Burren Atlantic Hotel , County Clare

"excellent stay, we rented one of the houses for 2 nights had the best sleep i’ve had in a while. although there was a €150 deposit that nobody has told us about. but i must say lovely house, beds were so comfortable, heating working great just outside the sea. Great time here. signed, kevin"

"At the time of booking, about 4 days in advance, the Receptionist advised that cooked breakfasts would not be served as the kitchen appliances were not working. So that triggered some immediate concerns........ Although the hotel's title incldes the phrase "Burren Atlantic", the view from the bedroom window was more "burren" than "atlantic": an unkempt grassy verge with rocks and weeds. In fairness, the hotel itself seemed clean enough, the blackout curtains in the bedroom were very effective, the bed was comfortable, there was hot water and the non-cooked breakfast was generous. However, there was no ceiling light fitting in the main part of bedroom, despite there being ones at the entrance and bathroom. Lighting in the main part was possible using only the bedside lamps. There was a stand-alone lamp but it had a "continental" two-pin plug and not the "Type G" used in Ireland. The electrical sockets were bizarre: a mixture of three pin round (yes round!) and rectangular fittings with some of the latter having been fitted upside down as they were just above the level of the television bench and had they been fitted right-way up then it would have been difficult to plug in anything. A Wi-Fi signal was available but there was no information booklet in the bedroom so I picked up the room phone to ring Reception.................but alas, there was no dial tone or connection. I went down to Reception, a few times, but it was unstaffed the vast majority of the time. The hotel seems to be part of a larger development incorporating a "Celtic-tiger" type mini-estate of holiday homes/apartments. The hotel car park lies between the hotel and estate. The estate was unkempt, its road surface was appalling and the street lights did not work so going out to the car park at night or early-morning was an un-nerving experience. A well known television comedy series set in Torquay came to mind a lot............... so they probably would not have served Waldorf Salad! However, I slept well, washed well and ate well!"

"Owner/ receptionist did not reveal that there was no hot water on check in. Asked for payment on check in, once paid up, informed that no bath towels available. On check out I said that there was no hot water and his response was that he was trying to fix boiler since lunchtime day before, which was before we checked in! Indifferent and dishonest, he shrugged his shoulders. Gorgeous bed, great sleep, great location! County Clare is amazing, great views, great sea swimming. Pity Burren Atlantic Hotel was so rubbish."

"Very very disappointed checked in .room door wide open . No Towels . My wife went to dial reception from the room on the phone provided but there was no lead plugged in . She then went to the reception desk and waited 10 minutes as there was no one there . After 10 minutes this very rude elderly man informed my wife that there was no bath towels as they got no delivery the previous Thursday. We travelled all the way from cork and if we had known then we would have brought our own . The man said if we didn't like it we could leave if we wanted but we must make a decision soon . My wife and I discussed this and we left . I wouldn't recommend this to anyone . STAY AWAY at all costs ."

"Large house with plenty of space and an outdoor area. It is in desperate need of improvement, place was not cleaned to an acceptable level. Fridge was turned off when we arrived. There was no toilet paper or hand towels provided. I would have liked if there were some basic kitchen supplies provided like kitchen roll, tea towels and wash cloths. The place has great potential if some basic maintenance was applied. I will say the bed was very comfortable and we had so much space in the house for our group of 6. Location is very central."