Waterford Castle Hotel & Golf Resort

This was our second castle stay in Ireland and we were so disappointed. We paid 358 Euros/night and it was one of the worst stays of our trip. We were given a ground-floor room that was right next to the castle bathrooms. This room should only be rented as a last resort and at a reduced rate. When we arrived, there was a local event happening at the castle so there were people everywhere, in the lobby, in the bar, all over the grounds, etc. The room was sweltering when we entered. One would hope that paying this much for a room would get a little more attention to the guests like trying to get the room cooled off by opening the windows prior to our arrival. With our other castle stay at Kilkea for the same price, we were met as we drove in by a bellman who asked our names and collected all of our bags. We were treated like royalty there and treated like we were checking into a run-of-the-mill hotel at Waterford. When I went to the bar to get a beer, no one was minding the bar and again it was full of people for the local event. There was leftover food all over the bar as well. We checked in at 5:25pm and were told they stopped serving food at the bar at 5:30pm and that the golf club restaurant was closed for a private event. That information would have been nice to have earlier in the day so we could plan our dinner. When we walked around the grounds later, there was lots of trash left from the public event. They eventually cleaned it up but I got the feeling they were understaffed. If you're going to open the property for the community, which is a good idea, you need to make sure your castle guests are still taken care of and that they have a special experience that matches the special HIGH price they are paying for a room. The one redeeming item was the breakfast which was lovely. Save your money. This is NOT the castle experience you want in Ireland.

We were informed 24 hours before arrival that there was a private wedding at the castle and we would have no access to the restaurants, bar, or other amenities in the castle the entire duration of our visit (Thursday - Saturday). We couldn’t go inside or even close to it, not even to check-in. We couldn’t cancel the reservation due to the 72-hour cancellation policy. The terms and conditions says that access to the castle may be restricted due to private events, however we weren’t informed at time of booking and were only informed by email 24 hours before arrival. When we booked our stay, we thought we would dine inside the castle for breakfast and enjoy the bar in the evenings. We only had access to the golf club which didn’t even have good food. Also, the self-service cottage was gross and dirty, smelled like old grease, and didn’t have what I would consider “basic essentials” (no shampoo or conditioner, no drinking water, no ice trays to make ice, no wine opener…). At check-out I complained about the lack of informing us at booking or before the cancellation window that we wouldn’t have access to the main attraction of the resort, the castle which is why people stay there, and they didn’t provide an apology or explanation as to why we weren’t informed at time or booking or at least 72 hours before arrival. The manager on duty said she couldn’t get in touch with her boss and that she would call us back about a potential partial refund. We never got a call back and haven’t heard from them since. Do not stay at the Waterford Castle Hotel and Resort unless they can 100% guarantee you will have access to the castle and the amenities within the castle… NOTHING else on the property is worth the stay! Recommendation for the Hotel and Resort: tell your guest AT TIME OF BOOKING that there is a private event so they have time to cancel and book elsewhere in Waterford.

Stunning castle with beautifully appointed spacious bedrooms. Extremely comfortable beds, warm and friendly staff. Lovely walks and a special experience. Decor has been kept in keeping with the overall ambience and a very special thanks to whoever chose the traditional music playing at breakfast and in the bar. So many other hotels insist on blaring annoying musak at their guests but Waterford Castle got it absolutely right.

My husband and I had our wedding reception here in April and it was an unbelievable experience from start to finish. The venue is so beautiful, inside and out. We were able to take stunning couple's photos on the grounds and the dining room and reception area were perfect for our celebrations. The bedrooms are luxurious and unique, all the guests who stayed were so impressed! The staff are beyond helpful and Antonio really went above and beyond to keep the whole day running smoothly. Our wedding coordinator, Gillian, was incredibly helpful and professional throughout the entire wedding planning process. Nothing was ever an issue for her and she made us feel very safe and confident that our day would be a success. I really can't thank everyone at Waterford Castle enough for creating the most memorable day for us both and our friends and family.

Amazing Castle stay and stunning restoration of original architecture. The food was wonderful as well. Highly recommend. Walk the trail, have a pint by the fire, look for the albino wallaby on the island. Grab a pint at the Fitzgerald bar and enjoy the beauty.

My husband and I eloped here with the help of the people of Eloping in Ireland. Our stay here was absolutely amazing and our ceremony was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. We stayed with a few friends and family and got to take in the beauty of both the grounds and the castle. Their meals were exquisite down to the last details and the staff was warm and very helpful. Such a wonderful experience and I am grateful for the role the staff had to play in our special day.