Killarney Park Hotel

Town Centre,
Killarney,
County Kerry
Killarney Park Hotel enquiries
www.killarneyparkhotel.ie

• Centre of town luxury location.
• Beautiful bedrooms.
• Fabulous food.

We pulled up at the hotel in the middle of the afternoon deciding that we might go to the movies that night after dinner. The town’s cinema is right next door and it was showing all the latest releases that we wanted to catch. After checking in we were shown to our lovely bedroom and served tea and home-made cookies! The warm service and stylish ambiance had already started to weave its special spell and so we stayed in this heavenly hotel and never did get to the movies that night. Instead we got a DVD from the library sent up to the room and enjoyed our own private cinema!

DINING AT THE PARK

The Park restaurant is a beautiful room – large fireplace, antique chandeliers, pianist playing classics at just the right volume and tempo, attentive staff moving smoothly around the room between the discretely appointed tables. There is a picture of two swans gliding along a lake above the fireplace and this image properly sums up the atmosphere – all calm and serene while under the waters they are paddling furiously! In my experience it takes a very busy kitchen to produce excellent food and perfect service to a number of people who choose to arrive at different times.

After a Kir Royale to stir the imagination, we chose from the menu two lovely seafood starters – Tiger Prawns and Seared Scallops. We both opted for a green salad with the sweetest citrus dressing, and then moved on to the Panfried Irish Fillet of Beef - “just beautiful” she announced – and very delicious fillets of Dover Sole. Desserts were Warm Chocolate Fondant and a Lemon Flan. With a bottle of Classic Sancerre, this was a wonderful feast. Service was impeccable, and at another table a dessert was served to a guest with a lighted candle in it while the staff sang “Happy Birthday”! It was a happy dining room for sure.

Worth mentioning is the outstanding breakfast the following morning. Many times we have visited hotels where the dinner was excellent but there was little thought or imagination in the breakfast menu and service. This hotel is worthy of a special breakfast award. The range of fresh and hot and cold dishes was matched by the excellence of everything we ate. We even had monkfish for breakfast! Warm blueberry muffins, granola and fruit and yoghurt, free-range eggs and crispy bacon – this was a regal feast that set us up for the day.

ACCOMMODATION AT KILLARNEY PARK

I did like our room, we had a separate sitting area, a large balcony, three televisions (one in the sitting room, one in the bathroom, and one that rose up from a box at the foot of the bed!) a desk area, DVD Player, a proper iron and ironing board – I hate those trouser presses – and free broadband connection. For some reason my laptop would not connect however, despite assistance from staff, so I had to make do with using the wireless in the lobby or the two computers for guest use. The room was very comfortable with a gas fire and plenty of chairs and couches, and the bathroom was cleverly designed. The comfort factor is largely to do with the lovely mooted earthy colours used in the design, and these continue throughout the hotel, lots of browns, warm burgundy, cream and beige.

THE SPA AT THE PARK

So many people love hotels with good leisure facilities, and yet when they visit they do not use them! I am happy to say that on this occasion we did! After a couple of lengths of the pool, and a stint in the sauna followed by the plunge pool, it was the outdoor hot tub that really delighted us. Stepping out into the sharp bright air and then sliding into the hot steaming tub is real bliss! Surrounded by flowering shrubs, this is a real relaxation area. The Spa itself offers a range of treatments for both men and women, but unfortunately on this occasion we did not indulge. However, we did feel well refreshed after our two visits to the leisure centre, one before dinner and another before breakfast early the following morning.

We enjoyed warm and friendly service throughout our stay, we had exceptionally fine food and a thoroughly elegant and sublime accommodation. This hotel has to be at the forefront of excellence in Irish hospitality.