The Castle Lodge in Killarney is a nice bed and breakfast, about five minutes walk from the High Street and the main attractions downtown. It is on Muckross Road, which leads down towards the south coast of Ireland.
Along this road is the country’s most beautiful national park and it also forms part of the Ring of Kerry, a spectacularly scenic drive. Ross Castle, another major attraction is just down the road from the B&B.
I spent six nights at Castle Lodge. The reason for my visit was to attend the TBEX conference for bloggers. Castle Lodge was just up the road from the INEC center where the event was taking place so it was ideal for me.
I really liked the room, the lobby and a special “living room” area where guests can gather to read or watch TV if they are bored in their rooms.
After my second night I started to feel like I was going back home when I was walking back to the lodge – the staff were super friendly and the location was also very convenient.
Without further ado, here is my review of Castle Lodge in Killarney!
Finding the Castle Lodge in Killarney
I was travelling by bus from the direction of Dublin and the bus stop was literally up the road, about five minutes walk away. The train station is also not far, perhaps 10 minutes walking so there really is no point taking a cab from anywhere.
Killarney is a small town of about 15,000 people and the town center is about three streets big, so basically everything is walking distance.
Entering the Castle Lodge Hotel
There is a big car park in front of the hotel. It is very easy to locate the place as there is a big sign outside and the building is illuminated at night.
First Impressions
I’ve stayed in a couple of bed & breakfasts in Ireland before but this was probably the best. Irish B&Bs are mostly high quality and they offer very good value for money but I enjoyed staying here most. They offered a key card to open the room instead of the usual key and there was also high speed internet on site which I used for work.
Wifi Access
I spoke to the owner during my second day and she said she recently installed a brand new internet connection. I decided to test it and the speed was over 40 Mbit/s, which is pretty fast for a hotel – normally they are under 10 Mbit/s for free connections.
The Lobby Area
The reception desk was on the right as I entered and behind it was the door leading to the home of the owner. On the left was the lobby area and through this was the breakfast room and the living room.
The guest rooms were on either side of the lobby on the ground floor and the upper floors. I think there was no lift only stairs, but I was staying on the ground floor so it didn’t matter.
Checking In
Checking in was super fast, they already had my card prepared and they were expecting me. We had a nice chat then I was off to my room.
Inside the Room
The key card worked fine and it stayed active all week which is unusual as most of them tend to deactivate after a couple of days in the valet.
The room had a double and a single bed, a desk and a big cupboard. The window was double-glazed and there was also a thick curtain to shut the light out.
There was one wall mounted central heating unit which they turn on in the afternoon for a few hours. That tends to be more than enough as most guests are out for the day anyway exploring the national park and Killarney town center.
The Bed
The bed was very comfortable with four pillows and a double duvet plus an extra sheet in case I feel cold. The TV was right in front of the bed on the wall, although it was a little bit small.
It only had the local Irish channels and they were pretty boring so I didn’t watch much TV. They have a nice communal area with a big TV and DVD player so if you are ever bored you can just watch a DVD on that bigger TV.
The Rest of the Bedroom
The desk was medium sized with a kettle, various cups, biscuits and a hair dryer mounted on the side of the cupboard. There was also a suitcase stand next to the desk.
I would say it was a good size room for what I needed it and it was in very good working order with all the units regularly cleaned.
The Bathroom
The bathroom was not huge but it was enough: there was a shower, the toilet and the sink plus a towel rack. They changed the towels every day and topped up the toiletries daily which was nice.
The shower was great and the water was nice and hot, some days I just didn’t want to get out as it was so cold in Killarney that week.
Overall Impressions
I was a bit sad to leave on my last day, I got so used to sleeping in the bed and meeting the housekeepers and receptionists every day.
The room came in at €45/night with the last night at €59 which I didn’t book in advance. Breakfast was not included in the rate but if you want it you just sit down in the morning and pay €8 for a full Irish or vegetarian breakfast.
