Douglas Hyde Kilronan Castle - Boyle

My husband and I went for a two-night break for his birthday and were pleasantly surprised by the amazing experience. It felt like we were in an episode of Master Chef, the food was truly out of this world.

Went for a family meal with my daughters' boyfriend and his parents visiting from the US. The dining area where we were seated was exceptionally beautiful and especially impressed our visitors. Other reviewers mention Michelin star quality and presentation, I heartily agree. However, the man who brought the evening together in a very special way was restaurant supervisor Ignacio Fiuza. Despite Irish and American joking and leg pulling he stayed professional, kind and demonstrated a sense of humour that suited our party mood. We will definitely return.

My sister and I treated ourselves to a night away here with b&b, spa treatment and dinner. We could have gotten a week in Portugal for less! Place itself was fine, spa treatment was lovely, but the meal was terrible! We were so looking forward to it! Menu sounded terrific! We’ve been to several Michelin restaurants and would definitely consider ourselves ‘foodies’. We could hardly make up our minds on what to choose, it just all looked so good! We got different everything so we could sample as much as possible. We agreed on a 1 out of 10 at the end! Absolute let down from beginning to end! I’m not going to bother going through each dish. They all looked great to be honest, really prettily plated and impressive, but were not only tasteless but were all actually horrible! They got one of our main courses wrong also and it was so bad! Cost us €200 and was the greatest waste of money ever! Based on our experience we can’t understand the good reviews! We wouldn’t dare return.

We recently stayed at the hotel for a mid-week deal that included spa access, dinner, and breakfast. We had stayed there six years ago and were impressed by the beautiful castle and forest walk. The spa facilities were very good and our castle room was spacious and well-equipped. However, the standout of our stay was the dinner. Having dined at several Michelin star restaurants before, we can confidently say that the Douglas Hyde is among the best we've experienced.

The staff at the restaurant are highly skilled, with the appetizer being a standout. However, the rare steak was served cold in the center and the chef's vegetable of the day was mashed potato. The wine was expensive and VAT was not included in the menu price, making for a disappointing overall expense for the evening meal. On a positive note, breakfast the next morning was enjoyable.