My wife and I have just returned from the Clontarf castle and all I can say is superb!! The reception staff and concierge were all very polite and helpful. The room was spotlessly clean and very well appointed.

The room had a huge bed with a backlit panel which gave a soft red glow to the room. The blackout Velux remote controlled blinds were a nice touch too! Although the room was possibly smaller than some of the other rooms in the hotel (due to it having a sloping roof at one side) it was absolutely perfect. On the last night we upgraded to a Junior Suite with a four poster which equally as nice but maybe not worth the extra 110 euros that we spent.

The reception area and all of the restuarants and bars retained all the original features of the castle whilst the recent addition of a glass entrance to the hotel added a little modern luxury.

We only ate at the Knights Bar and although maybe a little expensive, the food was very tasty.

The hotel does have other large venue rooms which hosted weddings on the Friday and Saturday. On the Saturday we heard a little noise from the disco but it was nothing to bother about. I suppose it may depend on where in the hotel you are though.

If you can manage to get a package with breakfast then do it! On Saturday and Sunday the breakfast was served buffet style with the exception of tea/coffee and toast presumably to accommodate all the wedding guests. On Monday and Tuesday you ordered from the menu. They had just about every type of breaksfast that you could want including continental style. Oh, the scrambled eggs are delicious!

The hotel is well placed to be close enough to Dublin to just hop on a train and far enough away to explore the coast line going towards Howth. My wife and I hired a car and for the one day we spent in Dublin we drove to Clontarf D.A.R.T station which is about a mile away, parked the car for free and payed 2. 50 each for return to Dublin city centre. If you've not got a car I guess the station may be a little harder to reach and is not really in walking distance.

To sum up, I could not fault this hotel. It is just as nice if not better looking than the official web photos. The staff are always willing to help, the food is great, the rooms have real character and is a must stay at if you are visiting Dublin!!