Ballygally Castle

We had an absolutely fantastic stay at Ballygally Castle. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Trish who was super friendly and helpful, and she checked us into our coastal view room which was just perfect. The rooms are really large, clean, and have beautiful views out onto the sea. That night we went for dinner in the restaurant, which has a fabulous range of gluten free options to choose from. Everything we ordered was extremely tasty and the service from both Matthew and Mollie really was top notch. We also went for some light lunch in the lounge bar the next day, which is such a relaxing and homely place to sit and further enjoy the views - special thanks to Ann for looking after us so well before we checked out! We will definitely be back again!

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Location was good (although we hadn't realised the hotel was directly on a busy main road). Reception and bar/restaurant staff were excellent, friendly and efficient. Beautiful gardens. Great bar lunch. Chowder and fish and chips. Good sea view from pleasant bedroom. Housekeeping had provided blankets rather than duvets, as requested. thank you. Also a fan in the room if needed. It was very warm weather.

Breakfast. We were shown to a very nice table in the upper restaurant area. Spacious and airy. In contrast with the small, crowded lower area, which we had to pass through to visit breakfast buffet. Hot drinks were brought promptly to the table. However, I was disappointed to see an open bowl of yoghurt on the buffet. Fresh fruit and juices were good. Plates for cooked breakfast were cold and the food was rather tepid.

The castle sat right on the ocean, the hotel gardens were stunning and much larger than we anticipated. The castle was full of history, complete with turrets, a ghost, historical information posted on the walls, and a great connection with Game of Thrones (for those fans). We were directed to a nearby pub about a mile away, Mattie's Meeting House, which not only had wonderful food, but it happened to be a Thursday evening which is the night that local musicians drop in to play. This was definitely a highlight for us. Breakfast was a large array of traditional breakfast fare (and more--lots of fruit) in a buffet style presentation. Excellent. We loved the fact that this was not a huge sprawling costly castle hotel, but a rather small and intimate, friendly place. It was also an event venue--perfect for an outdoor romantic destination wedding. Yes, it was more expensive than regular B&Bs, but well worth it once! Hey, how often do you get to stay in a castle in Ireland?

Not a thing. It was perfect.

The room was of exceptional quality for the money we paid, especially with the sea view upgrade. The staff were friendly and helpful. We enjoyed a good breakfast and evening meal in the hotel restaurants. The area was very beautiful and peaceful. We have already agreed to return in the near future.

I had the seafood chowder one evening, which tasted great, but only contained 1 particular type of white fish. To me, seafood chowder is a medley of seafoods, not just 1 thing. It was also very heavy on the potato and carrot compared to the fish. The wheaten muffin served with it was also tough and chewy, like it had been reheated. I would recommend this be addressed. Also, the menu seemed rather limited. We ended up finding a lovely restaurant in Larne on our second evening and we couldn't decide on what to have there as their menu was so diverse.

The location was perfect for us. We wanted to spend a few days relaxing and this is the perfect place. Located across from the hotel was a small, nice beach that we could walk on, several benches were also available to just sit and enjoy the breathtaking views. We didn't have a car so we stayed very close but the restaurant was wonderful. There was a small store for snacks and there was a local pub, Mattie's a mile up the road. The staff was amazing, friendly and accommodating. Would stay there again.The garden was lovely and very peaceful.

We arrived very late and Allistair could not have been more helpful. He was the only one on duty and did everything from being bartender to receptionist to sandwich maker, delivered to our room. He did it all with a willing, smiling attitude and was outstanding. Did the hotel proud. The hotel itself was as expected, given that it is a highly rated hotel, beds were comfortable and all amenities provided. We had a seaview room but it was so fogged in, we could not see the ocean across the street. We will return.

Nothing

Booking in was quick and easy, one problem we had was with the hot water to the bath would not turn on. My wife rang down to reception and they reacted immediately by sending house keeping. As they would require a plumber to fix the issue we were moved from our deluxe room to the garden suite. This was well handled without fuss, the garden room was really nice room and my wife enjoyed the free standing bath. We had booking the restaurant in advance and the food was very good and the river restaurant has nice old world feel. All the staff were pleasant and welcoming. Great stay will definitely stay again.

We stayed in many different places while visiting Ireland, and the Ballygalley castle was our favorite. The property is absolutely stunning, inside and out. The gardens were gorgeous and expansive and the ocean views spectacular. The room was big and comfortable and the staff were very helpful. The woman in reception booked us dinner reservations in the hotel restaurant (which was also delicious!). The lounge has a Game of Thrones Tea and you can see the door used in the series

Nothing!

Beautiful hotel..everything was clean and tidy..

Some of the staff need some extra customer services training..parts of the room weren't very well finished for the sort of hotel..need better fans in the room very warm when I stayed and had a unsettled nights sleep..same can be said about the whole hotel no form of air con or windows or doors open to let in air was extremely uncomfortable..not the greatest lighting in the room and too many switches to figure out which lights turned on..

A beautiful hotel in a beautiful location. The buffet breakfast was quite ordinary but the dinner was very good. The bedroom was spotless and very comfortable.

On the 2nd day of my stay there was a wedding and the bar staff were concentrating on serving the wedding guests at the expense of residents. Two other residents said this to me while we waited at least 10 minutes to get served. When I eventually got served the barmen were very pleasant and apologetic.