We could not have bettered our stay at the matchmaking festival. The hotel was comfortable, the breakfasts sumptious and the service excellent. Everyone smiled at the hotel including all the guests. We enjoyed the music which began at midday and finished late (well after midnight). If you enjoy music but need a quiet night bring your earplugs as it is well worth a visit. The rooms were clean with plenty of facilities i.e. towels, teabags etc. Oh yes and breakfast lasts from early morning until midday. We enjoyed it so much that we are booking again.

We visited Lisdoonvarna as part of the famous matchmaking festival there every September. Overall our Lisdoonvarna visit was great fun except for our one bad experience in the Rathbaun hotel bar. Due to what was probably an oversight by one member of the bar staff we were served two glasses of lemonade when we had ordered and paid for two vodkas. Not a huge problem and certainly not worth mentioning in Tripadvisor if it wasn't for the reaction of what seemed like the lady owner (or at least the manager). When we informed her of the mistake her reaction was immediately defensive. She basically said you can leave if you don't like it. We didn't care about the drinks, but we were very insulted with how we were treated when we made a friendly non-threatening complaint. The woman looked visibly angry and made us feel like were were trying to con her out of a few euro which was very embarrassing in front of the other guests. Even if we were in the wrong, one would have thought that in the interests of the customer always being right, a small tip-up in our glasses would have resolved the issue. Instead it escalated into an ugly scene which left a bad taste in the mouth of all our 6-person party. This staff member certainly has no idea how to treat paying customers.

The trad session was brilliant and totally enjoyed it while having a few mean pints of guinness. There was a great atmosphere in the bar and the band played the whole night.
The room is clean but not very spacious. The price of the room is reasonable.
The breakfast was good. The service was very good and the staff were very friendly and helpful

We stayed two nights at the Rathbaun and couldn't have been more pleased. A family run operation that gave us fabulous service with just the right touch of Irish hospitality. Live music every night, wonderfull food, clean, up-to-date accomodations made this the perfect place to enjoy the real Ireland. We would highly recommend it to anyone.