Lough Eske Castle is a lakeside 5-Star Solis Hotel, located close to the fairytale town of Donegal. This luxury hotel boasts a rich history dating back to the 15th Century. A long list of enviable and prestigious awards has been received by Lough Eske Castle Hotel throughout the years. Recent awards include being named Ireland's Castle Wedding Venue of the Year 2020, two AA Rosettes for Culinary Excellence in Cedars Restaurant, Ulster Spa of the Year 2019 by Irish Tatler Magazine, Luxury Wellness Spa & Luxury Countryside Spa 2018 at the World Luxury Spa Awards, Conde Nast's Top Ten Luxury Hotels 2018, 2019 and 2020 in Ireland, Ulster Wedding Venue of the Year 2018 and Luxury Hotel of the Year 2017.
Nestled at the water's edge of Lough Eske, near the Blue Stack Mountains in Ireland, Lough Eske Castle's Spa sets forth an exhilarating destination for discovery in Ireland. Here, the concept of the traditional spa break transcends mere manicures, facials, or massages, the focus is on a total wellness experience.
Solís Lough Eske Castle offers a range of facilities with a perspective on disability. The hotel is also pet-friendly. With 97 guest rooms, two bars and a restaurant, conference and banqueting suites and a luxuriant spa, this secluded hideaway beckons you to leave civilization behind in exquisite style.
Signature Suites
Sir Basil Brooke Suite
The Sir Basil Brooke Suite is situated in the original 18th-century wing of Lough Eske Castle and is named after one of the castle's earliest custodians, Sir Basil Brooke from 1621. The Brooke family owned Lough Eske Castle until 1894, with Thomas Brooke building the castle as it stands today in 1861. Facing out towards the front of the castle entrance, this suite truly does make you feel like you are the lord of the castle. Spread across 1100 sq ft and comprising of one en-suite bedroom with solid oak four-poster bed, soft and sumptuous bed linen, upholstered bed seat and dedicated dressing table and a spacious separate living room with dining table by the tall bay window. There is luxurious carpeting in the bedroom with timber bordering and a deep pile rug in the living area.
Oak bespoke furniture decorates the room including a sofa, coffee table and traditional relaxing easy chairs with breakfast table. The suites are decorated in soft neutral colour tones that gently blend with ambient lighting to give a truly opulent touch. Your every comfort has been thought of throughout as well as all the modern conveniences that you would expect from a 5-star hotel in Donegal, Ireland. Wi-Fi access is standard as well as a 40-inch flat-screen TV and refreshment station. Bathrooms feature marble tiling, twin washbasins, bath and separate rainforest shower, soft towels and luxurious robes and slippers.
Major General White Suite
Named after one of the most important castle custodians and spread over 1356 sq ft, the Major General White Suite is the premier suite at Lough Eske Castle. This is more than a suite - it is a chance to experience history, to enjoy the opulence of a bygone era and the glamour of world-class 5 star County Donegal accommodation. Everyone should treat themselves to such an experience, even if only once. This magnificent suite houses an en-suite bedroom and a spacious living room with separate doors. There is period furniture throughout with carved mahogany four-poster bed, soft and sumptuous bed linens and stunning bespoke furniture including a sofa, traditional relaxing easy chairs and a coffee table.
The formally dressed windows, open fire, natural stone hearth and rich colours reflect the historic past of these atmospheric Castle rooms. There are two 40-inch flat-screen TVs, Wi-Fi connectivity and a refreshment station. The bathroom features marble tiling, twin washbasins, a silver claw-foot roll-top bath and separate rainforest shower, soft towels and luxurious robes and slippers.
We had a fantastic wedding at the Lough Eske Castle. From the first time we visited the castle we dreamt of getting married there, the location and character of the hotel were just perfect for our wedding.
We cannot thank the staff enough, we have been to venues where hosting one wedding is difficult never mind two on the same day! From their professionalism to how accommodating and attentive they were enabled us to relax and enjoy the day which disappeared so quickly.
The food was simply superb and our guests thoroughly enjoyed every meal from the buffet the night before, the lunch on the day itself, the evening meal to the evening buffet. The room created for both weddings was exactly how we pictured it – it was simply stunning and we have had nothing but positive feedback from our guests.
Thank you to Mairead and the rest of the staff for making our wedding day a truly memorable day....our own little fairytale!
Laura Piller
2019
We can only give this hotel 5 stars for the most wonderful wedding experience. When they tell you not to worry and that they will take care of the detail...believe me, they really mean it. Here's a few reasons why it was so good: 1) the venue - it's a castle! What's not to love?! 2) the staff - they're so helpful and friendly, not at all stuffy so they make you feel right at home while also completely taking care of you. 3) the food - exceptional menu choices and delivered impeccably. 4) the 'restaurant experience' during the meal - don't you hate it when you're at a wedding and you're only getting main course while the people on the other side of the room are on desert?! Well, not at Lough Eske! There's something very special about everyone being served at the same time. 5) Flexibility - Stephen was great for not being a stickler for the rules (within reason). Little things like letting us mix and match some of the menu choices really made it for us. Also if you're worried about the room being too big or too small...don't! We booked it thinking our numbers would be bigger and then i worried a little about only having half the room or it feeling really empty. Thanks to Stephen it worked out perfectly - we had 2/3 of the room open for dinner and then in the other bit the band set up during dinner and after we opened it all up...so the the party was revealed! It meant we could have our top table by the rockery but were then able to have the bar open in the room during the dancing. 6) The rooms - I would move in tomorrow if I could!! They're just out of this world! 7) The spa and pool - lots of our friends stayed for the wknd and it was fantastic to have such great facilties on site. 8) The bar - great for a casual drink around the wedding itself and fab bar food too! We just loved everything about our time at the hotel and really enjoyed the whole experience - thanks so much to Stephen and the rest of the staff for ensuring we had the time of our lives!
danielle
September 2021
A beautiful castle and property. The room was enormous, which was great for lots of luggage we had with us for our honeymoon. The service was amazing, all the staff were very friendly and helpful in scheduling dinner reservations, helping with bags, and familiarizing us with the room. Unfortunately we only had a one night stay but will definitely visit again in the future!
Lawrence
September 2021
First time staying at the hotel . A wonderful experience. A beautiful hotel and grounds which have rooms which are dog friendly. Each member of staff gave excellent service and were extremely friendly throughout our stay . Food was delicious and plenty of variety was available at both restaurant and bar . Enjoyed the beautiful grounds for strolls with the dogs , and a relaxing swim in the pool afterwards. We enjoyed ourselves so much , we have booked again for next year !
Brendan
February 2021
What a place..... just wow..... the staff here are absolutely amazing from the moment we arrived, the room was outstanding and the grounds around the castle were breathtaking would definitely recommend a stay here .....hopefully see yous again soon
Donegal Girl
December 2020
Fantastic hotel with an exceptional restaurant and exceptional staff. My husband and I often visit for dinner or weekend breaks. Highly recommended. 5*
JazzyButtons
October - 2019
"Excellent Hotel" Our favourite hotel of the trip! We spent 2 nights in this lovely hotel.
The staff was so friendly! From Alistair helping us with our bags and taking us to our room and front desk staff assisting with suggestions for sightseeing, they were always so accommodating. Our friends wanted to mail a postcard back home and the staff took the card and said they would handle the postage and mailing it - such great service!
The rooms were lovely and comfortable. The bathroom was enormous with double sinks and a separate shower and bathtub.
We enjoyed breakfast each morning (included in our room rate). Great selection on the buffet plus a hot made to order item to select each day.
Lovely grounds and lots of free parking.
We took a walk down to the lake and strolled around on the boardwalk and went to visit the final resting place of the original owner as well.
Doune369
October - 2019
"Fantastic Hotel & Staff" This is our 3rd stay at Lough Eske and it just gets better. We were shown to our room by the very helpful Shea. On the first night we had dinner in the new Father Browne Bar. This is full of beautiful black & white photos. You can spend ages looking at the images.
The food at the hotel is delicious. Whether it is breakfast or dinner in the restaurant. Highly recommend the Donegal crab and fillet of beef for dinner and the omelettes at breakfast. A big thank you to the staff. Thanks to the ladies in the spa, hot stone massage was as good as always. Special thanks to Peter & Bill at breakfast and Jonny & Nikki at dinner. They really are great hosts. They made the stay that extra special. Look forward to visiting again.
Peter M
October - 2019
"Beautiful Hotel" This was a really cool hotel on our trip. We only spent one night here, but we were still able to enjoy the great amenities. The indoor pool was warm and relaxing on a cold rainy day. Our room was very modern and the bathroom was very large and had two sinks. The grounds and buildings are immaculate and well kept. The breakfast buffet had a large selection and was delicious. Apparently they do a tour of the castle each morning, but we did not participate in that. I recommend dropping your bags off at the front entrance as it is a decent walk from the parking lot when you're carrying heavy luggage. The parking lot is gravel, so you won't be able to pull your bags.
spren2016
October - 2019
"Amazing five star hotel" Although set back off the main roadway requiring traversing a very narrow road to reach it, this place was a priceless gem. What a beautiful setting in this restored castle. We were greeted by porters, one who parked our car valet style, and another who escorted us in a golf cart with our luggage to our room. The room was spacious and amazing.
Their pub and restaurant was incredible. After afternoon drinks in their Gallery pub, we also chose to have our dinner there rather than the formal restaurant. We had a delightful dinner every bit as fine as if we had gone to their restaurant. We both had their Hake fish for dinner and it was delicious. I also had their superb seafood chowder.
We then went and sat in an adjacent room with fireplace where we met and conversed with two separate Irish couples. Great conversation and friendship. When we were about to return to our room, we heard music from the downstairs pub. We went down and there was a musician playing all manners of songs and he continued without a break for three hours. It was wonderful and the place was packed. We greatly enjoyed our stay there and would highly recommend it to anyone travelling in the area.
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