Tralee Hotel

It's a pity about the Castlerosse- I thought they offered adjoining rooms but they may be too busy during the summer months.

The quality hotel is in a bad location, near a very busy roundabout on the outskirts of Killarney more in the commercial area.

I don't know the hotel itself as for the above reasons I wouldn't stay there. I prefer a hotel I can cycle into the national park from/to or walk to town.

Having said that, as long as you're happy to take the car, once you're in Killarney there are so many places to visit to keep the children happy that it makes a nice holiday.
 
Vanilla said:
The quality hotel is in a bad location, near a very busy roundabout on the outskirts of Killarney more in the commercial area.
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I double checked on google and that's where we stayed. Hated it. Maybe it's improved, about 5 years ago I think. Don't remember the rooms looking so good as they do on the web. There is not one good thing I can think of to say about it.

The hotel you stayed in sounds way way nicer. I'm sure if Purple is willing to pay he'd get two rooms.
 
Vanilla said:
It's a pity about the Castlerosse- I thought they offered adjoining rooms but they may be too busy during the summer months.

The quality hotel is in a bad location, near a very busy roundabout on the outskirts of Killarney more in the commercial area.

I don't know the hotel itself as for the above reasons I wouldn't stay there. I prefer a hotel I can cycle into the national park from/to or walk to town.

Having said that, as long as you're happy to take the car, once you're in Killarney there are so many places to visit to keep the children happy that it makes a nice holiday.
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Ok, I called the Castlerosse and after a bit of a begging they found me a room (well 2 adjoining rooms). €600 for 3 nights dinner B&B. If it's no good it's all on you though! :)
I cancelled the Quality hotel.
 
Yikes, I hope you have a good time otherwise I'll feel really bad!

I don't think you'll regret switching to Castlerosse though- the ability to walk straight down to the national park, to cycle right into Killarney town either through the park or along the cycle path ( completely off the road) is brilliant.

Plus the place is really set up for families. The only drawback ( now she says it!) is the lack of wifi in the rooms. There is wifi in the reception, bar and restaurant but it doesnt extend to the rooms. Sometimes though that's not necessarily a bad thing- you do switch off more.

Oh one thing- when you arrive you generally have to say what time you want to have dinner at- you can choose to have the children eat with the kids club separately or with you in the dining room. We usually eat together in the dining room. Now EVERYTIME we go, we ask for say 7pm to eat- the receptionist, always, without fail, says- oh no we are fully booked for that time, but if you mutter a bit and insist a bit, they'll always give in. So insist on eating when you want to eat! And book it for all the subsequent nights.

Will you let us know how you get on?
 
Vanilla said:
Yikes, I hope you have a good time otherwise I'll feel really bad!

I don't think you'll regret switching to Castlerosse though- the ability to walk straight down to the national park, to cycle right into Killarney town either through the park or along the cycle path ( completely off the road) is brilliant.

Plus the place is really set up for families. The only drawback ( now she says it!) is the lack of wifi in the rooms. There is wifi in the reception, bar and restaurant but it doesnt extend to the rooms. Sometimes though that's not necessarily a bad thing- you do switch off more.

Oh one thing- when you arrive you generally have to say what time you want to have dinner at- you can choose to have the children eat with the kids club separately or with you in the dining room. We usually eat together in the dining room. Now EVERYTIME we go, we ask for say 7pm to eat- the receptionist, always, without fail, says- oh no we are fully booked for that time, but if you mutter a bit and insist a bit, they'll always give in. So insist on eating when you want to eat! And book it for all the subsequent nights.

Will you let us know how you get on?
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I will indeed. Thanks for all the help and tips.
 
Purple said:
If it's no good it's all on you though! :)
.
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Trust me you made the right decision, only because it was you and Vanilla was I so adament in warning you, plus I'd an idea of what you like after your London trip with the kids. (Simpsons on the green) Enjoy the place Vanilla recommended.
 
Well the Castlerosse Hotel was great; good value, good rooms and good food. Nothing exceptional but excellent value for money.
Unfortunately due to work issues I had to cut the trip to two nights which was too short considering the amount of travel involved.
The kids enjoyed it though and I was very impressed with Killarney, not having been there for about 20 years.
Thanks again for the tips.
 
Vanilla said:
Tralee is grand, but Killarney is much better. I'd recommend the Castlerosse hotel in Killarney, they do family specials including dinner and breakfast. They do have self catering but I usually go with the 3 night dinner and breakfast option because it's just nice sometimes not to have to cook! They have longer options too. They are on a cycle path right into Killarney town and national park so you can just leave the car and cycle. From the windows in the hotel you can see the deer down by the lakes. Nearby is a horseriding centre if you're interested and you can be an absolute beginner and they go for a gentle walk through the national park. You can rent bikes everywhere in Killarney but it is a bit pricey and if you can bring bikes that's all the better. The last time we were there in April they stored the bikes in the boiler house for us.

The reason I recommend Killarney is that there is so much to do with kids- muckross cycle paths, walking paths, muckross farm, kennedys pet farm, there's another 'wildlife' park with lots of petting animals just out the cork road, and the hotel itself has kids clubs, playground, tennis court and swimming pool. You can rent a boat and go out on the lake, go to an old leper colony, go to the Gap of Dunloe etc. And it's not that far to the beaches in Inch or Banna if the weather is nice. We always intend to go for day trips to Kenmare or Dingle when we are there but there's so much to do we rarely make it.

The hotel itself is grand, it's not five star, but it's comfortable and clean and very child friendly. They'll give you an extra bed in the room if you want or two adjoining rooms, the meals are nice ( its a three course menu with lots of options) and the breakfast is great- everything from cereal, breadrolls, croissants, cheese, fruit, yoghurt and of course, cooked breakfast. You help yourself.

i know I sound like an advert for the place but we go there quite often and always enjoy it. The kids moan when it's time to go home!
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Thanks for the detailed post Vanilla, it sounds like exactly the kind of holiday we're looking for this year. I contacted the hotel and they're doing very reasonable offers on the holiday homes so we're going to book ourselves in for a 2 week break and plan some day trips in the area as well as plenty of cycles around the park. The only thing that surprised me is just how expensive bike hire is - it would cost us (family of 5) €60 per day to hire out bikes so we'll definitely be bringing our own at that rate (just need to source some reasonably priced bicycle carrier and towbar first!).
 
There are scores of bicylce hire places in Killarney and several new ones popping up each year so it might be worth your while to shop around. Some offer drop off and pick up and also packed prepared lunches.

The "play at heights" at the hostel in Fossa is excellent there is a short course for kids under a certain height equivalent to about 10 years and a longer higher course for the taller kids.

Beaches are a bit away from Killarney but if you get a hot summer like last year you will need to spend some time at the Beach. Unfortunately Rossbeigh beach was destroyed in the storm last week.
 
Thanks very much ajapale. I've had a look around at bike hire places but to be honest given there are 5 of us and we all have our own bike it seems a bit mad to be paying even the cheapest rates advertised as we'd be looking to get out most days for an hour or two. The play at heights sounds great, definitely will give this a look.
 
I stayed in Brandon Hotel with wife and two kids at end of August last year. We got a good deal but it was a very disappointing experience. The family room was massive and the staff were great but that's about it. The breakfast was bland and the room was dated. There wasn't much to do in Tralee apart from the AquaDome which is absolutely brilliant. Many years ago, we were in Killarney which was wonderful (but that was pre-kids so were on the beer....!). Hope this helps you make a decision.
 
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