fit.

Bottom line: The hotel has potential, and the Rowan Steakhouse was excellent, but between inconsistent service, post-stay billing issues, and noise problems, it’s hard to recommend without...

Don’t be fooled by their great marketing team, the food and pool area are especially terrible.

Any photos of the food on their website must have been taken a long time ago under a different chef or not at this hotel at all. I was fooled by the pretty marketing into booking a three course meal along with our stay. The brown bread served with the soup was inedibly stale, the main dishes underwhelming (no top piece of bread to my steak sandwich??) with terribly tough cold stale chips, and neither of us could finish the gross dessert course (usually our favorite). We raised these complaints to the staff and were not offered refunds, replacements for the inedible items, or even complimentary drinks. The “hot full Irish breakfast” isn’t any better — it’s dry, served buffet style, and very salty. The saving grace of breakfast was the local orange blossom & Wexford seasalt butter. It was good enough to even make the stale pastries & old bread palatable! A Gorey based friend told me the Ashdown used to have a real focus on local ingredients and seasonal produce and it made me sad to see how far the standards have clearly fallen since then.

Also, that relaxing looking pool & sauna situation? It’s open to the public, super crowded, and the gym/pool front desk staff were so rude, they clearly don’t want hotel guests joining the throng. I’m so glad I didn’t book any spa treatments, if I came out of a massage and had to fight my way through that locker room & sauna situation I’d be so jarred.

We stayed at the Ashdown April 2nd-4th 2025. The hotel room was fine, nothing special. We had an issue with temperature during our stay — it was absolutely swelteringly hot, not only in our room but also in all the hallways and the common areas. All the radiators were on despite warm & sunny weather. We were told nothing could be done about this.

I must reiterate how duped I felt by the website of this place. It’s like they’re taking the photos at an entirely different place, ESPECIALLY of the food.

I would advise anyone against staying here or especially...