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4.0
#3 of 5 hotels in Kinsale
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Kinsale Hotel & Spa is set on 90 acres of mature wooded parkland with panoramic views overlooking Oysterhaven Bay, this luxury Kinsale hotel is committed to providing the highest standards and take pride in their tranquil surroundings.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
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Nestled in a tranquil, picturesque setting, Kinsale Hotel & Spa is often lauded for its stunning views and serene ambiance. Guests praise the friendly and accommodating staff who exemplify professionalism.
While opinions on value and room quality vary, with some criticisms regarding maintenance and modern amenities, the majority of visitors commend the clean, comfortable accommodations. The hotel's amenities, including the spa and dining experiences, add to the allure, making it a welcoming retreat for many.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Welcoming
Rooms
Mixed
Value
Mixed
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Friendly
Amenities
Satisfactory
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My wife and myself stayed here for 2 days on our staycation trip around Cork and we loved it. It is a few minutes outside the town but that didn't bother us. The drive from the front gate along the tree lined avenue into this hotel is beautiful. The hotel has a temperature scanner at the entrance and sanitiser at each door and at the lifts. The view out the back of the hotel to the estuary below is nothing short of spectacular. The staff in this hotel are courteous and helpful in any way they can be. We changed our breakfast times due to the pool being closed and this was no problem for them. The room we had was at the back of the hotel with amazing views of the estuary. The room itself wasn't huge but it wasn't cramped either. The bathroom had both a bath and separate shower. Tea & coffee making facilities were taken out of the room due to covid restriction but you were offered coffee in the bar instead. We had dinner in the hotel one night and breakfast both mornings. We found the food to be perfect and the dinner menu was substantial and varied. Again the staff in the restaurant were attentive and efficient. Everything seemed to run like clockwork even with all the extra covid related bits and pieces they have to see to. During our stay the pool was out of action due to a chlorine issue. We were a bit disappointed by this as it looked beautiful and we would have liked to have gone for a swim during our stay. We loved our couple of days here and we would stay again if visiting Kinsale. Hopefully we might get to experience the pool the next time.
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Date of stay: July 2020
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Rooms at the back look out on the estuary.
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 Ronan Fahy , General Manager at Kinsale Hotel & Spa
Responded Dec 29, 2020
Dear ShaneCavan, thank you very much for taking the time to write such a wonderful review. I am happy to hear your experience wasn't hindered by the restriction as our goal is exactly this. To provide the best possible service even despite the restrictions in place while keeping everyone safe. It will also be my pleasure to pass on your compliments to our staff and we hope to see you in the near future Kind regards Peter Zemek Front Office Manager
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This is a really good hotel about 4km out of the town of kinsale, regular taxis to the town cost 12e. The staff were so friendly and couldnt do enough to make our stay enjoyable, recommended restaurants and places to go. Clonaklity, Skibereen, Glandore, Garrettstown Beach are some of the places worth a visit. The restaurant at the hotel is top class. They managed the new covid regulations and best practice cleaning and distancing requirements with ease. Will have to go back for another stay. The views from the hotel room out over the inlet has to be experienced and the groungs around the hotel leading to the sea are spectacular.
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Date of stay: July 2020
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:ask for the rooms with a sea view. they are all spacious.
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 Ronan Fahy , General Manager at Kinsale Hotel & Spa
Responded Dec 28, 2020
Dear 385frankk, Thank you for taking the time to write such a lovely 5 star review. I only recently started in the hotel so I was not here in July but I am going back to the reviews and making sure that they are appreciated and help us grow as a hotel And we also hope to welcome you back in the near future Kind regards Peter Zemek Front Office Manager
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What a super break away we had. There was some small issues but were resolved by the wonderful staff. It was slightly different but the staff make it as normal as possible. Due to government guidelines there was no tea and coffee facilities in the room but the hotel kindly made up for it by giving us complimentary tea and coffee vouchers for the bar (much nicer coffee 😉). Kids were a bit disappointed that they could only be in the pool for 50 minutes (again guidelines to clean) but it was better than not having any pool time. These were only minor and all for our safety. Unusual times for everyone but it was so nice to get away. Thank you to all the staff for an enjoyable break away, hope to see you again soon 😊
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
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 Ronan Fahy , Marketing at Kinsale Hotel & Spa
Responded Aug 12, 2020
Dear Guest , Thank you for such a lovely review , I will pass your kind words to the team. We look forward to welcoming you back in the future . Warmest Regards , Ronan Fahy, General Manager .
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Was told when booking room over phone call (honeymoon suit) we would have a sea view, television with full internet access which included netflix and YouTube, but did not have either, when I went to reception to say there must of been a mix up with rooms the receptionist replied with you booked the honeymoon suit that does not have a sea view or netflx. I then told her that over the phone when booking the room I was told I would have netflix on the television and a sea view, and that could I be moved to the room with a sea view (bridal suite)... she the told me of course I could but would cost an extra €70.. bear in mind we paid €200 as it was for the room and at approximately 11/12pm the water stopped working so after paying €200 for a room with a jacuzzi bath, it was a waste as we could not use the bath without water. When we woke up there was still no water to have a shower or too brush our teeth with, we also paid €17.30 for a large bottle of bulmers and a cocktail at the bar, breakfast the next morning was poor, had a great selection for the buffet but food quality was poor. Overall the stay was only moderate as we made the best out of it after paying €200 for a room that we were told we would have so much but got neither. would not recommend to anyone
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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 MarketingKinsale1, Marketing Executive at Kinsale Hotel & Spa
Responded Feb 26, 2020
Dear DMurphy99 Many thanks for your review based on your recent stay with us. We are saddened to hear that your stay with us did not reach your expectations, and will investigate the issues raised in relation to your original booking. Unfortunately as a result of Storm Dennis a local water supply issue occurred which was out of our control, however we do thank all of our guests for allowing us to rectify issues to the best of our abilities during this time. Kind Regards, Kinsale Hotel & Spa
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I was treated to a night away for my birthday on the 1st of February 2020. This was booked through pigsback including a 2 course meal and €40 spa credit with late checkout.
We were checked in to Room 118. I have uploaded a number of pictures of the room. The carpets are badly stained and thread bare, a red ring stain on the carpet looked like it may be blood? The two chairs in the room are very badly stained and to be perfectly honest, we couldn't sit on them, really disgusting. The wallpaper is badly stained, it looks like spots of damp coming through. The shower was good and the bed was very comfy, good linen and pillows.
Main course and dessert were lovely, the starter was cold. Service at dinner on Saturday night was very slow. It took almost 25 minutes for our plates to be cleared after our mains. Later, we had 2 drinks in the bar but oddly charged different prices for both rounds! Breakfast was poor, the quality of the food is questionable and bland.
We didn't bother with the late checkout and left after breakfast at 10 am. We did mention we were unhappy with our stay at checkout, it went in one ear and out the other!
Overall, a very poor stay and for €190 it is most certainly not worth the money. I really question the 4 star rating. I won't be recommending this to our friends & family. I think there is much nicer places to stay in Kinsale. I really felt sorry for my partner who had spent a considerable amount of money on this gift. Very, very disappointing.
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Date of stay: February 2020
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 MarketingKinsale1, Marketing Executive at Kinsale Hotel & Spa
Responded Feb 18, 2020
Dear MIKE O Many thanks for your review based on your recent stay with us. We are saddened to hear that your stay did not reach your expectations, and we certainly appreciate your feedback which has been passed on to our management team. Should you wish to reach out to us directly please contact gm@hotelkinsale.ie Many thanks and kind regards Kinsale Hotel & Spa Team
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Myself, my wife and two daughters aged 8 & 10 stayed here for 2 nights for a relaxing weekend in Cork, and were not disappointed. We were looking for a hotel outside Kinsale but within easy reach of the surrounding areas and this hotel was perfect. Its location is nicely tucked away with beautiful views and a relaxing vibe The necessary covid precautions we’ve come to expect are in place, such as temperature scanner, hand sanitisers, social distancing etc, but their implementation does not make you feel overly restricted… we felt safe, but free to enjoy our weekend as a family unit. There are changes to how the hotel operates such as pre-booking check-in, meal and swimming times… but we felt this enhanced our stay. Some would say we lose some level of spontaneity, but we liked the fact our table was pre-allocated, and the pool was not overcrowded. This hotel gave us free coffee at the bar when required… including cappuccinos/lattes etc. and the room could be cleaned on request. They are simply allowing us decided if we wanted a third party to enter our room or not. We got a room with a view of the estuary which I would recommend upgrading to. The staff are the hotels greatest asset. I found all the staff very professional and friendly at all times, even though they had to wear facemasks, which we all know get uncomfortable very quickly. Will we be returning? Yes… we are planning another visit before the end of the year with some extended family.
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Date of stay: August 2020
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 Ronan Fahy , General Manager at Kinsale Hotel & Spa
Responded Dec 29, 2020
Dear rgreene7, thank you for taking the time to write such an amazing 5 star review and I am delighted to hear you and your family had such and enjoyable stay. I am also happy to hear you were able to enjoy it with the restrictions in place as this is exactly our goal to provide the best possible service while keeping everyone safe. We would be happy to welcome you in the near future. Kind regards Peter Zemek Front Office Manager
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We were on our 10 year wedding anniversary and I have to say the foodservice and meal was the worst I have ever had. My meal arrived 20 mins before the rest of the meal . My wife's fish arrived freezing cold and had to be returned to then arrive soaked in fat as it was rushed back out . The kids chicken was undercooked and drowned in sauce when we asked for no sauce and this was sent back also. In the end my girls had a meal of buttered bread.I should have refused to pay for the meal.On checkout, the lovely lady took down my complaint fully and promised a call back from the manager which did not happen. The meal ruined the stay for us and I wouldn't return on the back of it on the back of this exp. We stayed in the hotel with the prior owners and the standards have slipped massively. Breakfast was of a very poor standard and absolutely manic. we went down for 9am thinking this would be a better time to do breakie early by jesus we were wrong . We asked for pancakes as it was a special occasion and this was rejected. We waited 20 mins for 2 fried eggs and requested the empty mushroom tray to be stocked which never happened. The kitchen ran out of pastries and advised the only ones left were for room service.
All in all I really regret my stay with the hotel and it ruined a very important occasion for our family . A further point on standards our room had an ashtray full of dirty cigarettes on the balcony this is not a good look at all and we had to call 3 times for shampoo and shower gel .
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
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 MarketingKinsale1, Marketing Executive at Kinsale Hotel & Spa
Responded Jan 8, 2020
Dear ukgwilson Many thanks for your review based on your recent stay with us. We are saddened to hear that your stay did not reach your expectations and thank you for your comments which have been sent on to our management team. Many thanks again for your feedback. Kind Regards Kinsale Hotel & Spa
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To start off our room was on the parking lot side of the hotel and had a view of a waterfall landscaped area situated in the middle of the parking lot. We were only to stay one night so that wasn't a real issue but for longer stays you may want the views out the other side. On the door to our room was a sign indicating it was a "Smoking Room" which initially was almost a deal kill. That being said we didn't smell the smoke and thus decided to keep our room. The bed was comfortable and the bathroom quite nice with a towel drying (warming) rack which works for wet swim wear. There was only one small table lamp to light up the room and we weren't provided any facial tissues. The grounds are beautiful and there's a nice path that takes you down to the waters edge where there's an old boat house like structure (ruin) - nice walk for exercise. The pool required a reservation and time limits were placed on use of both the pool and hot tub. Both men and women are required to wear a swim cap which we had to purchase $1.10 euros. The restaurant was very good - service and food. Our stay was enjoyable although short.
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Date of stay: September 2021
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 Ronan Fahy , General Manager at Kinsale Hotel & Spa
Responded Oct 31, 2021
Dear MNMIKEEdenPrairie_MN, thank you for taking the time for leaving such a lovely review. I was happy to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us and hopefully you can visit us again in the future. All our rooms are no-smoking but the little signs confused me as well when I first started here because the no is above the "smoking" and not visible at first glance. We will have them all replaced soon. Kind regards Peter Zemek Front Office Manager
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My partner and I were travelling around Kerry and Cork for 10 days, and chose to finish our trip in this hotel in Kinsale with the intent of saving the best for last. I stayed in the hotel in 2019 and had a wonderful experience so couldn’t wait to return. The room we were given was on the 3rd floor and was incredibly stuffy and hot. The air conditioning was broken and the hotels solution was to give us a small desk fan. We complained the next morning advising that the conditions were impossible to sleep in, only to be told that the air conditioning was being fixed as we spoke and would be working by that afternoon. When we returned to our room to find it as hot and as uncomfortable as the previous day we were informed that that the air conditioning in the hotel was in fact fixed and that there must be a separate problem with our unit only, as if it was our own bad luck and out of their control. I also suspect this is not the case as I have now come across similar reviews online from recent stays saying the very same thing. There was mention of a room change to keep us happy but this never transpired. We were waiting at breakfast for 30 minutes to order from the menu and had to ask for assistant twice only to then be told that it was buffet only due to restrictions. This contradicts the experience we had in every other hotel we stayed in as it meant people left their tables continuously to queue and serve themselves in a very crowded buffet area. We waited 40 minutes to order our lunch and it was very obvious that the restaurant was completely understaffed as tables were not cleaned after use and dirty plates/glasses were left lying around on every table. We also found it next to impossible to get a drink and were told contradicting information from different staff members on where we could sit within the hotel. The beautiful outdoor area on the 1st floor was off limits and we were told that we could not have our drinks outside to enjoy the sun due to restrictions, yet the area was packed with people having drinks when we walked by later in the evening time when heading out for dinner. I completely understand that this is a challenging time for hotels as they try to adapt to new ways of working, but the service was just not good enough. The manager sent us over complimentary drinks and a bottle of wine which we really did appreciate but it doesn’t make up for two sleepless nights at a cost of > 300euro. Will be looking for a new hotel the next time we return to Kinsale.
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Traveled 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.
The problem with this hotel is that it is managed by people who evidently do not have an appreciation for what is required in running a hotel. I understand that it is owned by a business consortium who are not personally based in the hotel but run the hotel through a manager and staff hired for that purpose. It is usual for the staff to have sufficient interest and initiative to accommodate the reasonable requests of guests, especially in a four star hotel such as this.
We booked an Executive Twin Room with Sea View . The photographs of the room clearly showed a full floor to ceiling window looking out on Oysterhaven Bay. It also showed two armchairs and leg rest in addition in addition to a chair for use . After checking in at the hotel and paying our bill in advance, we went to our room and found that the window was only from waist high to ceiling and that it contained only one armchair and no leg rest. We pointed this out to the management and told them that we had clearly been allocated an incorrect room. Their only response was that they had no spare rooms and we would have to take the room we were given.
With the Covid pandemic, Irish hotels have been afforded the opportunity to impress the home market like never before. The prices being charged by this hotel and its rating gave us the impression that the service we would be getting would be four star. Sadly, it appears that once this hotel had our money they were not interested in dealing with our reasonable complaints. It has left us with a bad impression. Visitors to this hotel should check their accomodation before paying the hotel.
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Date of stay: September 2020
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Check your room when you arrive before you pay any bill
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 Ronan Fahy , Marketing at Kinsale Hotel & Spa
Responded Oct 12, 2020
Dear Valued Guest, Many thanks for your review based on your recent stay with us. We are saddened to hear that you were disappointed with your experience at our hotel, we pride ourselves on our impeccable customer service but we certainly will take your feedback on board. Please contact our GM direct on gm@hotelkinsale.ie and he would like to invite you back. Hoping to welcome you back in the future. Kind regards, Kinsale Hotel & Spa Team
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Yes the Spa is open (Tuesday to Saturday ) most treatments are back but with strict PPE , cleaning and sanitization . The feedback on treatments is very positive and guests feel safe .
Regards ,
Ronan,
There are more places to choose from in the Kinsale area.
PRICE RANGE
₱10,704 - ₱18,119 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
carlton kinsale hotel kinsale, carlton kinsale hotel and spa, carlton hotel kinsale
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Macdonald Kinsale Hotel & Spa
LOCATION
IrelandProvince of MunsterCounty CorkKinsale
NUMBER OF ROOMS
70
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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