I booked the Cabra Castle Hotel for my husband's birthday treat and we have just spent two very pleasant days in the exceptional ambience and setting of this special hotel. From the moment we arrived until our departure this morning, we were totally delighted with the welcome, the room and the food.

We were allocated a room in the main part of the castle and were delighted to note that it was in fact, one of the rooms featured on the website. The room was more of a suite, with a comfortable seating area, a dining table and 4 chairs, a huge bathroom with a free-standing roll-top bath and a dressing room where tea and coffee could be prepared. It was a gem!!

We also took the opportunity to have the special 5 course evening menu on Monday night. Again, the food was beautifully presented and served, with personal food choices addressed. When my husband's dessert arrived, chef had decorated the plate with Happy Birthday. A delightful touch and very much appreciated.

The castle grounds are very pleasant and the courtyard development looks very impressive. There is also a walled garden with seating and some statues which, along with the beautiful mellow stone work, presents a welcoming impression. There are also 6 new cottages which can be hired by the room or as a whole. These look very impressive and would suit a family meeting up for a special occasion.

There are, however, few things to do in the immediate area and the Spa , as advertised, is not available in low season. Despite these aspects, this hotel is certainly well worth a visit. Just remember not to step on Oscar, the 3 year old Irish wolfhound!! He is given the run of the hotel and grounds and is a 'mascot' for the hotel.

Booked a 1 night break with friends between Christmas and New Year - to relax and refresh. It went so well we ended up staying for 2 nights. We stayed in the cottages where the rooms were modern, clean and large although a little too warm! The staff could not have been more friendly or helpful changing bed configuration and even rooms in the blink of an eye. Food and service in the hotel dining room were both superb, and a lunchtime bar menu was no let down either.

The castle itself was spectacular, imposing yet almost fariytale like as it was lit up for Christmas. Oscar, the Irish Wolfhound doorman sets the ambiance as you arrive, ambling slowly over to give you the onceover then graciously allowing you to enter. Its an Old World, stately way of life in Cabra Castle - leaving only one question.

What the hell went wrong! My life should be like this all the time!

The location is fantastic, well looked after, green and peaceful. The castle itself is welcoming and warm, we enjoyed the first-look elegance, the lit fireplaces, the professionalism of the attendants. We just loved to wonder around the place, in and out! we booked two rooms, a double one and a family one. The double one was in the main body of the castle, and it was simply STUNNING! the little hall, the furniture in the large room, the bathroom. All was clean and details were looked after - including the choc on the pillows! Another 5-star-element was the dining hall, where we had dinner and breakfast. The dinner was excellent, and so was the service. We enjoyed every single moment of it! and the breakfast, the morning after, was surprising too, with all its variety of choices on offer, and all food was first quality.

On the slightly down side, our family room was located in the courtyard, which is indeed less easily and romantically reachable and definitely less astonishing to the first sight. Some details were less than satisfactory, but altogether the room was clean and VERY large, and the kids loved to run around. Also some parts of the castle are less captivating, such as the internal corridors and stairs to get to the main body, and the carpet in some places could do with a revamp; and, it is true, there were some guests who were quite loud and interrupted a good night's sleep. But there's just so much the hotel can do if some people are naturally disrespectful and bad-mannered!

All in all, we thoroughly enjoy the stay, the place, the food and the service - thank you to the attendants from reception to dining hall and a big extra came from the manager the morning after, when we, just as curious about how the other rooms in the castle would look like, asked her to view a few of them. She was so available and kind as to immediately dedicate us her attention and open up a few doors and let us browse, explaining about them, past guests, a little bit of Irish history etc. She was an excellent host!
It was an unforgettable experience and I would by all means advice for it. By the way not least, we took advantage of a very good offer that included dinner and b&b, so we also enjoyed first-rate quality at an affordable price!

I have been to 2 wedding here and indeed the second and more recent one was based on my recommemdation but i have secret - non wedding days :-)

Firstly lets comment on weddings at cabra castle - simply excellent in pretty much every way.
The venue totally lends itself to failytales for the bride and groom with a long and impressive drive way in , a simply monster and awesome monster and supersized dog (no idea what breed but presume irish wolfhound) waiting with a very customer friendly wagging tail attitiude and a castle that just appears with turrets, bagpipes and red carpet - its the perfect 'castle' wedding enterrance......and it continues to impress.
The interior hall , althought small is everything you expect in a picture postcard castle and the waiting area with big fireplace is just a winner and photographs very very well. The reception hall is optimal size and can be carved big or small as number dictate and the food is most excellent (are you getting the feeling that i am selling the place - i am)
The rooms within the castle that i saw were exceptional but there are not a lot in the hotel itself with omst contained within the stables area at the rear of the hotel. This is not an issue as the walk thru the hotel is very nice and photos very well too and the rooms since my last visit have been renovated to a high quality. One minor issue would be rain, it didnt but if it had it could have been an unplesant walk home to bed .

The secret

Go there when its NOT a wedding night. i spoke to some guests like me who have been to 1 or 2 weddings in this venue and had booked in a night early and founf there to be only a handful of guest and i have to say i think with the right choice of room and possibly in the main hotel this could be a truly amazing and special get away from the madding crowds. Thats my tip and i know that should i be fortunate to be invited to another wedding at Cabra Castle i will be making it a 3 night event and for all the right reasons

Great place, great rooms , great food and on top of all of this ... great value - could you want more !

To balance all this praise i only have one minus to add - turn down the heating please , the rooms were roasting and i was an australian in ireland in Jan - how mst the locals feel - go one Cabra - save some $$s