Ballyfin Demesne

This should absolutely be a 5 star review, but given the high price and less than perfect experience, I’m afraid I can’t join the masses with all of the rave reviews. First of all, Ballyfin is a cut above in terms of the beauty of the house - it’s one of the most amazing places I’ve seen. Exploring the common rooms and grounds is an absolute joy. We loved taking the golf cart all around the property as well as the row boat on the lake. The history tour was great. Some of the staff here are incredible and go above and beyond to make you feel welcome. I enjoyed my long conversations with several of them over our two night stay. The framework here has the potential for perfection, and when it works it’s magic, but the reality was a bit of a let down. When we drove up to the gate, the intercom had cobwebs on it. Not a big deal, but it gave me slight pause that perhaps the attention to detail that I expected was not there. We drove up to the front of the house and met someone who helped us with our bags. He did not seem particularly friendly or talkative (perhaps because we drove up in a rented Suzuki vs. the many sports cars that arrived at other times). Once we got inside, we met a butler who immediately suggested we might want lunch before checking in. We thought that sounded nice and so he dropped us off with a hostess, who asked us what our room was. Again, not a big deal, but something got lost in the handoff. The lunch area is beautiful - we were seated and handed menus. Service here left something to be desired - it felt very cold and there was no explanation of how the menu worked. (Except for Millie - she was lovely.) Nonetheless, we shook it off and had a nice lunch. We then went back inside to try to check in. We eventually found the original butler in the entrance hall who was on the phone. We waited for him to finish, however he did not seem at all rushed and kept talking about tar - on and on and on. Finally, the gentleman who had helped us with our bags came walking by and asked if we wanted to go to our room. He took us there, but again not super friendly, and no tour of the premises or explanation of how things worked. Our room was lovely, but it was in the annex to the main house. My husband, who never complains about anything, said it felt like we were in the servants quarters and I agreed. We had paid for a room several tiers up from the lowest tier, so I was surprised to be “exiled” so far away. I definitely recommend booking in the main house if possible. Our room was beautifully appointed with lovely cut flowers, a comfy bed, and non alcoholic drinks and snacks provided. Unfortunately, and perhaps given we were out in the sticks, the water pipes were not up to snuff. The toilet refilled so slowly that we had to wait at least 20 minutes between flushes. The shower made an awful screeching noise which hindered any hope for a relaxing soak. At this point I realized that part of our package included glasses of champagne upon arrival (which I later saw people enjoying on their comprehensive welcome tours that we never got). I called down and they sent them up, but no acknowledgement of the mistake. We then moved on to pre-dinner drinks in the beautiful common areas, which was lovely the first night. We were not rushed and had very nice conversations with some staff - I started to feel the Ballyfin “magic” despite the previous missteps. Dinner was good, but not outstanding. Turndown service was nice with little gifts. The next day started out well. Breakfast was good and service friendly. However we had hung the do not disturb sign on our door given we were planning to be back in the room shortly. We had been assured that no one would enter if we had this sign on our door. Lo and behold, we came back to our room having been cleaned and clearly in an accelerated fashion. Waters weren’t refilled, the milk was sitting out and no replacement was in the fridge, and a random tablecloth (?) was hung over a chair. It was truly bewildering. We called down to request replacements for the beverages and the lady who came up was clearly disgruntled by her cleaning staff, but again no direct apology. After leaving to explore the grounds, lunch was again served with a side of chilly service. The real excitement started with the second evening’s pre-dinner drink. We were settled in by a roaring fire, listening to the live piano music, when not 20 minutes later we were asked to go sit at our dinner table, despite our designated dinner time not being for another 20 minutes. It was clear at this point that the rush was on and the leisurely pace of the previous night was a thing of the past. Because we had the tasting menu the night before, we opted for the a la carte menu given the tasting menu hadn’t changed. The a la carte menu was very similar to the tasting menu, so it felt very repetitive. I can’t imagine having dinner here for a 3rd night. The lady helping us with our wine was nice, but not particularly helpful. It soon became apparent that the staff and chefs were overwhelmed and not able to keep up with service. Courses were so delayed that many tables received direct apologies. One diner had celiac disease and the kitchen unfortunately served them gluten - which they only noted after the food was eaten. Staff were appropriately apologetic but it was too late and in my opinion an egregious error especially for a place of this caliber. It was clear that some things went awry during our stay. I’m not sure if a lot of the staff were new which contributed to some of the issues, but the way Ballyfin positions itself as one of the top hotels in the world, it certainly needs some improvements to live up to those high standards.

We had an exceptionally pleasant stay at Ballyfin. The attention to detail is second to none. The staff are so welcoming and hospitable. The food and drinks were amazing - clearly very deserving of its Michelin star. The entire stay and experience is a proper luxury without any stuffiness. It’s a bucket list experience that I would highly recommend!

This hotel is magic. Its restaurant fully deserves its recent Michelin Star. But describing it as a hotel is a disservice to the whole ethos and ambience created by the management. It somehow becomes a home within minutes because of the friendly open-hearted service of all the staff. The attention to detail is incredible…the lavender pouch to assist sleep was astounding. I don’t want to be too gushing but I felt I was a family member in the Downton Abbey show. Golf cart visit round the extensive grounds, beautiful pool/spa area and water feature view from the dining room are all standout. But so are the bedrooms, main rooms and breakfasts. I have stayed in about 30 hotels in Ireland (some of the so-called highest stars). None of them compete with this experience. Thank you. I’ll be back.

Fabulous experience at Ballyfin Demesne. We couldn't fault any aspect of our stay, it was just marvelous. From the warm welcome at the steps of the beautiful house to the food (every morsel delicious!) & just the general class and style of the place and everyone we encountered. There is not one little detail they have overlooked, they seem always to be anticipating your every need. The comfort and quality of the bedrooms and indeed all the areas inside the house and outside in the grounds are just great. I must say that ultimately it is the warmth, good humour and down to earth Irish hospitality of the staff that really takes this 5 star hotel to the next level. We interacted with so many people, too many to mention by name - all fantastic ambassadors for Ballyfin. Thank you all for making our stay so memorable and for all the little details, especially the anniversary gift which was so thoughtful. We look forward to seeing you all again!

From the first second we arrived at Ballyfin demesne, we felt welcome. Fantastically fabulous rooms and incredibly inviting workers who devote themselves to such work. This is the invaluable attitude of the staff towards guests of any rank and towards the Ballyfin Demesne Castle itself. Lionel radiates kindness and support in everything! Anna and Dmitriy left an indelible feeling of solemnity,magnificence and at the same time simple friendly attitude and understanding! Special thanks to the chef and assistants for the superbly selected dishes! Also, we cannot fail to note the well-coordinated work, without the slightest hint of mistakes, of the Ophivians! You are all Great! And our 25th anniversary of marriage with my husband will always be accompanied by a fabulous memory of the evening at Ballyfin Demesne!!! Owner really have to be proud!! Incredible 1000% the Best!!!