The Lodge at Ashford Castle

The Lodge was an amazing place to spend my time in Ireland visiting from the US. The staff are simply THE BEST in every way. Attentive, sociable, great craic, and it’s very clear that they take the guest’s enjoyment seriously as their top priority. I simply didn’t want to leave. I’d especially like to shout out the crew that manned the bar throughout my 5 nights at the Lodge. I capped off every night at the Quay Bar chatting away with the staff and other patrons, which is the OPPOSITE of my usual personality, but they made me feel so welcome I couldn’t help but open up. Naming names now: Ionut was a mindreader and was always one step ahead in making sure my glass and belly were full. He makes hard work look effortless. Laura was the best craic and endless fun to chat with, not a dull moment when she’s around, and she entertained my poor Irish skills (I caught that “ní thú mhaith” on my way out Monday, by the way!) Rachel and Anette were always eager to listen to my crappy stories no matter how dull and boring they were and they kept the pints flowing. Delightful company after a very long day out and about. Aisling asked about the day’s adventures every time I walked in and was always after keeping my glass full and keeping a smile on my face. Cormac showed a heartwarming interest in my future and my possible return to Ireland (i.e. he asked if I i found myself a nice Irish girl to keep me from leaving! HA!), though I was a bit too embarrassed to answer directly and a bit too slow to answer cleverly. Cormac, I’m sure I’ll be back in the area in a year or so, if I see ya again I’m open to introductions, though you may want to limit it to bridges you’re willing to burn as I’ll likely screw it up! The dinner we had at Wilde’s was an incredible meal, everything was cooked perfectly, was served in a reasonable time, and of course the service was excellent. Same with breakfast each morning. All the food was very much to my taste, morning, noon, and night. The only disappointment was with some of the maintenance issues with the room, mainly the AC unit wasn’t generating cold air, even after the gentlemen came and repaired it. I can’t sleep if I’m too hot, so I had to turn off all the radiators and crack the window each night. The fit and finish on the bathroom door also wasn’t great which made it finicky to close. I also prefer firmer beds, but I understand that’s more personal preference than anything else. Over all, I’d love to return to the Lodge in the future. I felt cared for and looked after in ways I’m not accustomed to which made it worth every penny. Go hiontach ar fad!