The Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt Enniskerry

My husband treated me to a weekend away at the Ritz Carlton Powerscourt for our first wedding anniversary. Everything about the stay was absolutely perfect. The staff were extremely friendly and professional - nothing was too much trouble. Although it is a very luxurious 5-star property, it has a warm and welcoming feel from the moment of arrival. The beautiful views of the Sugarloaf create a stunning backdrop. We had an exquisite lunch in Gordon Ramsay - I can honestly say it was one of the best meals I've enjoyed in years. We were pleasantly surprised by the reasonable set lunch menu which was great value. We also enjoyed a relaxing few pints in McGills, the local pub which is part of the hotel, which has more in the way of character than your standard hotel bar. The leisure suite and swimming pool were fabulous - definitely the nicest I have seen. I couldn't recommend it enough - & I'm already looking forward to next year!

I booked the Ritz Carlton for the last weekend in October as I wanted to go somewhere special to get engaged to my boyfriend. The price tag of €300 per person for room only for 2 nights seemed extreme but we were willing to pay it for our special occasion. When booking by the hotel website I stated the reason for our visit. I was very disappointed that there was no mention of our engagement when we arrived as I know most hotels will leave chocolates or a bottle of wine or even a message of congratulations.

The check in desk was overwhelmed but the staff was pleasant. I did notice alot of "locals" clogging up the reception area & I feel this will have to be dealt with to make their guests stay more comfortable. It took quite a while for our bags to be brought to our room. I was impressed by the decor of the hotel, especially the mini plasma in the bathroom. Also we had a nice view of the Sugar Loaf Mountain. The bed was one of the most comfortable I have ever slept in.

Our lunch in the Gordon Ramsey restaurant was disappointing. I had the set menu which was €30 for 2 courses. My boyfriend had 2 courses from the a la carte costing €80 (even though the portions were the same size as the set menu) A mouthful of house wine cost €12. I wouldn't eat there ever again. It's over hyped. We were warned by a fellow guest to skip breakfast in the hotel as it was over €30 per head & was of a very poor standard, so we ate in a cafe in Enniskerry village. The food in McGill's pub was ok after I sent my beef burger which was dripping in blood back to be cooked properly. Again €20 for a burger & chips is totally over the top, especially when I can't say it was overly tasty.

Our room was not cleaned or the bed was not made on the 2nd day. I had to request cleaning twice. The pool was closed on the second day "due to unforeseen circumstances" and I found it very frustrating to be paying for 5* facilities which we could not use. I wasn't willing to pay the extortionate prices for the spa. I don't see the point in spending €125 for a facial or massage that you can get in any other 4/5* hotel for €80.

On checkout our bill was not correct. We had been charged for 5 dinners in McGill restaurant, even though there were only 2 of us. I am so sorry now that I didn't choose to stay somewhere else for my "special weekend" as I seemed to spend most of my weekend at reception or on the phone requesting things that should have been done automatically. The only thing that made up for it was visiting Powerscourt House & Gardens & having a delicious lunch in Peggy Murphy's pub, well worth a visit, just don't bother wasting you money staying in the Ritz Carlton.

I stayed in the Ritz Carlton on Saturday night and found it to be a fabulous treat. The hotel itself is opulent but cosy with a laid back high class level of service. There were lots of young families there and gave the whole hotel a lovely atmosphere. Each member of staff from the doorman to the barman was friendly, attentive and chatty. We stayed in a suite which was poor luxury and the beds were like lying in clouds they were so soft. The bathroom was the very same as the Capella resort in Castlemartyr (fab!) except it had the added extra bonus of a mirror/tv - very swish! We were lucky enough to get a table in the Gordon Ramsay restaurant and we spent 3 delectable hours there. The food was quite simply out of this world. An explosion of flavours! The restauant staff were quite superb - nothing excaped them. My dinner companion dropped her knife in her sauce which was subtley replaced by the waiter as we continued our conversation. The breakfast too, was to die for with an extensive buffet on display. However... if you want to complete your stay... you must order the waffles... after all that, you will be happy to roll on home!

My husband & I have stayed at numberous Ritz Carltons before, & although we believe the Powerscourt Ritz has a lot of potential, it doesn't measure up to Ritz Carlton quality & service...

On a positive note, our hotel room was amazing with the most comfortable bed & beautiful bathroom...

However, during our stay, we encountered many problems. The wiring in the room was a bit off, because after only using the iron for 5 minutes, the fuse went out & we had no power in any of the plugs. Subsequently, the lock to our room stopped working & we were unable to get into our room. The "engineer" was not available, so everytime we wanted to get back into our room, a hotel personnel had to come with us with the master key... Also, the tv in the bathroom would randomly turn on for no reason.

Then, we tried to get reservations to the Gordon Ramsey restaurant on 3 different nights, but they told us nothing was available & made no effort to try to accomodate us. The first night we asked for a dinner reservation, they said they were booked, but would call us & try to fit us in. However, we never got a call.

Also, something was wrong with the pool, so it was closed during our entire stay (although they told us it would be open during our stay). And the fitness center was only open 7pm-10pm (odd...).

And lastly, one night we tried to go to the bar around midnight, only to find it was closed. The man at the front desk said to go to McGills (the hotel pub), but it was closed as well...

In addition to all our problems with our stay, we noticed the grounds weren't finished. There were still many construction workers and gardeners on site painting, sanding, planting, etc.

We feel like the Powerscourt Ritz should have delayed the opening another few months to add the final finishings and address the final details of the hotel. We love Ritz Carltons, so it's hard for us to say we didn't enjoy our stay... but the Powerscourt Ritz just didn't feel like "Ritz Carlton" quality and service.

We have just come back from a wedding that was held at the Ritz Carlton, Powerscourt Hotel Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, Ireland "IT WAS FABULOUS!" The setting was great, the staff and their services were 2nd to none. I don't know if the wedding planner was from the hotel but she did a terrific job. Unfortunately the hotel was too expensive for our family of five to stay there for the weekend once everything else had been paid for , However my husband & I would stay there for a weekend (just the two of us) for a special occasion. If money is freely available then this a place that should be visited.10/10 given

This hotel should be renamed the Pitts-Carlton as it is one of the worst hotels I have ever stayed in.

The first impression on entering the hotel on Saturday afternoon was very poor. The amount of people that were standing arount the lobby with their suitcases was a sight to behold.

We waited in line for over an hour to check in to the hotel, children were running and shouting and generally annoying guests. While waiting I heard people complaining that they had been waiting for two-hours for their room.

Many of the light bulbs in the feature chandelier have blown and have not been replaced.

The room was a good size but we only had a view of the car park.

The TV in the bathroom randomly came on and went off without warning.

Breakfast in the restaurant on Sunday morning was a joke. In fairness we were seated immediately when we arrived at about 9am, however, the hot buffet breakfast left a lot to be desired. All the bacon was gone and had not been replenished, there was one small mushroom and three half tomatoes left. Eggs are served one way - scrambled. I did ask a member of the waiting staff if I could have poached eggs and I was told no, but I could have fried eggs if I wanted.

One of the unique selling points of this hotel is its location yet diners are not allowed to have their breakfast on the veranda.

On check-out we noticed our bill had additional charges for services we never used, ie dinner in Ramsey's Restaurant and breakfast (we were on an inclusive B+B rate)

Would I go back to this hotel again? NO ABSOLUTELY NOT. Would I recommend this hotel to a friend? NO ABSOLUTELY NOT.

I am in the process of writting a letter of complaint to the General Manager and will be happy to share the outcome (if any) with this forum.

Horrible. I booked here for a nice weekend for myself and my boyfriend. Such a joke. The first room we were given had no bath in the bathroom, only a shower, the room was unmade and bathroom was dirty. Food in the bar area, (if you can get a seat) is not good. I had to return two dishes. Some of the staff looked as if they had never worked in a bar or hotel before. No atmosphere. No nice quite area to sit and read the newspaper. It was so horrible I tried calling a few hotels on Saturday after we checked in, but every where was booked out. Otherwise we would have left.

Don't waste your time or money. There are so many fantastic hotels in Ireland this is not one of them. I am very surprised this hotel is allowed to use the "Ritz-Carlton" brand, it does not live up to the name.

Needless to say I will not be returning!!

Myself and my wife stayed in the hotel for one night on October 27th 2007.

Our first impressions were that the hotel is beautifully designed and finished to the highest of standards. Our check in was quick and painless and our room was amazing (we stayed in a garden view suite). However, the website did claim that the room would have views of the garden but infact because of the loaction of our room we did not have any view at all (which was very dissapointing!!).

The spa was first class and the pool was amazing. Definatly one of the high points of the hotel.

We decided to dine at the sugarloaf bar. The service was terrible. We sat at a table for 15 minutes before anybody came near us. When we gave our order they made a mess of it resulting in my food being left on the table and my wifes arriving 10 minutes after mine was finished. To add insult to injury, the over priced food was average to say the least. I noted that the couple sitting beside us seemed to have simmilar problems.

This hotel has potential, however the €405 B&B price tag for our stay did not offer value for money.

Generally dissapointed.

wanted a relaxing weekend away from dublin for my wife and myself. We booked a suite well in advance on the club floor plus golf and spa treatments. Was informed a few days before we where to arrive that the club floor would not be active untill December and as asked if we still wanted the reservation. we confirmed the reservation as it was to late to organize an alternative destintion.

This hotel has along way to go before it meets the standerds of a five star hotel. The staff and the hotel facilities could not deal with the number of people in the hotel. Unless you ate in your room, you would have to wait in line for breakfast and lunch. roomservice could take over an hour.

either the staff where not given the athority or did not hace the motivation to set things right if a costomer pointed out shortcommings to them. I wwould stay away from this hotel for at least six months and let someone else pay for the learning curve.

This was the best place we have ever stayed, on an absolute basis and on a value for money basis. The staff were extremely welcoming, as I guess they should be, but they without exception all demonstrated a perfect understanding of how to make a guest feel very comfortable in his surroundings.

The room was huge! The bed was huge. The walk-in wardrobe area in the room was huge. The bathroom was huge. The TV was huge. The TV screen integrated in the bathroom mirror was a first in my experience of hotel rooms. The bathroom fittings were fit for royalty.

The common areas of the hotel were warm and comfortable. The breakfast was a feast.

This hotel should be a benchmark for all others in providing perfect hospitality. We have stayed in many other hotels and none have been as impressive or as comfortable anywhere. We have sometimes paid more but recieved a lot less in terms of service and good hospitality.