My wife, a carer who worked through the pandemic, and I had planned our first holiday in three years. The lovely area by Inistioge and Thomastown made an ideal stopover, and everything about Ballyduff House seemed attractive and welcoming.
I emailed an enquiry more than two weeks before our intended arrival, following it up with a voicemail and another email when I didn't hear back. Late on the second day I received an email that Ms Thomas would check in her diary the next morning.
Again, nothing -- despite another email from me and several attempts to phone. On day four I got through and learned that there was a possible booking for the last remaining room. An employee had put a question mark next to the name. We agreed that they would email this person to firm up (or cancel) the reservation and that I, in turn, would be informed.
Days went by and I got a mobile number to text and phone, getting one text response ("I'll let you know in an hour") and nothing more. Nine days after the initial enquiry I phoned the mobile, heard a brief answer and then it went dead. Another attempted call led to a "phone not in use" message; I suspect strongly that my name (or number) showed up upon answering, leading to a hasty hanging up.
The experience has left us profoundly dejected and astounded that we've experienced something so "un-Irish" and unprofessional. A simple "sorry -- hope to see you on your next trip" would have been fine. As it is, we had to struggle to find alternatives.
