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Abbeyglen Castle (Sky Road, Clifden, Co. Galway) Hotel Reviews and Ratings
/abbeyglen-castle
 
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Abbeyglen Castle


Perched on a hilltop overlooking the town of Clifden, Abbeyglen Castle is a majestic hotel built in the 1800s in the capital of Connemara.

The fabulous castellated mansion of Abbeyglen was built in 1832 for Sir John D'Arcy, founder of the town of Clifden in 1812. Since 1969 it has been owned by two generations of the Hughes family, who through the years have improved the castle and gardens to their current fabulous state and have transformed Abbeyglen into a fine hotel known for its hospitality and charm.

Situated along the Sky Road ascending from Clifden, the Abbeyglen boasts sweeping views across its wonderfully kept 12 acres of parkland and gardens, and vistas of the town and the bay. Inside the turreted facade of the Abbeyglen, the hotel maintains its traditional style with roaring fires and antique Chesterfields in the lobby and cosy homely touches in sedate lounges overlooking the grounds.

Each of the Abbeyglen's sumptuous bedrooms are well appointed and tastefully decorated in keeping with the old world charm of the hotel. While each has a full range of facilities and most offer fabulous views across the bay.

The Abbeyglen offers complimentary afternoon teas to residents and its restaurant is renowned for its gourmet food and fine wines. Locally caught fresh salmon, a rich selection of fresh shellfish and traditional Connemara Lamb form some of the staples of the menu and the chef is also happy to prepare any fish caught by guests!

After a day of enjoying the local scenery of Connemara, fishing its lakes and bays, or golfing at the nearby Connemara Golf Club, Abbeyglen is the perfect place to unwind, either in the hotel's spa and sauna or with a drink in the piano bar alongside the sounds from the Steinway.

 

Guest Reviews of

This was wonderful. Everyone here from the desk to the barmaid were friendly. The food service was exceptional!

Karen Kayes on Mon May 30 2011

We were quite impressed with the castle until we decided to eat dinner at their restaurant. They were very full and we were handed only half the menu that included dishes in Irish and that were very expensive. When we decided that we might choose to eat from their less fancy menu, we were treated with disdain for the rest of the meal and treated like we had no idea how to behave. Their more casual dining menu included misleading, over-priced selections and we were EXPECTED to have a four course meal. After that we chose to have breakfast via room service. Both mornings it was about 1/2 hour late. We did, however, enjoy chatting with Gilbert the parrot and other guests at the hotel, who were much more friendly than the staff.

Amanda Wallace on Fri Mar 25 2011

Had previously stayed here in 2005 and 2007. The place is starting to look a little old and tired.

Tom Hopkins on Wed Oct 27 2010

It was pretty far to travel and the road leading to the castle was very busy and we couldn't pass a slow driver. Frustrating.

Chrisy Rineer on Tue Sep 14 2010

going back one day as well as a couple of others in our group

Kathy Place on Wed Sep 1 2010

Terrific hotel. We loved the bar!

Karen Goldberg on Tue Aug 18 2009

Great people, and wonderful, spacious room!!

Jake Massey on Mon Aug 17 2009

It feels a bit old, dark, in need of an update. Rooms and bath were good. Most of the staff were upbeat. One guy at the front desk was not helpful in connecting with services, etc....but others were.

Chuck Lyons on Thu Aug 6 2009

Staff were not as accommodating as other locations

Steven Cole on Tue Nov 18 2008

Beautiful!! Exquisite! Loved the fireplaces and sitting rooms!

Paulette Fitzgerald on Tue Jul 15 2008

The hotel staff was preparing for a celebration of the manager's birthday and gave little attention to the hotel guests. The reception insisted that we had to make reservation for dinner if we wanted to eat at the hotel -- then we shared the breakfast room (since the main dining room was reserved for the manager's birthday party) with one other party. Nice room but in the basement

Kerry Hines on Thu Jul 10 2008

The room itself was quite ordinary. No hairdryer available, some lightbulbs out.

Jo Anne Werner on Tue Jul 8 2008

absolutely amazing!

Robert Carpenter on Wed Jul 2 2008

The Castle itself is beautiful - but we had a few issues with our room - no screens on the windows - owner knew we were not happy about that - treated us to dinner our second night. Not enough to ruin our vacation but certainly was not enjoyable.

Beatrice Cottingham on Tue Jun 24 2008

The staff was great. The owners were there when we checked in and greeted us at dinner. Very great feel overall. The town was also very quaint.

William Hughes on Sun Jun 15 2008

The room was very standard, carpet looked worn and not very clean, bedspread needed replaced.

Eliza Hall on Sun Jun 8 2008

The proprietor made us all very welcome, and I suspect that as his sister was married to a Mullally upgraded us to superior rooms

Mr Mullaly on Mon May 26 2008

don't know about the price/value since it was part of the package

Cynthia Hoy on Wed May 21 2008

Wonderful place, beautiful, friendly, very service oriented. Met a few people who were return visitors, and I know why.

Margo Gibson on Tue May 20 2008

The food was a huge disappointment. The wait staff were rude and pushed us away from the table. I reported this to the owner - he took the dinners off our bill.

Marianne Dewes on Mon May 19 2008

Exceptional personal service and facilities

Brett Evart on Tue Apr 1 2008

Extremely welcoming. Paul and Brian Hughes were perfect hosts and we loved Paul's recipe for hot whisky!

Maria Virginia De Klerk on Tue Feb 5 2008

We did not eat at this hotel because Clifdon had so many great restaurant selections. We only ate breakfast which was fine and in line with all other hotes. The location overlooking the town of Clifdon was exceptional!

Elsa Lynch on Fri Aug 3 2007

Fantastic location, friendly staff and a great base to discover Galway from.

Robert Carpenter on Thu Aug 2 2007

We only ate breakfast and it was poorly presented and not very hot. We do not know how much the room cost as it included in the overall cost. The rooms were comfortable, but needed updating.

Bob Davey on Wed Jul 18 2007

It's a charming location. It would be romantic for couples or provider a sense of adventure for children. The staff was warm and friendly, and the in-house pub had the welcoming feel of a neighborhood pub. You felt like you belong there.

Joseph Levesque on Tue Feb 13 2007

would definitely refer customers

Bridie Tamer on Mon Dec 18 2006

Very enjoyable nights at the bar with Brian, the owner, who plays the piano and sings. Lovely rooms and very charming dining room with great view.

Alice Moio on Wed Dec 13 2006

beautiful hotel in an amazing location, excellent friendly service.

Elaine Fitzpatrick on Wed Dec 13 2006

Overlooking Clifden village easy to stroll down the hill to the village but its a high hill for walking back up. Very welcoming hosts, excellent food, bedrooms very comfortable and of a good standard. Public areas a bit worn but open turf fires make them warm and welcoming. Not your typical castle

Joan O'Connell on Tue Nov 29 2005

historical. old furniture creates a grand old feel to the castle. staff extremely welcoming and make you feel at home. many facilites ie: swimming, tennis, town centre near by. bedroom large but tended to be more modern than the public areas. overall a good place- comfortable.

Jenna Burton on Tue Nov 29 2005

Castle had great views of Cliften, facilities include swimming pool, tennis courts, helicopter pad, best part of this hotel was the owner Paul who serenaded us on the pinano while we had lunch in the bar.

Elma Connelly on Tue Nov 29 2005
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Our Guests Ratings
hospitality  85%
accommodation  81%
food  82%
exterior  82%
facilities  80%
location  84%
value  77%
Overall Rating  82%
 
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Testimonials

"I just wanted to let you know our Ireland trip was fabulous!!
Thank you so much!
Your recommendation to Adare Manor was a top tip!
I went to Ashford Castle as well, it was very very nice to, but my preference is still Adare Manor.
I just wish that I had booked 2 nights there instead of just one.
The B&Bs were TOP too! Especially the one in Kilkieren up in Galway. Barbara was lovely and couldn't have done more to make our stay memorable.
The Hillside House is definately one you can recommend to anyone!" -- Silke

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