Dromoland Castle Hotel

My wife and I stayed for three nights in September 2026. This was at least our 50th + visit to Dromoland; perhaps even more. As always, we enjoyed ourselves immensely. We have stayed in many luxury properties in Ireland including Adare Manor and Ashford Castle; however, I truly believe that Dromoland Castle Hotel is the finest property in the country. Obviously, Dromoland Castle is a gorgeous hotel surrounded by 450 acres of sheer beauty. However, one of the best things about staying at Dromoland is the wonderful staff led by an exceptional General Manager, Mark McSorley. Upon arrival the porters are so welcoming and that really sets a very positive tone for the entire stay. They all possess wonderful personalities, and their humor is always on full display. They also tell some delightful stories. Additionally, they are very helpful be it transporting your luggage or parking your car. The reception staff is top notch all the way; always willing to assist in any way possible. All employees we have encountered during our many visits have been genuinely nice and extremely competent. You have many dining options at the Castle and whatever venue you choose all are fantastic. If you are looking for sheer elegance and formality one can dine at the Earl of Thomond Restaurant. The ambience and fare are truly wonderful. The Executive Chef is super talented as is Dennis the super host. We have participated in the preceding venue many times and the experiences were grand. Presently we generally opt to dine at the Fig Tree Restaurant located near the golf clubhouse. As you would expect, the food and presentation are exceptional. The wait staff are talented, nice, and efficient. It is less formal as well. We have ordered steaks, burgers, and roast beef that were delicious. One can also dine at The Gallery (pub) and eat directly outside of the bar in the massive hallway. The food quality is awesome, not your traditional pub food. Breakfast is a great event (led by wonderful Claire & Julie) that I look forward to every morning. The menu is quite diverse so finding something you like will definitely not be a problem. I generally opt with the traditional full Irish fare; however, my wife samples different items such as porridge or French toast, etc. The food is all excellent and is locally sourced. As noted, the breakfast area is led by a truly wonderful team. Another aside - Dromoland has a great golf shop. The merchandise is top of the line and the prices are reasonable. I purchased a quite nice windbreaker that will serve me well in chilly weather. We always enjoy having a drink at The Gallery. The product offerings are top notch. The service is great (led by Danny) and the interaction with the staff and other guests is always memorable. Our room was extremely luxurious, equipped with all of the modern amenities. Of course, all of the rooms are fabulous, and many seem to have personalities of their own. Dromoland Castle has the very highest standards for all of their rooms. They are beautifully maintained, as well. There is a myriad of outdoor activities one can avail themselves of, including a beautiful professional golf course; fishing; clay shooting; falconry; and pony trap & ride; etc. I believe equestrian activities are near the estate, and I believe the proprietors will even come to the hotel and pick you up. If you prefer not to explore the expansive estate on foot, bicycles and golf carts are available for your use. Dromoland is located strategically so one can explore the Burren; Cliffs of Moher; Aran Islands; visit Bunratty Castle and perhaps even participate in the really enjoyable Medieval Banquet. We have participated in all of the aforementioned and really enjoyed ourselves. Bunratty Woollen Mills is directly across from the Bunratty Castle and is a great place to pick up some quality merchandise. Durty Nelly's is also in the area and is a great place to have a pint of Guinness and partake in some lunch. The atmosphere is charming and is a lot of fun. When time permits, we have also taken day excursions to Doonbeg, Lahinch, Lisdoonvarna, Kilrush, Kilkee, Doolin, Ennis, and other locations along the Wild Atlantic Way. Dromoland also has a first-class Spa that was recently renovated. My wife has participated in many Spa sessions over the years and loved every minute of it. If interested, book well in advance to avoid disappointment. Dromoland Castle is a short distance from Shannon Airport; approximately 14-minutes or 10 kilometers. Procuring a rental car at the airport is painless as well. We sometimes return our rental car one day prior to leaving Ireland and take a taxi back to Dromoland. The taxi will then pick us up the next morning and drive us to Shannon Airport for our departure back to the USA. This works well and allows one to focus only on the air travel. Having said that, returning a rental car is a simple process. To recap - we highly recommend a stay at Dromoland Castle. I assure you it will be an experience you will cherish forever. The property is truly exceptional. However, the best part of each stay for us is interacting with the wonderful staff. It is an absolute delight! We will be returning in November 2027 for a 3-night stay and can't wait! Just an FYI - Dromoland will be closed from around November 2026 to May 2027 for a massive renovation project.

My husband and I stayed here two nights and loved the experience. The property is beautiful and we enjoyed both the falconry and golf course. The staff were also highly attentive and just lovely - we felt very well taken care of by them. We were in a viscount deluxe room was well proportioned, clean, and comfortable. Overall, we very much enjoyed our stay and would book here again if back in Ireland.

The best afternoon tea ever. We were given the 5* treatment from the minute we entered the gate. The staff here are amazing. Such a selection of sandwiches and cakes. Endless refills of tea and coffee and loads to bring home. The castle and the grounds are spectacular - lovely to walk around before tea. Thank you all so much for making us feel so special!!!

WOW - worth the splurge. this hotel is over the top with atmosphere, service, amenities, and location. absolutely beautiful views every direction. acres of grounds to walk, golf, bike, explore. the staff treat you as if you are royalty - absolutely every person we encountered were the same in their treatment. from our check in, and then a personal escort and mini tour by Aiden, drinks in the lounge served by Ian, breakfast served by Clodagh & Cillian, even just sitting in the lobby we were offered water or what else would we care for. I will say the personal escort to show us the lounge areas and then being escorted to our room by Aiden was memorable. he made sure we knew how to work everything in our room. they even have Canadian electrical plugs! Aiden has worked at Dromoland for 21 years - Ian for 26 - longevity like that says so much about the management and endears us to Dromoland that much more. there are many activities at Dromoland, golf being the big one. but there are dozens more: for example 'learn to pull your pint', cast a line in lake, clay pigeon shooting, horse & buggy tours, soundbaths, history tours. and so many more. We signed up for the Hawk Walk -- amazing! these are private tours - so just my husband and I - we had Sara as our guide - her knowledge of the Hawks, Falcons, Owls was illuminating. we got to put on the leather gloves and have Mac the Hawk fly to us, hold the Falcons and Owls. we we able to get up close and personal and learn about these amazing creatures and see their personalities. truly a bucket list activity -

A very poor 2 night stay. 1. Dinner in The Flie ridden Earl of Thomond dinning room was unforgivably disgusting. Who do these people think they are where is the Health and Safety dept. I still feel ill thinking back to this occasion The servers were school going young people not the experienced knowledgeable waiters you expect. The dinner food smacked of very poor ingredients served cold on cold plates and awful. Soggy cold deep fried potato cubes. 2. A young server insisted on giving me all the remaining soggy potato cubes so he didn't have to return to the kitchen. The meat was inedible cold dry and tough. Was a chef in attendance ??. So bad the lead server waiter took the food back we didn't object. 3. Breakfast in the Flie ridden Room was buffet style with cheap sliced Pan bread for toast. The food again was cold & tasteless. We left went into Ennis to get some breakfast food. 4. Dinner 2nd evening We went to the cocktail bar/room to to eat. Again the food was poor.starter was more amuse bouch than entry type Fish was bitty over cooked mess. The desert Apple crumble tennis ball in shape was straight from the fridge and cold. 5.Breakfast 2nd Morning didn't bother Who goes away to eat cheap local shop bought thin Sliced Pan bread toast . 6. The room style we booked was not availabke to us instead we got a smaller two bed bed room ??. We wanted following (2nd) morning waiting to move to the room style we booked. The bathroom had loose floor tiles please note you cannot properly clean loose floor tiles. 7. If you say you are luxury star hotel RESORT and charge accordingly you have to Provide that kevel have to. We have stayed in 5 star hotels all over the world this was by far the worst. School going students as waiters some on their first night, laughable 8. Perhaps as I noticed the hotel is now operating in the one night tour bus (conveyor belt) trade offering bus parking . The management should be ashamed