Newpark Hotel Kilkenny with Escape Health Club & Spa in Kilkenny

B&B package. Family trip, 2 children aged 5 and 2. Check in was fine, helpful staff. Stayed in room 350. 2 singles and a double. Bed rails provided for the kids which was great. Room was very clean. Although strong smell of air freshener when we arrived which was a bit sickening upon entering. The bathroom could do with a retractable clothes line to help with drying the swimming gear. Corridors were so noisy with children until quite late at night. This was midweek so probably quieter than at weekends. Had to book the pool which I found annoying as felt under pressure to go and to be out at a certain time. Changing rooms were soaking wet. Someone should have been around more regularly to dry mop the floor. Adult mains were tasty. The portions were very small and the price was quite expensive. Children's meals were an absolute rip off. Toddler got the same portion of chips as the 5 year old. My son chose a chocolate chip cookie for dessert. I anticipated a large palm sized cookie. After I reminded the waitress about our dessert order, what came out for 2 Maryland cookies and a scoop of ice cream for €5. A large jug of miwadi was €2.50. I thought these prices were extremely high. Breakfast was very good. Good selection. Children were well catered for. There was a child's play area on the 2nd floor. This could have used a good clean. Safety mats in disarray and much older children there unsupervised as the games room wasn't open. Jurassic Newpark was most definitely the highlight of the stay. Although disappointed with the contents of the goodie bags (no bottle or cap). The children had a great time at the park.

1.Magnificent staff (Callum working in the bar was nothing but spectacular, professional and so much craic. Whatever they are paying him is not enough he represents the hotel so well😁 honesyone of the best bar man I have ever met) 2. Wonderful staff(have I mentioned Callum lol) 3. It is expensive to stay no way around that. However considering how well they run it etc I guess but I hope the price doesn't increase

This is honestly one of the best hotels we have stayed in as a family and we’ll definitely go back. EVERYONE is genuinely friendly and, even though there’s a huge focus on kids (the managers speak to them as well as the parents), it doesn’t feel like a rough and ready family hotel. They seem to have gotten the mix between catering for weddings and families at the same time down to a tee. The decor in the breakfast room is glam and they sit couples away from families so their heads aren’t wrecked. There’s a pancake station during breakfast which the kids loved and on Sundays the kids camp dinosaur walks around; there’s even free icecream cones in the afternoon during the carvery (you don’t have to have the carvery to get them, we ate on the terrace and the kids were still told by the F&B Manager to make sure they came in and got one). Over the course of our trip we ate in Gullivers (breakfast), The Terrace (lunch) and Scott’s (dinner, every night but you need to book it!) and didn’t have a bad meal on any occasion. All of the restaurants were clean and the atmosphere was lovely in each. The kids camp is amazing with a half day option or a full day between 10:00 and 16:00 for €19 including lunch. Our kids really enjoyed it because they had a mix of indoor and outdoor time; it gave us a chance to use the thermal suites and have lunch just as a couple. They also have an evening kids camp from 19:00 to 22:00 which is free for hotel guests. Again the kids loved it as some of the friends they’d made during the day were there too. They had a disco, played games then finished the evening with a film. Both camps allow you drop off and pick up whenever suits you. We visited the pool twice and each time it wasn’t too busy which was great; I think that’s why you have to book it so it’s not too crowded. We also visited Jurassic Newpark (onsite) and it was great value. Entry is complimentary for hotel guests which is a big plus; the only thing you pay for is the giant bouncing area but at €3 it’s well worth. Everything else is included which is so unusual these days so you can go and not feel like you’re putting your hand in your pocket all the time. There’s a train, dinosaur ride, go carts, a couple of playgrounds and obviously the giant dinosaurs dotted around. We travel quite a bit as a family and have all agreed we’ll definitely go back; we left feeling like we’d had a proper break. Nothing was too much hassle for the staff, the rooms are a great size so you’re not on top of each other and they even have one of those cute sets of mini stairs at reception for kids to be able to ask questions themselves. HIGHLY recommended!!

Another great stay in The Newpark Hotel. Our daughters love this place - with so many attractions you hardly ever need to leave the grounds. Willy Wonka experience was great. Staff very nice as always. Would definitely recommend to any family as a gate-away not only for kids but adults/parents as well as kids are very well looked after so parents can actually have some time to relax (not that easy to come by these days)

I found the food a bit pricey, but I was very happy with the rooms and service. Kind of wish the pool had a bigger area for kids as well, but the Dino park more than made up for it.

Great service, but the experience doesn’t quite match the potential. The hotel itself makes a strong first impression, but overall it feels like there’s quite a bit of room for improvement to bring it fully in line with what you’d expect from a 4-star property. One of the standout positives was the service. The staff were excellent throughout our stay. We never found ourselves waiting for assistance, and they really helped create a welcoming atmosphere. That said, the hotel does feel like it could benefit from some upgrades. The food, for example, was perfectly fine, nothing was wrong with it, but it didn’t stand out in any way. For a hotel of this standard, I think it’s reasonable to expect something a bit more memorable in terms of quality and variety. They advertise a sticky toffee pudding as a signature dish but this wasn't even on the menu. There is a games room in the hotel which is best avoided. The PlayStation wasn’t working during our visit, and several of the games, such as the air hockey table, were missing pieces. Some of the other machines accepted money but didn’t function properly, which was frustrating and gave the impression that maintenance and upkeep are being overlooked. We also visited the on-site dinosaur park, and this is where the need for investment was even more noticeable. Some of the attractions weren’t fully functional, for example, parts of the “Jurassic bounce” obstacle area weren’t working, yet full price was still charged. The biggest frustration during our stay was the bar setup. Guests weren’t able to sit in the main bar unless ordering food, which meant that if you just wanted a drink, your only options were the lobby or the terrace bar. The lobby hosts live music, which is a nice touch, but the space isn’t really designed to accommodate the number of people who want to sit and enjoy it, it felt crowded and a bit disorganised. Meanwhile, the terrace bar closes quite early, so if you start your evening there, you’re eventually forced to move anyway. We stayed for two nights and encountered the exact same issue both evenings, which suggests it’s a consistent problem rather than a one-off. Overall, while we had a pleasant stay thanks to the excellent staff, the hotel doesn’t quite deliver on the expectations set by its appearance and rating. With some updates and better organisation, particularly around the bar areas and family attractions, it could be a fantastic place, but right now it falls just short.

Excellent choice for family night away. The staff couldn't be more helpful or tolerant of energetic children