The Abbeyglen Castle Hotel is tucked into the side of a hill overlooking the charming town of Clifden.
The charming town of Clifden below the magnificent Abbeyglen Castle Hotel
From the moment I entered the hotel I felt right at home and they clearly spent a lot of time preparing for the holiday crowd! The lobby was beautiful and looked just like I imagine a castle lobby should. I checked in and got a copy of the Christmas program with my super cool key.
My room was exquisite with a beautiful four-poster princess bed, a lovely fireplace and a slipper tub. Because it was a corner room on the ground floor, I had an exceptional view of the waterfall that appeared to be flowing right to my window.
I unpacked a few things, freshened up and then headed to the bar for tea. Conveniently, the bar is located right next to the lobby.
Tea time is my favorite time. I”m not sure if I’ve mentioned that…
It was super festive, the scone was delicious and the tea was piping hot. When I finished I went back to my room to study the Christmas program and dress for dinner.
Super cool key I really struggled to open the door with. People who use these keys must have mad entry skills.
The first activity was a champagne reception. The room was already crowded when I arrived and the host handed me a glass of champagne and then introduced me to a lovely family from Michigan. One of their sons lives in DC so we chatted about the district and I told them about my adventures in Michigan last summer.
During the reception, our host told some interesting (and amusing) stories of the hotel and the town. I’d write some here, but champagne. Anyhow, you should join me next year and hear them yourselves! From there, we all went up to the dining room on the second floor.
They really liked the fact that I was from the US and took every chance to celebrate it. I really wish I was from Ireland. #friendliestpeopleever
The room was breathtaking with candles gleaming and festive decorations. They sat me at a corner table and I spent a few minutes chatting with the lovely Irish couple at the next table over. Then Blainey joined me. He was also traveling alone over the holiday from Dublin. He’s a repeat offender (having been here in the past) and a retired ad man with lots of amusing stories! I had a pint with dinner and Blainey had a bottle of wine. We both ordered the lamb, which was absolutely the most delicious lamb I’ve ever had. They brought out a dessert bar but we skipped it and went down to the actual bar instead.
At the bar, they were singing and we all joined in. I only knew a few of the Snow Patrol songs and that may or may not have been because of the serious number of pints Blainey and his friends kept setting in front of me! A good time was had by all, at least I think so. When I woke up in my princess bed at 9 am the next morning I was pretty sure that was the best Christmas Eve ever!
Happy Christmas, friends!
iSherri 