Array
(
    [0] => 
    [1] => /ballynahinch-castle
)
Ballynahinch Castle (Recess, Connemara, Co. Galway) Hotel Reviews and Ratings
/ballynahinch-castle
 
Call toll free now: 1800 965 9612

Ballynahinch Castle


Situated in one of the most picturesque areas of Connemara, Ballynahinch Castle stands proud and majestic overlooking the famous fishing waters of Ballynahinch River and is a place with strong associations with the clans and characters of Connemara.

Throughout the centuries Ballynahinch Castle has been intertwined with some of the most illustrious characters in Connemara, from the ferocious "O'Flahertys" and the Pirate Queen of Connaught Grace O'Malley, to "Humanity Dick Martin" and the "Indian Prince of Cricketers" His Highness the Maharajah Ranjitsinji. The jewel in the crown of Connemara, Ballynahinch combines modern comforts, with traditional Irish Country living where you will be treated like the King or Queen of Connemara.

Weaving through some spectacular riverside scenery, the road to Ballynahinch is impressive enough, before bringing you to the magnificent 18th Century castle nestled on the shores of the river within densely wooded grounds. Inside Ballynahinch has an atmosphere of casual country elegance filled with echoes of the past; elegant antique furnishings are set beside roaring fireplaces with drawing rooms and library lined with oak panelling and oil paintings of the castle's former owners.

Each of the bedrooms at Ballynahinch are fabulously appointed and tastefully decorated with mellow restful colors. Many boast features such as four-poster beds and fabulous lakeside views and all have the high standard of facilities required by today's discerning traveller.

The Ballynahinch Restaurant prides itself on its simple traditional Irish Fayre, with fresh home produce and locally caught fish used to create culinary delights complimented by an extensive wine list, excellent service and fine panoramas of Ballynahinch lake. The castle also has an attractive bar full of old world character and well stocked with a range of whiskies, the perfect place to unwind after a day out in the countryside.

Ballynahinch offers a range of activities; most extensively fly-fishing on Ballynahinch's salmon river and lakes. There are a number of excellent walks within the 455 acres of wooded grounds of the estate and for golfers the Connemara Gold Club is just 12 miles away.

 

Guest Reviews of

The service in the restaurant was less than expected for the price range. Had to ask for water glasses to be refilled.

Bradly Davidson on Tue Jul 26 2011

Very comfortable room. The castle was just beautiful.

Brenda Dazey on Mon Jul 25 2011

Great place to stay

Danielle Croghan on Tue Jul 19 2011

We were treated like royalty

Steve Salyer on Fri Jul 1 2011

Even though this was not as opulent as the Adare and Ashford we found it extremely friendly and accommodating. The scenary was magnificent from the rooms. Everything about it made you feel warm and comfortable. Loved it! My sons favorite place.

Darlene Burns on Wed Jun 22 2011

It was lovely but i felt they had given our rooms away because we checked in late. The upgrade of a suite seemed a little stuffy and needed a good airing out. It was warm in the suite and we were unable to open windows due to the insects.

Greg Regan on Wed Jun 15 2011

Beautiful grounds! Great walks on the property.

Robynne Rose on Tue Jun 14 2011

The best of the lot! Friendly, beautiful, and welcoming. Our hands down favorite.

Peter Underhill on Tue Jun 14 2011

What a lovely venue! Everything was wonderful here. We had a great room with view overlooking the river. Food was excellent. A wonderful treat to ourselves!!

Mary Scott on Tue May 24 2011

Wonderfull

Thomas Barrett on Tue Apr 12 2011

Beautiful and cozy. Great rooms and the food was better than anywhere we had been.

Greg Miller on Mon Jan 24 2011

Ballnahinch was our favorite stop while in Ireland!! We will definitely be back and bring our families!!! My husband and I were immediately taken with the grounds and our room was exceptional. We were even called in the morning when we had missed the breakfast hour, and were still allowed to order and eat a little late.

Amy Glisson on Fri Oct 15 2010

A little out of the way, but the grounds were beautiful, Breakfast was great, room was hot and bath water was yellow! Otherwise, very nice.

Roger Turner on Sun Sep 19 2010

We enjoyed Ballynahinch. It seemed a bit out of place for the trip and other locations that we went on.

Randy Miller on Mon Sep 13 2010

Fabulous-great lounge Very comfortable rooms Loved it!!!

Donna Macisaac on Tue Sep 7 2010

So glad that Maria offered this site as a stay. We all wanted to stay longer. Would recommend it to everyone.

Kathleen Turner on Wed Sep 1 2010

The Castle was truly a highlight of our tour -- wish we had had some sunshine.

Roger Owens on Sat Aug 7 2010

What was great about this hotel was the service. My husband and I woke up late for breakfast, and didn't think we'd make it downstairs in time. We were called shortly after, and they offered to just bring it up for us!

Rachel Shanahan on Thu Aug 5 2010

we truly did not like this hotel. We didn't like the service at all nor the food at all. The grounds were worth the visit, but not for a stay unless you were planning to go fishing. I would NEVER recommend this place to anyone, despite all the dignitaries they boast. The staff was most unaccommodating.

Rosemarie Spitaleri on Mon Jul 19 2010

Exceptional place providing a real castle staying experience. People very accomodating and hospitable. Will definitely plan a returning visit. Loved the bar area, very homey and one night, 2 gentlemen sang/played Irish songs.

Pam Sullivan on Fri Jul 9 2010

A beautiful stay. The castle far exceeded our expectations!

Brenda Dazey on Tue Jul 6 2010

Some disappointment with the structure being more like a manor house then a castle,. Not a major issue. Again food, hospitality, and facilities where very good. Location and grounds were excellent.

David Singerling on Sat Jun 26 2010

only issue was lumpy mattresses on beds. Otherwise, it was a really cool castle !

Olin Hoover on Thu May 27 2010

Excrellent experience!!!

Karen Kenna on Thu May 27 2010

Rooms were quite large and comfortable. No one really went out of their way to help out when we had no hot water for showers in the AM. My husband got a rather cold shower and I had none due to no hot water. Someone was sent to check it out while we were out walking and the desk girl pretty much said we were crazy because the water was fine....Offered no help or compensation. Breakfast and breakfast room were quite nice.

Joyce Alcorn on Thu May 27 2010

Quite good!

Sandra Minton on Thu Apr 29 2010

Our second honeymoon for our 25th Anniversary! Well worth the trip to the middle of nowhere. It was a true fantasy "holiday". Wished we had more time there. Staff exceptional! Everyon willing to please. Highly recommend to all.

Cathie Hougan on Sat Apr 10 2010

The staff was wonderful and did everything to ensure that we enjoyed out stay.

Jean Henry on Wed Feb 3 2010

It's a little off the beaten path and a long drive down a bumpy road to get to. Also, the water in the bathrooms was brown. Even though it was explained the water was filtered and safe to bathe and rinse mouth after brushing teeth.

Gay France on Mon Nov 2 2009

Very Good.

Casey Pettersen on Mon Oct 12 2009

Excellent all around

Amita Kent on Mon Sep 14 2009

This is a very special place which we loved. The food is excellent in both the dining room and the bar.

Doug Lucas on Fri Sep 4 2009

This is a beautiful property where the staff was welcoming and very helpful. I do think that you should make your clients aware of the extremely remote location of this facility. Especially clients who have never been to Ireland before and who are doing their own driving.

Helen Mcrory on Mon Aug 31 2009

Great place. Best of the trip! Excellent staff.

Jack Black on Mon Jun 29 2009

Truly you pciked us a greatwinner here and I want to thank you for that! I wish we could have spent the whole vacation here!

Ted Kelley on Tue Jun 16 2009

Simply outstanding! A bed was set up for our son and the chef went out of his way to make treats for our son. The food was wonderful! Staff fantastic! This has to be one of the best places we stayed during our holidays!! We look forward to returning to Ballynahinch Castle!

Akessa Smith on Wed May 6 2009

This was better than what I dreamed it would be. Breathtaking views and rooms, exquiste food, and the staff could not have been better. Can't wait to go back.

Sandra Oswald on Wed Apr 29 2009

If I had known how great this place would be I would have booked it for longer! Thought I had gone to heaven!

Tina Robinson on Sun Apr 19 2009

We loved everything about this castle

Mairead Chong on Fri Apr 17 2009

Beautiful spot, lovely hiking trails, great way to start our vacation.

Brenda O'Neill on Fri Mar 27 2009

Excellent!

Steven Cole on Tue Nov 18 2008

See comment from page before. This was a great Hotel. Staff friendly and helpful.

John Mccarthy on Sat Sep 27 2008

Our favourite.

Bryan Lancaster on Wed Sep 24 2008

This was a nice hotel but not really a castle experince.

David Mueller on Mon Sep 22 2008

We never would have seen Connemara if this hotel had not been recommended so we are thankful for that. Though the room was comfortable and the setting of the hotel was lovely, the highlight for this hotel was the dining experience. The meals were truly spectacular. We understand from the waiter that the chefs were an international group. The food was delicious and the presentation outstanding. The dining room staff were friendly and accomodating.

Fiona Harrower on Sun Aug 10 2008

Rather spoilt by middle day being concentrated on looking after a latge party who took precedence over guests

Mike Rudd on Wed Aug 6 2008

We loved this place and also had a great guided fishing trip.

Griffin Americas on Wed Jul 16 2008

We simply loved everything about this hotel. The staff was exceptional!

Marilyn Ward on Wed Jun 11 2008

A treat and in wonderful part of the country.

Kenneth Miller on Fri May 30 2008

When we arrived they had no twin accommodation left. We agreed to a double but were not pleased that they had given away the reserved twin. They did agree to upgrade us the following night. It was a beautiful room with a beautiful view. The staff was courteous and the food tasty but overpriced.

Tracie Landry on Wed Mar 26 2008

Amasing !!!

Thierry Schepard on Fri Mar 21 2008

Every hotel asked for voucher. We were given confirmation numbers which made for a lot of questions at check in. We had no vouchers on this trip.

James Brown on Tue Oct 9 2007

Awesome choice !!! Thanks

Daniel Brennan on Sat Oct 6 2007

will stay there every time we travel to Ireland

Stan Lightfoot on Wed Sep 5 2007

This Castle is quite nice. The rooms we stayed in were very nice and recently redone. There was a mix up in the room assignments that was handled well and one of the family moved rooms, but the owner made up with a complimentary bottle of wine. The ourdoor activities available are extensive, but not inside, ie no hot tub,sauna, steam room, pool, etc. The dinner and breakfasts were very good although some of my family found the starter course to be too "gamey" that is the items to choose from were not to thier taste!! Ruth and I however, found no problems so we have not nicked them here at all. Interesting point...we had the same Italian wines here as we had at Ashford Castle the night before...also same year....the wines here were just half the price of Ashford, ie, 30 euros vs 60 euros. It is a $22. bottle of wine at the liquor store in Pa. As you noted is my separate e-mail to Ballnahinch, I forgot an elcetric toothbrush and a bottle of Tiffany cologne....Dromoland called for me and I followed up the next day and the good folks at Ballnahinch forwarded them by "fast post" I think 5 or 6 days....and I give them extra points for that!!

Richard Lockwood on Mon Jul 2 2007

Beautiful location! Serene, comfortable, relaxing.

Cindy Martindale on Mon Jul 2 2007

Wonderful. Our favorite place we stayed!

Alyson Riffey on Sat Jun 30 2007

Beautiful place and location. Rooms were fabulous. Food is pricey but very good.

Brittney Mcbride on Mon May 14 2007

very nice

Bridie Tamer on Mon Dec 18 2006

Very elegant castle with great view on the Ballinahinch River.

Alice Moio on Wed Dec 13 2006

Fabulous setting would definitely stay here again and would recommend to friends

David Henderson on Sun Oct 1 2006

Wonderful. A Castle set on its own huge estate, situated next to a beautiful river. Lovely rooms and public areas and fabulous food. Not only all this but the staff were friendly and welcoming and made you feel that they were all vey happy that you were there. 11 out of 10.

Brad Guthrie on Wed May 24 2006

We don't often stay at "high-end" hotels, but this one seemed to rank right up there with the best.

Chris Poor on Sun Oct 16 2005
Enquire Now
space
 Return to Lodging in Ireland
space
space
space
Our Guests Ratings
hospitality  89%
accommodation  89%
food  88%
exterior  92%
facilities  87%
location  93%
value  85%
Overall Rating  89%
 
space

Images

 
Our Suggestions
   
 

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

Honeymoons in Ireland

myguideIreland are the specialists in planning your dream honeymoon in Ireland.

find out more »