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Kilkea Castle Hotel and Golf Course sits on 180 acres. It is less than one hour from Dublin. We have a variety of accommodations. Our newly renovated castle and carriage houses redefine luxury. Our renovated 3 bedroom self catering lodges are perfect for groups or families. We have a restaurant open 7 days a week serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Kilkea is the perfect spot for a golf outing, fairytale wedding, family reunion or corporate retreat. It is one of the oldest inhabited castles in Ireland dating back to 1180.
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Nestled in a picturesque setting, Kilkea Castle captivates guests with its enchanting atmosphere, blending historic charm with contemporary comfort. The hotel's rooms are often commended for their style and coziness, though a few guests have mentioned issues with size and upkeep. Service at Kilkea Castle typically receives high marks for staff attentiveness and warmth. While the cleanliness is generally celebrated, especially the well-kept grounds, there have been rare mentions of cleanliness lapses in the showers.
The location is acclaimed for its beauty and suitability for events, adding to the hotel's appeal. Opinions on value vary, with some guests questioning additional costs despite the overall positive experience. Luxurious amenities, including a praised spa, contribute to the hotel's allure, although the absence of certain features like a mini-fridge and pool has been noted by some visitors.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Enchanting
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Lavish
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Kilkea Castle - As you arrive, the first thing you notice is how beautiful the Castle and grounds look. The grounds are so well maintained, the signage all very clear and easy to follow, the small details really stand out like a little bench that say's "one day at a time" as you drive in. We had booked to use the Spa facilities. 1 Hour access to the thermal spa & one 50 minute treatment. As you enter the spa you greeted immediately by a smiling face. The lovely receptionist had asked me to fill out a form as I was getting a treatment done. This form was to select your preferences and cover the basics, allergies, pregnant etc. We then got escorted down to the ladies & gents changing rooms. The ladies changing room was spotless! Floors, lockers (with individual lock codes) Mirrors, showers & toilets, I could not fault the cleanliness. They even went the extra mile by adding hairdryers, cotton pads, kleenex etc to the vanity table. A robe as soft and fluffy as a teddy bear was provided, along with personalised Kilkea flip flops. I then headed down to the thermal spa. The minute you walk in you can feel a sense of tranquility. Access to the thermal suite includes the hydrotherapy pool, sauna, steamroom, an ice bucket and relaxtionation area. I spent 1 hour here with my partner before getting called for my treatment. My Masseuse Laura, she was so calming, made me feel so comfortable and really understood my preference. She checked in many times to see if I was ok and if i needed to adjust the pressure etc of my massage. Laura then finished off my treatment with the BEST head & scalp massage I have ever had and took me down to the relaxation room, which had sorbet and water waiting there for me. After I showered and got ready, I met my partner to head over to Hermione's restaurant at the clubhouse for some lunch. We walked across which is only 2 minutes from the spa. The hostess gave us a very warm welcome and showed us to our table. We had ordered some soft drinks while deciding what to have to eat. I went for the Cajun chicken burger and my Partner Graham had the wild mushroom chicken penne pasta. Both these dishes where absolutely amazing! For dessert I had the Warm apple pie, with Vanilla ice-cream & Graham had the Sticky Toffee Pudding. The sticky toffee pudding was my favorite, I even asked Graham to switch after tasting it. We then ended our evening by having a coffee and walking the grounds. It was so nice to see families and friends getting together, walking around, playing golf or even just having a bite to eat in clubhouse. We would like to say a special thank you to Cavan for arranging this for us, he always goes the extra mile and we are very grateful. Nikita & Graham.
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Date of stay: October 2024
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kilkea Castle, General Manager at Kilkea Castle
Responded 29 Oct 2024
Dear nikitawoods1 Many thanks for taking the time to share this review on TripAdvisor. I do hope that we have the pleasure of welcoming you back to Kilkea Castle again soon. Best wishes Aidan O'Sullivan General Manager
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We booked a girls night away with Kilkea castle and to our great delight it surpassed our expectations ! The venue is exceptional but the staff are the real assets . Very welcoming and hospitable nothing was too much of a trouble or effort ! We had the Winter glow at the Spa , the girls were absolutely amazing ! Spoiled us every second we were there . I forgot my swimming suite , straight away I was offered one at a size that would fit. It was truly a great experience. We asked for an extra set of toiletries and a toothbrush ( we thought not in a million years they would give us one !) , a lovely girl brough everything to our room withing 5 minutes ! We went to Herminy restaurant , there was enough choice to please everyone !I had fish and it was delicious ! Very very reasonably priced compared to Dublin! We decided to get a drink at the Castle bar - the barman ,with a real iriah charm looked after us , made sure we had a " top up" , "another round from the same " and 2 am we finally went to the room to have a rest. Time flew between the our own chats and the barmans drinks and jokes ! The following morning breakfast was delicious . It was busy morning , so we had to wait for the food but I think they were just understaffed .Regardless , the staff was so attentive ,polite and courtatious ! No preassure to leave the room at all eventhough they could do with the extra table if we left ! We took a stroll around the grounds , it started raining and a lovely guy working there passed by us and gave us an umbrella so we didnt get wet ! It is my second time withing 6 months there and we will be going back for sure ! Thank you Killkea Team , you made the night away such a good memory for all the right reasons. See you again in October !
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Date of stay: January 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kilkea Castle, General Manager at Kilkea Castle
Responded 28 Jan 2025
Dear Tina_h18 Many thanks for taking the time to share this review on TripAdvisor. I do hope that we have the pleasure of welcoming you back to Kilkea Castle again soon. Warm regards Aidan O'Sullivan General Manager
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What a place is all i can say if I could give 100 stars I would . Myself and my partner stayed one night in a deluxe carriage room on the 31st for my birthday and it was pure absolute luxury as we checked in the door man was lovely carried our bags and my birthday cake check in was smooth and staff where lovely our room was absolutely beautiful and spotless. Afterwards we went to the bar and requested a bucket of ice for our room and the staff couldn't of been any more helpful. Afterthought we went to the spa and to the thermal suite again the greeting staff where lovely complimented my dress and brought me to the ladies room promptly and my partner the same the spa was also absolutely beautiful and we loved it . Then we went back to our room to freshen up for dinner and went to herimones restaurant where we had a three course meal and each plate was practically licked clean . We then had drinks by the fire and really enjoyed the peaceful music and chilled atmosphere and wonderful staff that kept checking we were enjoying ourselves we went to bed and slept like a dream our bed was so comfortable . The shower tea coffee making facilities again where brilliant. We had breakfast at 1180 restaurant and loved the experience we felt like we were celebrities we were that well look ed after and food was delicious . We finished our stay with a nice coffee by the fire and watched as all the staff prepped for the incoming wedding absolutely beautiful place so much so we are returning next week to celebrate valentines day
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Date of stay: January 2025
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
Service
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Make sure to enjoy the food options
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kilkea Castle, General Manager at Kilkea Castle
Responded 8 Feb 2025
Dear I2105TDpatriciai Many thanks for taking the time to share this review on TripAdvisor. I do hope that we have the pleasure of welcoming you back to Kilkea Castle again soon. Best wishes Aidan O'Sullivan General Manager
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This was supposed to be a bucket list adventure-imagine staying at a Castle. Well to say it was a disappointment is being kind. Checked in and was immediately told that the lift was out--I thought no problem for us--staying in the Carriage house, which I thought was all ground floor rooms. Well no--we were on the second floor--my husband has bad knees-this was rough. The couple we traveled with had a room in the castle (again bad knees and bad hip)--96 steps up and 96 steps down--unacceptable. They were moved to a carriage room on the ground floor. I was sorely disappointed in our room--we booked a king size bed--ours was a full size-NOT even a queen. The next day I approached them in reception about this error. The person at the front desk basically blew me off saying not all the rooms are "cut and paste"--just what does that mean. I had to walk away--but I came back later with my reservation confirmation showing them that we had indeed booked a king size bed--we were moved to a ground floor. Why was this so difficult. Now the food--Breakfast was wonderful. But lets get to the Bistro--limited menu--I mean limited. And what they had was not that good. The main dining room was only open one night that we were there--it was a price fix. We looked at the menu and cancelled. If you are staying at the Castle, and don't have a car--you are a captive audience--being fed poor food from a limited menu at the Bistro The manager was really kind--he was not involved in the room situation, and the Porter who took care of carrying our luggage up and down the steps was also wonderful. The grounds are lovely
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Date of stay: October 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed in Kilkea Castle, Co Kildare Jan 1st to 3rd this year... And this is what €923 will get you for a 2 night stay in a "luxury castle room" in Ireland!
Beautiful grounds but...
A very dark and INCREDIBLY dusty room! Dust on lampshades, headboard, light switches, radiator covers and wardrobe. A bath that won't fill and drains instantly (and took 3 hours to fix) A fire place with the plug cut off. A small television situated too far from the bed so you are squinting the entire time watching the VERY FEW channels it has! Clocks that need new batteries. Lights that need new bulbs. Bins that needed to be emptied before we got in the room. Certain (not all!) staff that really don't want to be there. Incorrect room service order. And very greasy fish & chips in the restaurant!
BUT for that price you will receive 10% off your breakfast...which includes not fresh but packet bought pancakes! Safe to say our first break of 2025 didn't go very well. Thankfully we had looked around and gotten it a little cheaper on booking.com but still at €750+ you'd want better than this!!!
And yes we did complain, they gave us a small discount and said they were very busy over the 2 weeks of Christmas hence all the dust, but I'm sure you can see for yourself that dust has been there longer than 2 weeks!
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Date of stay: January 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Don't waste your time or money going here.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beautiful location and grounds. Staff were very lovely and food at both the restaurant and breakfast was very good
BUT …..our enjoyment of the castle and grounds was hampered by the wedding that was going on when we were there for our one night. We realize that weddings are an important revenue source for the castle and that a wedding is extremely important to the couple and their friends and family so we are not suggesting that the castle not do weddings. However if you want full enjoyment of the facilities we would suggest making sure that you book a stay when no weddings are scheduled. We were unable to go for a drink in the castle bar from 3pm to 5 pm and we did try to avoid the wedding party while exploring. So as to not interrupt their pictures and other activities. The late night celebrations also caused some concern as the event room was close enough to our room that we heard them well into the evening. I had to put my phone on background noise and used earplugs for the first time ever. The staff did say to call them if it was too obnoxious but we didn’t want to cause any issues.
Better to book your stay when there are no weddings for full enjoyment of the castle and grounds. Especially given the price point it was a bit disappointing not to get the full experience.
Also beware of mold issues if you have any sensitivities. We stayed in a carriage room and there was significant mold around the windows. We aren’t super mold sensitive so wasn’t a problem for one night. Given the age of the buildings I am sure it is very difficult to manage the mold in this climate.
Overall we would go again but not if there was a wedding that day.
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Date of stay: November 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Avoid booking when there are weddings at the castle to fully enjoy all the facilities.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kilkea Castle, General Manager at Kilkea Castle
Responded 5 Nov 2024
Dear michellev473 Many thanks for taking the time to share this review on TripAdvisor. We are very sorry to hear regarding your experience during your recent visit. Please contact us directly at Kilkea Castle on email address info@kilkeacastle.ie and our Front of House Manager will assist you further. I do hope that we have the pleasure of welcoming you back to Kilkea Castle again soon. Best wishes Aidan O'Sullivan General Manager
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As requested by the manager feedback on out stay May 18th / 2024
Location : 8 out of 10 Restaurants : 8 out of 10 Food : 9 out of 10 Room : 4 out of 10 Only one lounge chair and no table. No refrigerator. Toilet/ shower : 2 out of 10 Lightning total poor …. Shaving was impossible The shower was disgusting, black mould around the bottom was totally acceptable in this day and age. Tiled floor needs a good cleaning, grout was disgusting.
See picture attached inside the shower
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Date of stay: May 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Avoid staying on the weekend as wedding interfere with the hotels normal running.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kilkea Castle, General Manager at Kilkea Castle
Responded 7 Jun 2024
Dear glenngG8941QC Thank you for your feedback and I am truly sorry to hear about the inconvenience caused. Please allow me to express my sincerest apologies for the challenge you have encountered and reassure you this does not reflect our normal standards of service that we provide to our Guests. If possible at all, can I please ask you to contact us directly at Kilkea Castle and our Front of House Manager will be delighted to assist you further. Best wishes Aidan O'Sullivan General Manager
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I stayed in Kilkea at the start of September, for a well needed breakaway with my friends. The whole experience from start to finish was great. I was welcomed on site by reception, i stayed in a carriage room which was so modern and comfy. We dined in the clubhouse and the food and staff were great. I will definitely be recommending to my friends to come and stay.
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Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kilkea Castle, General Manager at Kilkea Castle
Responded 22 Sept 2023
Dear 245siobhand, Many thanks for taking the time to share this review on TripAdvisor. I do hope that we have the pleasure of welcoming you back to Kilkea Castle again soon. Best wishes, Aidan O’Sullivan General Manager
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I booked the lodges for a couples night away. The rooms are very basic and do not feel like a hotel or 4 star stay.
We moved into three different rooms. The first room was flooded with white light, was the third room on the bottom floor of the lodge and I couldn’t feel relaxed in there. The second room was filthy, stains on the toilet, dirt in the corners of rooms, stains on the walls, hairs on the floor, dust on the phone and mirror (we were given a free lunch for this which was very nice of the receptionist, who was lovely to deal with) the final room had a cosier feel but the shower didn’t work which we only realised late in the evening and there was some hairs on the floor as we noticed with all the rooms.
The cleaning standard is poor at the lodges.
The dinner in the clubhouse and the lunch were nice.
The breakfast in the club house was poor. Cold food, dry stale pancakes. The small plates out for guests to use were all dirty.
The spa cost an extra 50 euro total for two of us to use which we knew before going but reflecting back is quite expensive when you are already staying in the hotel.
In conclusion I would not book the lodges for a couples weekend away. The castle itself is a completely differently experience the lodges are very very basic.
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kilkea Castle, General Manager at Kilkea Castle
Responded 29 Oct 2023
Dear Fiona1998, Many thanks for taking the time to share this review on TripAdvisor. We are very sorry to hear regarding your recent experience, Our Deputy General Manager has reached out to you directly to discuss the issues with your stay. I do hope that we have the pleasure of welcoming you back to Kilkea Castle again soon Kind Regards, Aidan O'Sullivan General Manager
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We had an absolutely wonderful stay at Kilkea Castle last week, just for one night during our driving tour of Ireland.
We arrived early around lunchtime expecting our room not to be ready, we received a warm welcome and were delighted to be told that our room was ready. There was some confusion over our dinner reservation for the evening, but this was resolved swiftly.
The room was beautifully decorated though is on the small side, however this did not bother us at all. The bed was comfy and the ensuite was nice with a good shower.
After dropping our bags in our room, we had a walk around the grounds and popped into the bistro at the golf club for a lovely lunch and a pint overlooking the grounds and golf course.
In the evening, we had a couple of drinks in the lovely bar, the barman was really friendly and attentive. We then had dinner at 1180 which is their fine dining restaurant, this was great. The staff again were friendly and attentive, and the food was delicious. It's not cheap but was a lovely experience that we would recommend.
Breakfast the next day is served in the same restaurant with lots of good options which we enjoyed.
Overall, we loved our stay at this hotel and can't wait to come back!
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Date of stay: June 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kilkea Castle, General Manager at Kilkea Castle
Responded 13 Jun 2024
Dear tsogier Many thanks for taking the time to share this review on TripAdvisor. I do hope that we have the pleasure of welcoming you back to Kilkea Castle again soon. Best wishes Aidan O'Sullivan General Manager
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Hi . Sorry late answer ... train from Heuston station .. then taxi from athy😁😁not sure about the hotel transport ... email them and ask .. I'm sure they will give you good advice ... beautiful spot .. Enjoy 😄😄
There are more places to choose from in the Kilkea area.
PRICE RANGE
€147 - €206 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
IrelandProvince of LeinsterCounty KildareKilkea
NUMBER OF ROOMS
120
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect nightly room rates, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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