Booking

While the Westin is a Virtuoso hotel, I used points for our stay, as rates were pretty high and I felt that 12,000 SPG points per night here was very reasonable, if not a tad underpriced.

I secured a paid upgrade to a Deluxe Writer’s Room in advance. The hotel was very responsive in advance of our arrival with both requests and dinner bookings, though I did find the concierge to be a bit pushy about one particular booking...I requested a reservation, the concierge informed me that the restaurant was full but that they made me a reservation at “a lovely alternative.”

I responded with a different restaurant that I had wanted to try, and the spirit of the concierge’s reply was essentially “well, it’s a Saturday night and bookings will be hard to come by, so I suggest we just stick with the one I booked for you.”

Not the response I had hoped for/expected, and I ended up having American Express make the booking for me instead.

Room

While the hotel itself is quite nice -- and perfectly located for sightseeing, right at the edge of Temple Bar -- I’d categorize the room as simply fine. Nothing too special. A little dark, a little cramped.

If I went again, I’d spring for the suite.



An awkwardly positioned corner window looked out onto a shared “balcony” with the room next door, but which was occupied by a family of pigeons for our entire stay.





The bathroom was large and nicely appointed:





Overall

I can’t comment too much on the service and dining at this hotel...it was the property we spent the least amount of time in during our trip, as we were out in Dublin for most of the three days we were there. Aside from a room service caesar salad (which was, again, fine), we didn’t eat here, either.

The hotel is in a great location, and I’d certainly give it another try...though I suspect most folks here who prefer larger, more luxurious rooms will likely be disappointed by the non-suite rooms.

Booking

After Dublin, we drove west to the Burren, which was a spectacular, surreal moonscape, and probably our favorite part of Ireland.

We spent our first night at the charming Wild Honey Inn. While not luxury, it was very good, and the food was excellent....its run by a chef with a very impressive pedigree of top restaurants and his wife. While the inn probably doesnt belong in this forum, Id be happy to share pics via PM if anyone is interested.

We had planned to spend our second night in Ennis (along the route from the Burren to Killarney), but decided that we liked the Burren so much that wed stay another night.

I remembered seeing Gregans Castle in my research, and was happy to find that it was only 15 minutes away. As it was already check-in time, I called them directly and got a walk-up discount from a very friendly FOM.

While I booked a Junior Suite, I was very happy when we arrived and were told that wed been upgraded to the Martyn Suite, a gorgeous room that I wish wed had more time in.

Room



The sitting room of the Martyn Suite:



The suite comes with private access to a courtyard (though the courtyard has windows that face into the hallways of the hotel):





The walls were covered in all sorts of ornate wallpapering.



And the fireplace in the Martyn Suite (with the family crest at the top) is the oldest surviving part of the entire hotel -- dating back hundreds of years!



Service

We only stayed a night and didnt have any serious requests, but the staff here were warm and welcoming throughout our stay.

Dining

Only the bar was open for dinner on the night we stayed, and the food was very good, though as I understand it, the restaurant is much, much better and a destination in itself.

Breakfast was excellent, and consisted of a cold buffet along with hot menu items made to order.

Overall

Incredibly charming, and a great place to stay in the Burren. It seems like if you want luxury in Co Clare, this is the place to be.

One thing to note, if its important for you (it was for me), is that WiFi was so slow as to be unusable in the Martyn Suite, though it was fine in some various sitting areas throughout the hotel where I ended up getting some work done.

Booking

After the Burren, we headed south to Killarney, where we stayed at the Aghadoe Heights Hotel and Spa.

We booked viapricesquire, who secured us a guaranteed upgrade at booking from a garden suite into a lakeside suite, a complimentary Irish Coffee as well as the standard Virtuoso amenities (a whiskey tasting for two and a Shannon airport transfer, the latter of which we had no need for). Breakfast is listed as a Virtuoso amenity, though I find this pretty odd, as breakfast is included for all guests of the hotel.

Room

The suite here was very spacious and nice, but the real stunner was the floor-to-ceiling window that stretched across the entire suite with gorgeous views of Lake Killarney.



Yes, that’s a cemetery directly in front of us, though we got used to overlooking it after a day or so

The bathroom was big with a large tub and Voya amenities:





A fruit platter and water were waiting for us, along with a Nespresso machine (the water was replenished daily).









Service

Between activity bookings and advice, I asked a lot of the hotel both prior to and during our stay, and they were helpful and generous with their guidance. The restaurant staff, especially, were incredibly welcoming, and took the time to get to know us throughout our four nights. Each morning, walking into breakfast felt like entering a restaurant where you’re a regular; it was very comfortable.

Spa

We were really looking forward to the spa here, as it’s a focal point of the property and gets top billing in most reviews. But unfortunately, we were less than impressed.

Their “thermal suite” (complimentary access with Virtuoso bookings) has heated loungers, a dry sauna, a few different types of steam rooms (with various scents/intensities) and some “hydrotherapy” showers.

I love steam rooms, but something in the air felt a bit off about them here...it seemed a little stale and dirty. My fears were confirmed when I ran my fingers across a slimy bench in one of the steam rooms; this place needs to be cleaned a lot better. It was enough to turn my wife off from the whole spa, and we didn’t return to the spa after the first day.

Dining

The breakfast here was excellent, and the restaurant was so good (and the TripAdvisor-recommended dud we tried in town the first night so bad) that we ended up eating nearly all of our dinners here. The lamb, beef and butter were spectacular (as they were all throughout Ireland).

Overall

I must admit, my first impression of the property as we walked around on the first day was “business resort.” It seemed like the type of place that would be perfect for a corporate retreat. And it probably is.

But the longer we stayed and interacted with the staff, the more we felt like this was truly a luxury hotel and a great choice for a couples getaway.

We drove past The Europe, the newer, slicker Virtuoso option, but given the choice I’d happily return to Aghadoe.

The Cliff House, Co Waterford

Booking

After Killarney, we drove west -- with a stop in Cork for a delicious lunch at The English Market -- to Ardmore. I try not to use the word cute if I dont have to, but Im not sure theres a better way to describe this charming town

We booked two nights in a Deluxe Terrace Room at The Cliff House, a Relaix & Chateaux property, throughpricesquire, and received a complimentary guided cliff walk -- which was a fascinating walk of the beautiful cliffside trail behind the property, WELL worth doing for troves of historical insights you would never stumble upon yourself.

Room

Because the hotel is built into the side of a cliff, it has a bit of an odd layout with multiple connecting buildings. We had to go upstairs and then downstairs again to get to our room from the lobby. Its a bit confusing at first.

The Deluxe Terrace room was a bit small, but had, as the name suggests, a stunning terrace looking out over Ardmore Bay.



The decor was a classier, less contrived version of the W aesthetic, with lots of purples and pinks and modern touches:









Spa

We booked some massages in the spa here, and we both loved them. The spa is tranquil and beautiful, and we also spent plenty of time in the pool, outdoor hot tub and sauna/steam room (which were immaculate).

Dining

The Cliff House is known for their Michelin-starred house restaurant. We actually moved our booking around to stay on a night when the restaurant was open (its closed Sundays and Mondays), and we were thrilled that we did.

The tasting menu was one of the more playful and inventive that Ive ever had. It was delicious, but seeing every course was a show in itself. It was a lot of fun, and Id highly recommend it.

Breakfast, as expected, was also fantastic...the best of our trip.

Overall

Despite the smallish room, The Cliff House was our favorite hotel in Ireland. The food or the views alone make the hotel worth a stop, but both, combined with the fantastic pool and spa, make this a must-visit for anyone traveling through this way.

The K Club, Co Kildare

Booking, Check-In and Room

On our last night, we moved to the K Club to be closer to Dublin Airport for our flight home.

Again, we booked viapricesquire, who got us an upgrade at booking from a Deluxe Suite to a Liffey Suite, as well as the standard Virtuoso amenities (breakfast, a $100USD credit and a tour of the art collection, which wasn’t available on the night we stayed).

While the booking went smoothly, check-in fell far, far short of expectations.

We arrived into a lobby that resembled something of a zoo, with two loud American wedding parties in the process of checking in, and a clearly overwhelmed front desk staff trying to deal with it.

We arrived at 2:30 (30 minutes before check-in) and our room wasn’t ready. Fair enough. They told us it would be a few minutes. We took a walk around the beautiful house gardens, and returned to wait in the lobby. A few minutes after 3, we were handed keys to our Liffey Suite.

The room itself was very nice, with elegant furnishings and huge windows overlooking the garden:





Unfortunately, as we were getting settled in, we heard the loud smash of a hammer outside...we looked outside and sure enough, there was a full construction setup not ten feet from one of our windows, with workers hammering away as if they got paid by the decibel.

There was no way we were going to be able to relax in here.

I went downstairs to ask for a new suite, and the frazzled front desk person asked me to wait in one of the lobby chairs. After 20 minutes of waiting, a staff member escorted me to the King Suite.

While entirely without construction noise, the King Suite is dark (the windows are, without exaggeration, probably 18 inches tall...compare that to the Liffey suite), drab and with a few of the parking lot. It needed a renovation ages ago.

Unfortunately, I was told it was the only other room available, as the wedding party had booked all of the other garden-view rooms.

I begrudgingly accepted.

I sentpricesquirean email letting him know what had happened, and asking if there was anything his contacts at the property could do. I didn’t really expect anything, and we had resigned ourselves to spending our last night in Ireland the King’s Dungeon.

And thus starts the story of the time I was most grateful to be working with a great TA.

20 minutes later, a knock on our door. An apologetic FOM asks us to leave our things and follow her to a “much better room.”

And indeed, we were finally made happy with the beautiful Presidential Suite (reserved for the President of Complaining, as my wife would later speculate)...along with a complimentary bottle of wine and dessert at the house restaurant. Truly above and beyond, as all I really wanted was the room type I originally booked -- or something similar -- without construction noise.













Dining and Activities

We ate at the property’s Thai restaurant, which, as long as you’re not expecting anything too authentic, was a welcome break from two weeks of hearty Irish meals. I’d recommend it.

We also tried our hand at horseback riding, which takes place at a horse farm a few miles from the hotel. This was a lot of fun, and a great way to spend our last morning...the staff at the farm were very friendly and helpful to us -- and especially my wife, who wasn’t exactly excited about her “feisty” mare.

Overall

The hotel is certainly grand and beautiful:



But the conclusion we came to was that it was simply too big for us. While the suite we ended up with was certainly luxurious, the property never felt as welcoming as the smaller properties we’ve enjoyed most.

The recovery -- while it’s unfortunate that it was necessary -- was excellent, though I’m not sure we’ll return.

It is, however, a very convenient last stop near Dublin airport, so as long as your expectations are realistic, it’ll probably serve you just fine.