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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.
This 4 star manor house hotel is located on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean overlooking Donegal Bay and Rossnowlagh Beach. Award winning cuisine, fine wine and local staff mix to give a truly relaxing experience. Marine spa with seaweed baths and exquisite treatments is a must visit.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Quiet
Family
Languages Spoken
English
Location
Rossnowlagh Beach, Rossnowlagh F94 X56F Ireland
Sandhouse Hotel & Marine Therapies
4.5 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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The Sandhouse Hotel & Marine Therapies is lauded for its immaculate cleanliness and service that includes friendly and helpful staff, with many guests enjoying the retro ambiance and tasteful decor. While the sea views and location with direct beach access are a highlight for numerous travelers, some feel that the rooms and amenities fall short of expectations, noting dated interiors and a need for refurbishment.
Despite the allure of marine therapies and a scenic setting, some guests have expressed that the hotel's value proposition could be improved.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Charming
Rooms
Dated
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Friendly
Amenities
Satisfactory
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The Sandhouse Hotel dominates the south end of the beach, and is well located for surfing and enjoying the beach. The hotel has a range of rooms which seem to vary in shape and design. The rooms are generally spacious and comfortable although not at the cutting edge of tech, so no USB ports or Sky channels.
What sets the Sandhouse apart is the staff, especially in the restaurant. One morning I went to breakfast without my sons, and the woman in charge offered me, unprompted, pancakes to take back for them. Another morning, I was taking a croissant back fur my wife, who was missing breakfast due to a long training run, and she offered me jams, butter and cutlery for it.
Outside the hotel, there are a couple of surf schools, well worth a look. You could be in a class with small kids, teenagers or middle aged people but good fun either way.
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â Sea view rooms in demand, book early.
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.
My husband and I stayed at the Sandhouse Hotel for 3 nights at the beginning of June 2023 - we enjoyed our stay so much that we would have stayed longer if they hadn't been fully booked. The location of the hotel is really special at the beachfront of Rossnowlagh beach. The views of the beach from the hotel are stunning. The staff are the most exceptional we have experienced anywhere - every single member of staff was so friendly and helpful, especially in the restaurant where I was really looked after with regard to my gluten free dietary requirements. The food was excellent - best Irish breakfast I have ever had and we loved that breakfast was served fresh to your table rather than the usual dried out unappetizing buffet you get in so many other places. The beds were very comfortable and although it is an older hotel with creaks and thinner walls than some, we slept very well and found the other guests to be very considerate at night. We will definitely be back soon!
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Date of stay: June 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.
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A nice hotel in a beautiful location. Friendly and helpful staff. Fantastic view from the dining room. Good food, although charging a supplement for a fairly standard sea bream seems a little extortionate. Breakfast cooked fresh to order, which is far to rare of late. Excellent pint of Guinness. Room was comfortable although some bottled water would have been nice. It seems fairly standard in hotel rooms these days. A shower that has definitely seen better days let the place down a bit. A few small tweaks would elevate this place to a whole other level.
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Date of stay: March 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.
I have just recently returned from a two night stay at the Sandhouse and despite there being positive aspects to the hotel, the overall stay has left me feeling very underwhelmed and disappointed. The positives are that it is in a fantastic location overlooking the beach. The food in the restaurant is of high quality both at breakfast and in the evening and the service during dinner was excellent. However the whole feel to the hotel has become quite tired and run down. Our room in particular was not up to the standards you would expect from a 4* hotel. Firstly the room was incredibly cold and we were unsure how to switch on the heating. After asking at reception, we were told that due to the weather being warm in previous weeks the heating would no longer be switched on. This seemed a bizarre reason given that the Irish weather had definitely taken a turn for the worst and was anything but warm now. Instead we were given a very worn out looking electric heater which didn’t actually even work and had to be replaced. Presumably there were lots of other complains about the temperature as the heating was infact thankfully switched on later in the night. We also discovered that our shower did not drain water properly, leading to it promptly filling up and leaking onto the floor. After asking for it to be fixed we returned to our room later to find a big muddy footprint and lots of dirt left lying in the shower. Thankfully it had been fixed but the mess left was unacceptable. Other complaints were that the phone didn’t work and was never fixed or replaced throughout our stay despite us reporting it. On day two, in the afternoon, we had to ask for our rooms to be cleaned as there seemed to be a mix up with the cleaning staff. We later realised that the toilet rolls, soap, tea/ coffee hadn’t actually been replenished, leading to another trip to reception to get these delivered. The Sandhouse advertises itself as a luxurious hotel and the prices they charge reflect this status. This may have been the case in the past but the standards on this occasion were anything but. All in all, regretfully, this is a hotel that I would no longer would return to.
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Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
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.
Been here a few times over the years but it’s been a while since our last visit. The location & views are still spectacular, the staff were their usual friendly/helpful self and the weather was very kind to us but we still came away feeling a bit disappointed. Our deluxe Seaview room felt tired, the bathroom facilities were poor and in need of refurbishment, and the window had condensation in the double glazing which detracted from the view. Surprisingly there was no complimentary water in the room which you would have expected in this standard of room – in summary there was nothing deluxe about the room. We were also surprised to find paper napkins in their fine dining restaurant, no champagne by the glass and no dessert wines on offer – it seems the hotel is cutting corners to save money. We left feeling it was no longer the special place we had once visited and was now just a bit ordinary.
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Date of stay: September 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.
We stayed two nights bed & breakfast in a Superior Sea View Room over the Bank Holiday weekend. Hotel is a fantastic location, short walk to Smugglers Creek and Gaslight Inn, short drive to Donegal town and the gorgeous beach is right on the doorstep. Rooms are dated but clean and comfortable and waking up to a sea view was just bliss. Breakfast was lovely & breakfast waitresses couldn't do enough, and we had a few drinks in Surfers Bar and the staff were lovely so 4* for hotel location & breakfast however it seems to be since Covid there is an entrysystem where you have to press the buzzer at the front door of the hotel and state you are a resident before they open the door to let you into the hotel. On Saturday afternoon I pressed the buzzer twice, very short one/two seconds blips, looked through the window and there was nobody behind reception so I buzzed it again for around 3-4 seconds in case the receptionist was not at the desk as a few minutes had passed. Eventually the receptionist picked up the intercom and said 'I was on the phone, have a bit of patience' which really took us by surprise and we thought it was sharp & totally unprofessional to speak to a guest that was paying €350 to stay in the hotel. Fair enough if management think a locked entry is the way forward but to have receptionist staff speak to paying guests like that who are only looking to gain entrance to a hotel they are paying for is absolutely unacceptable. Having worked in customer facing roles I would never dream of talking to anyone nevermind a paying customer like that, perhaps some customer service training would be welcome for this particular member of staff.
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Date of stay: May 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Sea view is a must!
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.
We recently stayed at The Sandhouse and despite there being positive aspects to the hotel, the overall stay has left us feeling very underwhelmed and disappointed. The location overlooking the beach is fantastic, beautiful sunsets at night. The food in the restaurant is of good quality, both at breakfast and in the evening, and the service during dinner was very good. Lovely view from the restaurant too. However the general feel of the hotel was quite tired and run down. Our room was not up to the standards you would expect from a 4* hotel and the price we paid. For example, the window latch was broken, dust on the beside units, very limited toiletries, lots of scuff marks on the walls and no fridge in the room. Room did not reflect the price. We had pre-dinner drinks in the bar, firstly we had to move out to the reception area because of the thumping music, then we got a shock at the price of the drinks. The most expensive we've had in a long time!! Our stay was not bad and we enjoyed the view very much, but again the * rating and the price did not reflect the hotel or the room.
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Date of stay: August 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.
Just home from a wonderful weekend stay at The Sandhouse Hotel. Every aspect of this hotel is first class from reception through to room and dining. Major refurbishment has taken place. Staff are so attentive and helpful without being obtrusive. Our superior sea view room was well worth the extra cost-spacious and with the best view of a beach and ocean I have ever seen. Dining is of a very high standard with a great choice dinner menu and a delicious breakfast served to your table. Views from the Dining Room are spectacular. All staff are to be commended but I must comment on the organisational and management skills of the Dining Room Manageress. Great team work with her staff. Service of a very high standard. Finally my thanks to the reception staff especially Maggie who sorted our original booking from February to March. She also found a room for us for a very busy bank holiday weekend in early June. We can’t wait to get back.
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Date of stay: March 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.
Already looking to see when I can return. This place is magical, so peaceful, friendly, excellent food and good service. The bed was very comfortable, nice spacious bathroom, powerful shower, good towels etc. I find this hotel delivers the right mix of charm, making you feel genuinely like a guest but without any pomp. With a sea view room all you can do is sit and stare at the wonderful view, listen to the waves and slowly feel the tension drop off you.
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Date of stay: April 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Â Don't plan to actually do anything. Bring loose clothing for the dining is too tempting.
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.
Enjoyed a great five nights stay at the Sandhouse.
The staff were very welcoming, flexible and accommodating.
Our room offered a great ocean view and we were able to relax, take in the views, or make our way to the beach.
Breakfast was great with very friendly service. We also thoroughly enjoyed our time in the mornings.
Dinner in the Glasshouse restaurant was lovely also. Again great attention to the guest.
We also had a wonderful time in the Surfers bar whilst open, the staff were very helpful.
We were also very lucky to enjoy live acoustic entertainment. The musician was very entertaining, knowledgeable and accommodating to requests.
Marine Spa experience was very positive too, with Noreen looking after both my wife and I very well.
It was great to be back in Donegal for a few days, so thank you to the Sandhouse Team for their hospitality.
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Date of stay: October 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
Colchester, United Kingdom20 contributions15 helpful votes
I think it is only mealtimes, but if you let them know in advance, I am sure they'll try and help if you need food at other times. Staff at The Sandhouse is one of the most obliging and helpful I have ever come across.
Hotel advised me that they are very recently NO LONGER A PET FRIENDLY HOTEL. Sob! Loved this hotel and its fabulous beach. Options for pet friendly hotels are really shrinking. Anyone know any alternatives?
There are more places to choose from in the Rossnowlagh area.
PRICE RANGE
C$329 - C$352 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
sandhouse hotel rossnowlagh
LOCATION
IrelandCounty DonegalRossnowlagh
NUMBER OF ROOMS
55
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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