Dromoland Castle

Ranking: Highly Recommend
I believe it is most people’s dream as children to one day live in a castle like royalty — this hotel makes that dream a reality for those who make the trek to it’s halls just outside Shannon.
Rooms: Definitely large for Europe, having enough room for a King size bed, table & two chairs, desk, armoire, two end tables and dressing stool. The décor is modern, but feels castle-​like (3 sheet bed setup with pale yellow blanket at foot of the bed and throw pillows, stately purple and white drapes, Victorian era prints for wall art, plush chairs and furnishings, dark wood trim and armoire, white marble bath fixtures and towel warmer).
Grounds: Feels like being in a botanical garden walking around the grounds. The lakes, fountains, gazebo provide beautiful views during walks and bikes around the grounds and the attention to detail with the flowers and horticulture create heaven for any gardener or plant lover that walks around. Very well maintained and beautiful grounds.
Activities: Lots to do at Dromoland, but some of the facilities were a bit subpar.
The aviary was great with 12 species of Falcons and a host of owls that are used in the falconry lessons. It was so cool to walk out of the front gates of the castle in the morning and see the Falcons perched on a finger, ready for their morning meal!
The gym, pool, and hottub were so-​so. The gym was small for my taste and didn’t have yoga mats or room to stretch. Okay if you just want to run on a treadmill, bike or lift a few weights, but not great for much beyond that. The pool was nice, but did not have a separate space for the hottub — Had kids splashing around in the pool hitting me in the face with water because of how close they were. No bueno for relaxation. The lockers room also needed a deep clean — soap scum on the shampoo/​conditioner dispensers in the showers and on the walls. Wasn’t a big fan of the whole health club area.
Golf was absolutely spectacular (see my separate review on this). Loved the course, the service, and the equipment there at Dromoland.
Didn’t go to the spa, but 3 of my friends did and they all complained that the massage therapist didn’t know how to give good pressure. They all described the massage as «an expensive full body lube with oil». They all asked for firmer, but never got it. Don’t waste your money on this spa, folks.
Other activities were fun as expected — fishing, go karts, archery, high tea, walled gardens, canoeing. Again, lots to do at Dromoland!
Service: Very good! The resort is a bit too large for folks to remember your name or do extraordinarily special things like flower arrangements or towel designs in the rooms, but the staff was always very friendly and smiling. They also did a very cute turn down service with castle made truffles and a little card with Irish sayings before bed (see the photo). One of the nicest turndowns I think I’ve seen!
Overall: This was a fabulous hotel stay that I would highly recommend. Only caveats are on the health club and spa, which were all pretty ho hum.

This place is very special to me. My girlfriend and I took a vacation and went to Ireland and stayed at a few castles along the way. This was by far my favorite. Everything was so elegant and beautiful.
We ate dinner in the dining room, and although the menu was something more exquisite than what I had been accustomed to, it was delicious, I am happy that I was able to try something outside of my comfort zone. I wish I had more time to spend at this castle. My girlfriend and I explored some of the rooms and property on the castle, we had drinks in one of the lounge rooms after our dinner, it was a nice and relaxing way to finish the evening.
I want to come back to Ireland, and specifically this castle at least once more before I die. This place is magical, it really captivated me. Thank you Dromoland Castle and staff, you made my trip to Ireland truly memerable.

Hands down the BEST NIGHT on our 10-​night tour of Ireland (southern half)!! Staying at Dromoland Castle is an experience, not just a stay. It started with the warm welcome from the concierge, who took our luggage and our modest rental car without judgment — no snobbery whatsoever here. Our room wasn’t ready despite it being about 8pm, and the manager sent us to get a complimentary drink, bringing hot chocolate and marshmallows for the kids. The staff is tremendous and they took care of our every request, so that we felt pampered and spoiled the entire time.
When we got to our room, we found bears waiting on the beds for the kids, as well as candies for the kids and chocolate truffles for Mom and Dad. The room also came equipped with robes (2 big, 2 kid size!) and slippers, and the bathroom was one of the poshest I’ve seen in 25 years of traveling all over Europe and the Americas. The beds were incredibly comfortable and we slept like royalty. Wonderful.
DO NOT miss the cocktail lounge! The octagonal room was once the study, and it’s decorated with scads of Irish whiskey bottles and a diverse collection of novelties, including a jackalope. The barkeeps were young and energetic and lots of fun, and a guitarist/​singer was performing early in the evening (i.e., before 11pm). We stayed up far too late talking to other guests and the bartender, enjoying the delicious cocktails and learning about the area.
Breakfast in the stately dining room was delicious (of course), and we followed our feast with a stroll around the beautiful grounds. The reception desk provided the kids with a bag of cold toast to feed the ducks, and while we didn’t find many ducks, we did find the golf course, ponds, groves, and even the walled garden, which features a fairy garden — much fun to explore.
The only problem we experienced in our stay was that it had to end! We didn’t want to leave. We stayed longer than originally planned to enjoy the estate, but I will be watching for opportunities to return!

Beautiful facility. Great service. Clean, smells great. Comfortable bed and room.
Special recognition to Lecia (correct name spelling?), the front desk clerk. Positive and courteous, with excellent articulation– she really could’ve had a career a documentary narrator.
The outside environment is also gorgeous and worth exploring.

On a castle tour, all of them have been great but Dromoland is the best by some. Great restaurant on the premises. Service at the Castle and restaurant are superb.

We are the lucky, that get to experience the most amazing gift to spend time at the Dromoland Castle. It is that great. Every minute is better than the last. Just perfection. If you go to the motherland, make sure you make this a visit. You will not be disappointed.

Very pricey but worth it for a nights stay. If you visit, make sure to make the most out of your trip and do the falconry, skeet shooting, spa and/​or golf. There are so many activities that made our visit here memorable. It wouldn’t have been the same without those experiences. The spa was amazing, five stars. The staff was great, the relaxation room with drinks/​snacks was perfect and I received the best massage of my life. The rooms at the castle are beautiful, but can be confusing to find since this place is so big! Breakfast was expensive and mediocre and we had a nice dining experience at the Fig restaurant off the golf course. Upscale without being stuffy. Make sure to talk to the concierge here, they are very helpful in planning events during your stay or helping you with future travel plans in Ireland.

Simply stunning! My fiancée and I stayed for a weekend and it was amazing from start to finish. Beautiful castle on gorgeous grounds and a fantastic golf course. The castle is superb and the service was spectacular. We got engaged here and it was perfect. Absolutely worth a visit!

What won me over about Dromoland were the grounds. We had lovely sunny days in May when we stayed here and the best part of staying here was walking/​exploring the grounds. There were some real hidden treasures in the woods! And their walled gardens were lovely as well. Beware though, the walk is deceivingly difficult. You’ll be tired by the end! Worth it though. The room itself, as well as most of the castle really, looked like it wanted to be more mainstream hotel. We stayed at Ashford as well which seemed more castle like to me. Our room at Dromoland was nothing too special. Nothing wrong with it, but it reminded me of something you’d see in the States. Meh. The castle is relatively close to downtown Limerick which became our favorite «big city» in Ireland and conveniently close to Shannon international airport. The staff was nice, dinner by the big fireplace was cozy. Bottom line, Dromoland is nice. I prefer Ashford, but this is a nice stay if you want to explore the different counties of Ireland.

We traveled here in August for a friend’s wedding. We were absolutely blown away by the service and staff at this hotel. They were amazingly helpful before we arrived and remained so throughout our stay.
Our family of 5 stayed in one of the family rooms, which was very spacious and comfortable. The room was clean and well kept and we did not feel cramped at all. Upon arrival, we found 3 Dromoland Castle teddy bears, 1 for each of our children. An amazing touch. The first night, the staff delivered cookies and milk before bed for the children with their names written in chocolate on them. Each night, the staff left gummy bears on their pillows. This is a very family friendly place.
The grounds are beautiful and the golf course looks very nice. We participated in the hawk training available onsite with our children ages 7, 5 & 1. They loved it! What an memory. It was truly something they will never forget.
Before we arrived, the front desk arranged for a babysitter for our children during the wedding. She came with references and our children really liked her. I felt completely confident leaving my children with her and the hotel assured me that she works for their guests regularly.
The wedding was very picturesque and took place in the garden. It was a magical experience for all involved.
I highly recommend staying at this beautiful castle.

I don’t even know where to start or end this review. I recently just returned from a turn in Ireland and was fortunate enough to stay at Dromoland for part of my trip. Chalk it up to yolo, how was I going to pass up staying in an actual castle (one that presidents and dignitaries of all types have stayed in no less). I wasn’t. You had me at falconry (yes, they have falcons like any self respecting castle should).
Apparently this spot is famous for golf (note, guests can rent shoes & clubs) but I was there to pack as many of the other options in as possible. I managed to work my way through High Tea, horse-​riding and walking the grounds (easier said than done) and heartily recommend them all. I missed out on: falconry (did get to watch a couple going out and that was probably as close as I should have gotten in hindsight, those birds are huge), gig and pony tour of the grounds, complementary bikes and row boats, skeet shooting, archery, the spa etc.
In true fairytale style, I was upgraded on the spot to a tower room in the main castle area so my window-​seats (yes, seats plural) got some solid use. The meaning behind King of the castle really hit home as I looked out over the surrounding manicured grounds. The staff could not have been nicer or more helpful, which can really make or break a hotel. The property was most likely last renovated in the 90s, so picture old money luxury not brand new modern sleek, but is excellently kept up and seeped in tradition. I do not think I have been in a bigger bed in my life, and they had down alternatives for this allergy princess and the pea (they switched my pillows during the afternoon turn down service). They also had free wifi all over the castle, and free bottled water in the rooms. It was nice that I did not feel nickel and dimed as the experience did not come cheap overall, but instead pampered and genuinely welcomed (staff knowing my name certainly left an impression on me).
Dining options are varied, and I passed on the gorgeous formal dining room in favor of light bites in the bar (breakfast is served in there as well). Light bites were followed by a signature moment: comfortable in a large antique chair, reading by the fire in a 12 ft fireplace, sipping on irish coffee into the wee hours of the morning while sounds from live Irish ballad singers drifted down the halls after a brisk evening stroll around the foggy ground. Yeah, yolo alright.

I brought my children here many years ago, and it was very pricey, but worth every penny. At the entry you are greeted by smiling Irish staff, who can’t do more to help you. We were provided a huge suite, decorated to the 9’s. A Waterford carafe of Mead and stemware was provided.
The grandiosity of this hotel was beyond belief. We roamed the grounds, my children found the walled gardens, which they were excited to show me. We dined in a magnificent dining room with chandeliers taller than myself, hanging above.
This was not our destination, but it was the most magnificent hotel I ever stayed at. My children will always remember, we stayed at a castle in Ireland, owned by our ancestors.

I loved this hotel! I was worried that it might be a little pretentious after reading a few reviews but they were great! I booked through
and they had lost our reservation but upgraded us for the hassle. The room was gorgeous! And the water in the room was complimentary! They have row boats to go out on a small lake but the fishing equipment was horrible so that was a bust. The work out area is nice and includes a pool, sauna and steam room. We also did the Falconry class and learned a lot! We ate at both restaurants and they both were good. For the price, I wasn’t that impressed with the main dining but the service was great. The food off the golf course was wonderful! I would highly recommend this hotel and wish we could have stayed longer!

This was my favorite hotel while traveling in Ireland. The grounds are gorgeous! My husband really enjoyed walking around the grounds and discovering all the nooks and crannies of this estate. If the weather is nice you can row out on to the lake, fish or even SUP. It was a very relaxing stay. Our room was very spacious and decorated in soft pastel blue and green. Because it was our honeymoon they left us a box of chocolates and voucher for 2 glasses of champagne (nicolas feuillate). Excellent service and friendly staff. If staying here make sure to make time to take tea, scones are excellent. Whether this is actually a 4 star vs 5 star hotel didn’t make a difference my husband and I had a lovely stay. I would highly recommend staying here at least 2 nights while traveling the west of Ireland.

What a beautiful establishment on a well maintained golf course. The grounds are open to explore and there is something for everyone to do here. The staff is also friendly and extremely accommodating. The reason I only gave it 4 stars is because a few items in the room need to be fixed up (door knob broken/​light not working).

Dromoland Castle is an excellent experience and a wonderful place to stay. It is a great 4-​Star experience (and worth the visit), but it certainly falls short of being a true 5-​Star hotel for a variety of reasons. We stayed at the Castle with our three young children during our tour of Ireland, and we found it to be beautiful, comfortable, and fun, and offered outstanding staff attentiveness and hospitality. A few observations (pro and con):
The Castle itself is in great condition, extremely impressive to look at, and sits amongst gorgeous grounds, a beautiful golf course, rolling hills, and surrounded by a tranquil lake. It offers exceptional service, a golf course in impeccable condition and a wide variety of fun activities like archery, horseback, clay shooting, and falconry. It also has an excellent indoor swimming pool and an average/​below average gym.
On the positive side, the staff is outstanding and the food (drinks, appetizers, breakfast and dinner) were excellent. Fine cuisine.
However, the Castle rooms (hallways, etc) require significant updating and investment. The rooms offer worn towels, stained carpets, below average beds, and poor showers (with small folding curtains that cause water to splash everywhere when you shower). The accommodations lack a true 5-​Star (or perhaps even fall short of 4-​star) review.
Everything about the place is full of charm and it is worth spending the time to walk all around the compound… just gorgeous.
Overall…if you are in Ireland (touring or otherwise), it is worth the visit and is an excellent experience. Solid 4-​Star overall.

Voted by Samantha Brown of the travel channel as the ‘Most Romantic Place to get Engaged’!
My husband and I stayed here during our trip to Ireland in May 2009, when we got engaged! The castle is absolutely breathtaking and the grounds are immaculated kept. We arrived rather late to the hotel, once our bags were taken to our room, we explored the castle halls and found our way to the bar. The night manager on duty, prepared us some snacks and evening cocktails. He escorted us to the library where he proceeded to go into great detail of the history of this magnificent place.
Our room was spacious, but needed some major updating, granted it did keep the medival décor, but as one review mentioned the windows were drafty and the carpets have be put through the ringer! Not to mention that there were some strange things happening with things being moved around and lights going on and off. We found out that we had stayed in the oldest part of the castle, which is rumored to be haunted and I am now a true believer!
We walked around and found that there was a newer portion of the castle had been updated. We peeked into one of the rooms and they were being made up and it was substantially more modern, which was nice. Although, I did like our room, it gave us more of a nostagic castle feel. I would highly recommend Dromoland, after all every girl has dreamed of a fairytale castle at one time or another!
There were alot of amenities that we did not able to partake in, due to time constrains, but the golf course was beautiful. I heard there was a very highly recommended spa and also a falconry, which I really wanted to see.
We will definitely book our reservations here the next time we visit Ireland, it truly is a magical place.

Dromoland castle est assez unique et né doit être évité sous aucun prétexte.
Evidement, les plus regardant y verront quelques petits défauts, et nous en avons vécu certains: erreur sur le type de chambre à l’arrivée, tenue business casual (donc costard cravate Que l’on emmèné pas en vacances, sauf si on est un lord anglais) obligatoire pour le restaurant gastronomique, l’addition salée (mais il né faut quand même pas être naïf, hein ?), et un hôtel bien rempli donc avec un peu d’attente aux breakfasts.
Mais tout cela se rattrape grâce à la qualité du service, à la gentillesse du personnel et surtout à la majesté du lieu. L’espace est tel, que tous les clients, hormis au repas, né se gênent en aucune façon.
Car à dromoland castle, on goutte à la vraie vie de château, si vous avez choisi la bonne formule (au moins luxesinon vous êtes dans des chambres quasi sans fenêtre).
Dès l’arrivée, le majordome vous prend vos clefs de voiture et s’occupe de tout. La réceptionniste charmante vous accueille avec beaucoup d’empressement: Vous n’avez qu’à vous laisser guider.
Le thé dans la Galery (excellent au demeurant) nous propulse dans les salons royaux, la Guiness au bar club vous installe dans un salon cosy à souhait avec tous les clichés de vos rêves princiers.
Et que dire du breakfast pris dans le grand restaurant, archi complet bien sur, et d’une grande qualité gustative.
Nous avons fait un tour départ en vélo, ce qui nous a fait découvrir de nombreux recoins autour des green du golf.
D’ailleurs le golf lui même est très bien entretenu, mais nous né l’avons pas joué. Attention seulement pour les débutants au driver, j’ai remarqué des départs assez pointus !
Enfin, le dîner au country golf club (là ou on peut y aller en jeans) est excellent et avec un service digne de son grand frère le château. Viandes copieuses et plats, même si simples, très bons et avec un prix restant raisonnable.
Au final, nous y avons passé un séjour mémorable en famille, et nous y reviendrons avec joie. À recommander pour le repos, la tranquilité et le service.
Et n’oubliez pas d’emporter une tenue business casual !

Stayed here in July 2012. The staff was very attentive and there were a ton of them. This hotel has an immense amount of snob appeal; be prepared for a wide mix of people with a lot of money and the average traveler. I understand that George Busch stayed here too.
However this far from being a 5 star hotel, because management is trying to cover several price points. The rooms are old, the hallways have peeling wallpaper and there are very worn carpets.
Be prepared to spend your hard earned euros and dollars if you come though. A good example: we had some laundry done after our 10 days of travel; five pairs of underwear, five pairs of pants, five shirts and 6 pairs of socks…144.00 u.s. dollars.
The food was only average too. There is far better food in near by Ennis.
The bottom line? We could not wait to move on after one nights stay. I don’t think I could recommend it to anyone I know. I did see that this would be heaven for golfers, because it looks like they take very good care of their course; more so than the hotel though.

Some random & possibly overlapping thoughts:
— Calling Dromoland a 5 star hotel is a bit much. I recognize they have exceptional service, a golf course in impeccable condition (for February) and a host of the «usual blue blood activities» like clay shooting, falconry and archery. However, when you take a close look at the physical facility that you’re sleeping in, it’s a 4 star resort. For example worn towels, stained carpets and just a lot of detail that’s been let go.
— This is definitely a good option if your wife has staying at a hotel on her bucket list. You’ll get a great night’s sleep, enjoy walking the grounds and overall there’s some novelty to the whole thing. We were both glad we did it, but really don’t have any desire to do it again. Some positives: Got a great night’s sleep, bathroom is pretty spacious, service was impeccable — without question 5 star service
— We enjoyed walking around the grounds (for those needing a workout fix — I’d avoid the gym and go run/​walk the grounds/​course).
— Dinner for $ 121 euros was a bad call. You’ll get exposure to the dining room during breakfast — not worth springing for dinner.
— Ton of charm — great compound. Recommended for anyone who loves old charm (Omni Parker in Boston)
— Cool that Clinton, Bush II and very recently the VP of China stayed here (fun fact: VP of China rolls with a more ridiculous entourage than Bush II when he was acting president).

Quite possibly the best hotel in Ireland. In fact, all of the foreign dignitaries and various other high profile individuals always stay here. I myself have never been so privileged, but I have been here for a few events and dinner and I must say it is well impressive. This is a five star hotel and it shows in every way. They have a nice gift shop on the grounds along with some amazing scenery. It is an actual castle in every since of the word, with expansive grounds and a golf club and spa on premises. They are also very nice there and don’t mind if visitors who are not guests come to see the grounds or avail of the gift shop, spa, or golf facilities. But be aware, it is a bit pricey sure.