Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Lough Eske Castle Hotel & Spa is a 5 star castle hotel located in Donegal, Ireland. Nestled amidst dramatic landscapes, ragged coastlines and vast seascapes this award-winning destination resort features world class amenities, wedding venues, and spa services.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
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Lough Eske Castle captivates guests with its warm, cozy atmosphere and spacious rooms, often noted for their comfort. The hotel's picturesque grounds and luxury amenities, including a well-received spa and swimming pool, come highly recommended for leisure. While the service is generally applauded for its professionalism, there have been occasional mentions of slow service.
Although set in a beautifully secluded location, some guests feel the pricing is steep and not reflective of the overall value. The cleanliness of the hotel consistently earns praise.
Location
Secluded
Atmosphere
Charming
Rooms
Spacious
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Pampering
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We were at the hotel as we were attending funeral locally. All staff were sensitive to our reason for staying and the whole experience was very relaxing. We stayed for 3 days and, on the whole, we felt that i was very good value for money. It feels like a small hotel and lots of attention has been paid to many details. Beds were extremely comfortable. Breakfast was legendary. Quality ingredients and so much to choose from. Dinner in Cedars was fabulous. Lovely grounds and lots of extra activities for all interests.
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Date of stay: January 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Donal Cox, General Manager at Lough Eske Castle
Responded 3 weeks ago
Dear Monica4498, Thank you for taking the time to share your recent experience at Lough Eske Castle. We are delighted to hear you enjoyed your time here at the Castle. Your kind words are very much appreciated. We hope to welcome you back again soon. Best Regards, Dónal Cox General Manager
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We spent two nights at Lough Eske Castle on a 16 day trip around Ireland and thought it was a great value. The hotel itself is beautiful with an interesting history. The public spaces are grand and the fitness center and spa are very updated and clean (the pool and hot tubs looked great but we didn’t use them).
We booked a Deluxe Room and were pleasantly surprised at how large it was and how lovely the bathroom was (double sinks and separate rooms for WC and shower). But the hotel is quite the maze of hallways with multiple half flights of stairs and it was a LONG way to our room. We figured that helped us work off some of the delicious food though. The big surprise was that the room wasn’t air conditioned. Somehow I missed that fact. Thankfully, it was a bit cooler when we visited because the small fan they provide would not have been much help if the temperature had been any warmer.
The highlight of our stay was Dylan the ‘concierge’ (aka bellman) and our included dinner at the hotel restaurant, Cedars. The dinner was delicious, one of the best of our trip, and our server James was a delight. We also appreciated the maitre d whose name we didn’t catch.
A really lovely hotel even though there isn’t any view of the lake! You couldn’t beat the price we paid.
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Date of stay: October 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Donal Cox, General Manager at Lough Eske Castle
Responded Oct 30, 2023
Dear ccrosner, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us at Lough Eske Castle recently. I am delighted to hear that you had a wonderful time at the castle. Your kind words on the room, and the grounds are truly appreciated. I understand that it is it may be a walk to some of the rooms but this design was necessary to maintain the castle in the manner in which it is. I will be sure to pass your kind words to Dylan. I hope we can welcome you back to the castle again soon and please do not hesitate to request a room closer to reception when making your reservation. Best Regards, Dónal Cox General Manager
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Lough Eske Castle is an impressive hotel and recommended. We stayed for one night B and B while attending a wedding at a special rate. Weather outside was very cold. The castle setting on the lake is impressive. There are extensive added buildings on the grounds. Holiday cottages are appealing but the glass panelled function area is gaudy. The reception staff were efficient and helpful and allowed an earlier check in. The lay out and organisation of the ceremony and wedding were very impressive. The temperature in the venue was low at the beginning. The food quality , table settings and service were very good. The common areas near the function area looked tired. The bar area and Fr Browne bar are impressive. The bedroom and bathroom were large and impressive, but cool. The shower fitted with a disability seat, folded and only had a hose and shower head. The leisure area is a five minute walk in the open. The swimming pool, jets, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna all superior. The staff attitude here is not so good. On arrival, no robe, no information on the outside jacuzzi. The breakfast quality and service were excellent with carved ham and smoked salmon. The queue for tables was long after 10:00 am. Overall, a good experience in a high quality , well managed hotel.
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Date of stay: January 2025Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Arrive early for breakfast.
Ask the leisure staff for a robe and an overview of facilities.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Donal Cox, General Manager at Lough Eske Castle
Responded Jan 30, 2025
Dear swimking2015 Thank you for taking the time to share your recent experience here at Lough Eske Castle. We are delighted to hear you enjoyed your stay. Your kind words are very much appreciated. Furthermore, thank you for your feedback in regard to the aspects which did meet the high standards we strive to provide. These are matters which we will look into. We hope to welcome you back again soon. Best Regards, Dónal Cox General Manager
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Lough Eske, great hotel for weddings, if you want a romantic get away, forget it. These type of hotels survive only on weddings. We went there because we had a voucher.
Half of the hotel was a building site at the time of our visit. Our room was far, far, far away from the main reception, walking down infinite corridors, going up stairs, going down stairs, another corridors, in fact if you do go to this hotel, I suggest you bring your rollers skates and your satnav! We did get lost at some point!
Room was big, bed was big but mattress was too small so there was a gap between the bed frame and the mattress, bathroom was enormous and cavernous, there was an echo when talking. There was also a nauseous smell of fresh paint in the room and corridors. All the rooms opposite our bedroom were still unfinished so a plastic sheet was put on the carpet to protect it. Workmen were still working when we arrived.
Staff quite friendly, there was a wedding that day so were very busy.
Restaurant was nice, the food ok, not amazing, but charging another 15 Euros for a steak is a bit excessive.
Overall, very expensive hotel. We paid 650 Euros approximately for one night, breakfast and dinner included. For the same price go to Ballynahinch castle in Connemara, pure luxury and no weddings in sight.
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Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Donal Cox, General Manager at Lough Eske Castle
Responded Oct 12, 2024
Dear TravellerNo1961, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us following your recent stay at Lough Eske Castle. We truly appreciate all feedback, as it helps us to continually improve our services. We sincerely apologize that your stay did not meet your expectations, particularly in terms of the ambiance and comfort you were hoping for. While we are a popular destination for weddings, we also pride ourselves on being a haven for couples seeking a romantic getaway, and we regret that this was not reflected during your visit. We acknowledge that parts of the hotel were undergoing refurbishment at the time of your stay, and we are sorry for any inconvenience caused by the layout or the construction work. It is never our intention for guests to feel disoriented or inconvenienced, and we will certainly pass your feedback on to our team to ensure we better manage such situations in the future. Regarding your room, we are sorry to hear that it did not meet the standards you were expecting. We will review the condition of the bed and mattress to ensure it provides the utmost comfort. As for the fresh paint smell and unfinished areas, this is certainly not the experience we want for our guests, and we will take extra precautions during any future renovations to minimize the impact on those staying with us. On a positive note, we're glad to hear that you found our staff friendly and welcoming, despite the busyness of the wedding event. However, we also note your comments about the dining experience and pricing. We take all feedback seriously, and our culinary team will certainly review your remarks about the food and pricing to see how we can improve the experience for our guests. While we understand your stay didn’t fully meet your expectations, we do hope that we can welcome you back in the future, when the renovations are fully complete, so you can enjoy the tranquil, luxurious experience that many of our guests treasure. Thank you once again for your valuable feedback. Best wishes, Donal Cox, General Manager
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First off, the castle, room and grounds are beautiful. We enjoyed a morning hike on our first day there. Our room had some minor issues (pool of water on floor in room entranceway from leaky roof or doorway) but overall was very nice and bed was comfortable.
The spa was in poor repair on the one day we used it. The steam room by the pool was out of commission, the second steamroom by the sauna was also not working. The sauna was working however and the steamroom was working again by the time we were leaving but didnt get to enjoy it.
Breakfast was very good, staff like to take plates away when you are still eating from the plate. Lifted my scone to take a bite and staff took my plate.
Bar staff all need training on service. The bar staff was the worst service of the 5 hotels we have stayed at in Ireland this visit They walk past your table 4 or 5 times, looking directly at your empty glasses but not once did they ask if you wanted another overpriced cocktail.... I finally started walking up to the bar to ask for drinks. They also forgot to fire our meals turn blamed the kitchen staff. I did not complain but they comped a drink for my Wife and I after our main course took 30+ minutes. They did ask my Wife if she would like a drink only after they forgot to cook our dinners. Send their staff to The Lake Hotel in Killarney to witness how professional Barmen and servers perform. Biggest disappointment of all hotels we stayed at during our 16 day visit.
The hotel and grounds are very nice. The dining/bar staff service was horrible.
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Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Lower your expectations and dine/drink elsewhere
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed with my husband for one night in the Donegal Suite between Christmas and New Year. We could not fault the room apart from the sofa which was not at all comfortable for sitting and watching a movie. However our overriding impression after our stay was that the level of service provided by the staff falls far short of a 5-star standard. Check in / Check out: Huge queue for check in. Three stations but only two in use. Our dinner reservation was confirmed for 8pm in advance of our stay but on check in we were informed that it was booked for 7pm. Luckily we had email confirmation as the receptionist was not initially accepting that an error had been made. Another big queue at check out. Our room had been put on another guest's bill which took around 15 minutes for them to sort out. A sloppy service overall. Spa: Underwhelming space, awful showers (no temperature control, goes from cold to warm and back to cold, have to keep pushing button for water flow). We were totally ignored when we left. We said bye but got no response from the three members of staff behind the desk who were too busy chatting to respond, let alone ask if we'd enjoyed our experience. Bar: Despite there being plenty of staff, service is very poor, with tables not cleared or cleaned. Staff are not welcoming or attentive. I asked about a table but was told they were full, no effort was made to actually see if they could accommodate us or suggest we wait. We came back a while later and found a table. I had to ask for it to be cleaned. The waitress promptly gave it a wipe with the napkin left behind by the previous guest! We had a whiskey tasting session included in our package which caused a lot of confusion. It took around 3 promptings before this was eventually delivered. Restaurant: like a function room, lacks any sort of castle atmosphere. Our server Laura was very friendly and attentive. Food at dinner was good, although portions are small. Breakfast buffet is not extensive. Ordered porridge which never arrived so had to order again.
In summary, the biggest problem would appear to be a lack of staff training and supervision. There did not seem to be a manager on site to ensure operations were running at a 5-star level. Attention to detail is missing among most of the staff. Would hesitate to return.
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The positives were the overall staff, the food and the area. Couple things stopped to give us a 5. When we were escorted to our room we were told the bathroom had heated floors and towel warmer. Neither were working. The controls for the floor had a “dummy cover” so it looked like it had a dial, but it was just a hard piece of plastic, when you took the cover off it was apparent there was no connection there. I told the front desk the next morning and they said they would let the engineers know. When we got back from our activities there was no message or note that it had been looked at or that they were already aware of the issue. Based on the cover on the dial, assume they already knew it. If so, then don’t tell the guest that that capability is there, or leave letter in room stating sorry for the inconvenience. Otherwise it was a nice room.
Maps for the walking trails was good. Had some beautiful areas to walk, some short, some longer. Nice fires in the public lounge areas.
Breakfast had great options, Ate dinner in the Cedars dining room, front desk had made our reservations but restaurant said they didn’t have one for us, but they were still able to accommodate us. Food was excellent.
Ate one evening in the Lobby Lounge, food and service was very good. BUT the arms of the chairs were worn down so much in some spots that there was no leather and you could see the mesh material.
Lough Eske is so close to being 5 star, they just need to pay a little more attention to the details. We have stayed in other castle hotels in both Ireland and Scotland and I was so hoping this I could give it a 5 star review to Lough Eske like I have for the other hotels
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Date of stay: June 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Donal Cox, General Manager at Lough Eske Castle
Responded Jul 10, 2024
Dear MW, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about your recent stay at Lough Eske. Your kind comments in regards to staff, castle grounds and our restaurant are greatly appreciated. Please accept our sincerest apologies for the oversights you encountered during your last visit to our establishment. The issues you mentioned have been subject to much discussion with the corresponding departmental manager. We are combining our efforts to find the most appropriate solutions to every incident that occurred during your stay. Ensuring constant maintenance checks, we are committed to providing the best of hospitality in Donegal and Ireland. We look forward to welcoming you back in the future. Best Regards, Dónal Cox General Manager
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Many months late writing this review, but I couldn’t ignore the opportunity to share. First and foremost, the employees here seem to truly want to be here. By that I mean everyone we interacted with had both a wonderful attitude and a natural service instinct. Geraldine was over the top welcoming as though we were guests invited to her own home. Porters and guides like Dylan (pronounced Dye-Lan because his father thought it sounded cool) almost beamed with pride as they shared the history of the castle. We truly didn’t encounter an employee who didn’t seem to appreciate being there – ok, there was one grumpy bartender, but isn’t there always LOL. Our room was in the old carriage house – by far the largest bedroom and bathroom we’ve had in Europe – ever. Seriously felt like we could have moved in. I think it was bigger than our first college apartment. The food was good and the drinks creative twists on classics. And the other two bartenders were upbeat and excellent guides to local whiskeys. Thinking about it now, the food in the bar might have been better than the dining room and everyone was very accommodating of my wife’s food sensitivities. (Speaking of food, while we recommend staying at the Castle, be sure to have one meal up the road closer to the water. Also, excellent food and the walk up and back around the lough is as relaxing as they come.) The sort-of-open, sort of fenced off Jacuzzi wasn’t what we expected for the surcharge but we enjoyed the experience all the same and the accompanying spa services at CARA (provided as an anniversary gift from our kids) delivered much needed relaxation as well as any just about anywhere we’ve ever stayed – and this is our first to automagically bring you a cool sorbet cup to balance the large selection of hot herbal teas. Speaking of, Afternoon Tea was delightful – and very filling – as well. Tastefully decorated for the holidays, in additional to the storied, centuries old façade, the interior has multiple spots to simply let time stand still near well-tended, cozy, real fireplaces faced by plush couches and chairs. Not just another place to spend the night, you truly feel you’re someplace special from the moment you come through the trees and around the dramatic bronze, leaping salmon fountain (it is Lake of the Fish, after all). Though we don’t normally buy hotel souvenirs, we couldn’t resist picking up two of the classic coffee mugs which now serve (literally and figuratively) as a warm reminder of how Lough Eske Castle was a perfect 30th anniversary retreat for the two of us. So much so that we’ll likely return this year to get properly pampered again.
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Date of stay: December 2023
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Donal Cox, General Manager at Lough Eske Castle
Responded Oct 14, 2024
Dear LGuzzetta, Thank you for taking the time to share your recent experience here at Lough Eske Castle. We are delighted to hear you enjoyed your stay here for your special anniversary. Your kind words are very much appreciated. We hope to welcome you back again soon. Best Regards, Dónal Cox General Manager
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Unfortunately we left Lough Eske Castle feeling short changed and disappointed with the whole experience. We had a Donegal suite for the weekend which was a nice room in isolation, but this was not a €450 a night experience by a long way and this is certainly not a five star stay as advertised.
There were a number of little things that we had an issue with: the cot we pre-ordered in advance took over 2.5 hours from check in to appear and needed me to go down to reception 3 times to chase (not ideal with a tired 4 month old), the phone in the room didn't work, no towel rail in bathroom, hand soap in shower, body wash at sink, TV channels listed do not correlate to guide, both TVs kept manually playing at same time (and turned themselves on to do so), 40 mins to get a corkscrew brought to room.
Then there are more broad issues in the hotel itself that I think get overlooked given the stunning exterior and grounds. The cooked breakfast is very poor quality - sausages mushy, bacon fatty, tomatoes aminic, salmon on the turn. The interior itself is very tired and dated - I suspect this was 5 star when it opened, but it is in desperate need of a facelift and some smartening up. The fitness suite was incredibly disappointing - very limited machines that are all packed in to a small room, AC not working, no room for floor mats, only one weight bench, weighing scales didn't work, music speaker didn't work. The pool was also frustrating - jacuzzi not working, shoes not working and tepid temperature. We also found some communal toilets in poor condition on several occasions - appreciate this is hard to keep on top of but some clearly had not been cleaned for a while.
We did enjoy our stay overall, and the above likely reads as nit-picking, but when you spend the sort of money the hotel charges for a Donegal suite, you expect first rate service and sadly this was not. I think they need to reduce their prices to reflect where the hotel is on the value chain, or spend a good bit of money bringing the hotel up to the standards of what they charge.
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Date of stay: February 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Donal Cox, General Manager at Lough Eske Castle
Responded 3 weeks ago
Dear ChrissyHayes678, Thank you for your honest feedback about your recent stay. I sincerely apologize that your experience, especially in the Donegal Suite, fell short of expectations. The issues you raised, from the delayed cot and malfunctioning room amenities to the breakfast quality and condition of the fitness suite and pool, are extremely disappointing. I am addressing these specific concerns with the relevant teams and reviewing our internal processes to prevent similar issues. I appreciate your comments regarding the hotel's interior. Your feedback is invaluable as we strive to deliver a true five-star experience. We are delighted that overall, you enjoyed your stay and thank you again for your comments, all feedback is greatly appreciated Best Regards, Dónal Cox General Manager
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My wife and I stayed here this weekend for a special occasion, we decided to treat ourselves to some 5 star luxury. But we had a very mixed experience.
We arrived, dropped out bags in the room and went to the pool. This was grand but sadly the steam room (which was adjacent to the pool) was out of order and we were informed that the spa is only available for those who book treatments. Meaning we couldn’t enjoy this facility.
We returned to our room to shower and I got out of the shower and noticed some red marks on the floor - on closer inspection I noted that these marks (approximately 10 of various sizes) appeared to be dried BLOOD!! After I immediately washed my feet again, we dressed and informed reception of the blood issue and asked for it to be cleaned.
We went for a lovely bike ride around the grounds and down to the Lough (bikes were complimentary) for approximately 1.5 hours to allow the room to be cleaned. When we got back we were informed that the cleaning had not been completed. I did not want to return to the room until it was cleaned and the staff offered a complimentary drink in the bar whilst we waited - this was greatly appreciated.
The staff told us that the cleaned had been completed and we returned to our room. I went into the bathroom and found that they staff had only cleaned half of the blood. I again informed reception who sent someone round within 15 minutes who cleaned the rest.
We then went for dinner in the hotel restaurant. The food was top notch, every dish was delicious and I’d highly recommend the fillet steak. But sadly the service was not what was expected from a 5 star luxury hotel. We had to chase staff to order a drink at the start, then for a cocktail menu and once our main dishes were cleared we sat for 15 minutes then had to ask staff for a dessert menu. Was a disappointing experience.
Breakfast In the morning was lovely. Had both a la carte and buffet options. It was all good.
Upon checkout we asked to speak to someone about our experience. We spoke to the manager who was very professional and receptive to issues we encountered and she offered a reduction in the rate which was appreciated and accepted.
Overall, we had a very disappointing experience. This is a premier level/price point resort and the service we received was not up to what is expected. Furthermore I think that have to ask for dried blood to be cleaned TWICE from our room floor is frankly twice too many. Based on this experience I could not recommend hotel.
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Newry, United Kingdom7 contributions2 helpful votes
I’m sorry but I don’t know. I had a conversation with a staff member and there may be a room in the main castle not available to clients due to limited emergency exits.
Ask the direct question by e mail to the staff and they will clarify.
St. Michael, Barbados31 contributions51 helpful votes
Hi … thank you for your question. I cannot be certain if latex gloves are used in the kitchen. However, from personal experience, I can assure you of their tidiness, cleanliness and high standards.
There are more places to choose from in the Donegal Town area.
PRICE RANGE
C$355 - C$593 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
lough eske castle hotel donegal town, solis lough eske castle donegal, solis lough eske castle hotel
LOCATION
IrelandCounty DonegalDonegal Town
NUMBER OF ROOMS
97
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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