Great hotel and a great reputation enjoyed our stay alot. We stayed for the festive period and were very impressed by how familiar the staff became with our habbits made us feel at home despite all of the working alot even christmas day. Kind of felt sorry for them they seemed so rushed but took time to talk to us. Great staff but overworked and trying to smile when they looked wrecked Victoria and the young student lad in the restaurant made every effort they could and really made things very easy like we wanted might be back.

I've stayed in a few hundred hotels in my life, in more than a dozen countries... and this, so far, is my favorite. Overall, nothing I've stayed in beats it. I can't recommend it strongly enough. Details...

GOOD:
--The setting is nothing less than spectacular. From the hotel, the view is idyllic to the point of looking unreal. The view over the grounds to the lake, with the mountains in the background, is straight from a postcard.
--The rooms are large, very elegantly decorated, comfortable and relaxing.
--Bed was particularly comfy
--Bathroom was plenty big and well appointed
--The hotel bar is very nice
--The restaurant is excellent
--The staff and management are more than friendly - they are like tour guides. The hotel manager was constantly helping us out with this and that.
--There are walking trails leading through the gardens that are just wonderful
--They rent bikes and other equipment for activities
--The golf course looks great, though we didn't play it
--The town, Kenmare, is quintessential Ireland
--The spa attached to the hotel is very good, or some my wife tells me

BAD:
--None.

I do not kid when I say this is my favorite hotel. Maybe someday something will beat it, but not so far. If you go to Ireland AT ALL, I recommend making a trip to Kenmare, and staying at this hotel. You will love it.

We stayed at the Park Hotel Kenmare for 4 nights in October 2007. The hotel is the very epitome of what I imagine Ireland accommodations to look like! It’s an older building, but has all the amenities of a modern-day hotel. The hotel is located in a prime location, right on the edge of the town of Kenmare. You simply walk down a winding 50-yard driveway and you are on the outskirts of the town, with its many pubs, shops and historical sites.

We stayed in a suite on the top floor, which was very good sized (but looked totally different than the picture on their website – no canopy bed, which was kind of disappointing.). The best feature was the view; it faced the back of the hotel and overlooked a green pasture (complete with pony), and the Kenmare River, along with hillsides full of fall colors. The bed was comfortable, and the bathroom was large. There was a small dining room table in the corner with four chairs, and a comfortable sofa in the other corner. With 5 windows facing three directions, the views were “all around” great.

The staff were very nice and helpful. They were forthcoming with suggestions about things to see and do in Kenmare, the best driving routes for various sightseeing trips, and anything else you needed to know.

One minor annoyance was that the heaters in our room turned themselves off at some temperature, and we had to call down to the front desk to get them reset. We never quite figured out what that was all about, but it was easily fixed. Also, the cleaning service was a bit late in the day – we like our room tidied up when we get back from our morning excursion. Also, there was something in their welcome literature about guests being expected to dine at the hotel, but we never ate there and were never bothered about it.

All in all, an excellent place to stay. We chose this place over Sheen Falls Lodge, and we are so glad we did. While we were there, we drove over to Sheen Falls Lodge, and the buildings are very garishly painted, and the view was not as nice. Also, Sheen Falls is located more than 2 km outside Kenmare, so you would have to drive and find parking any time you wanted to go into town. The Park Hotel Kenmare beats the Sheen Falls Lodge on location hands-down.

Just back from the park hotel. I must admit I was very surprised bu the average of the whole.
When we arrived no one at the door to greet you, and we totally surprised the receptionnist who wasn't expecting anyone!!
The setting is lovely, the hotel is nice, the room was quite big. So far so good, but I wasn't expecting less from a 5 stars!!! Now it felt a bit clottered with all those antiques everywhere.

You can't use the health club without paying 60€/p.
Now, the service was slow and not efficient. There was a poor waitress doing the work of 4, so we had to wait 25 mns (solid!) for 2 coffee that we had to go and ask for because no one had spotted us.
For the menu, we had to wait ages for menu card, then an other ages to order!
No newspaper on the morning, no umbrella.

conclusion: WAY TO OVERATED AND OVERPRICED.