Hello, I’m Kelly and I’m on the weddingsonline Editorial Team. I spend my days writing blog posts, scrolling through Instagram and watching puppy videos. This week, I was invited to stay at Castleknock Hotel for two nights and I thought that I’d bring my husband along and turn this into an ever so slightly belated Anniversary celebration.
We arrived at the hotel in the afternoon and were immediately greeted by the Castleknock Hotel staff. Everyone was more than willing to answer any questions I had, and I was able to get a little tour of their newly refurbished ballroom. What I loved most about the ballroom is that it’s super modern with very neutral colours, like dark grey! I can imagine any wedding colour scheme fitting in really well.
I filmed a couple of videos of the gorgeous ballroom, my massive bedroom and a few other little bits. You can view these on the weddingsonline Instagram page under the ‘Venues’ highlight. Wait, you’re not following us on Instagram yet? Go on, do it now so you don’t miss out on fab wedding inspo!
I had some work to do (I told you, I spend my days writing blog posts) so we went and sat in the lobby area. There are plenty of lovely little spots where you can work, have a cup of coffee, read a magazine (using the complimentary specs provided by the hotel) or you could do what my husband did and have a quintessentially Irish Guinness!
Castleknock Hotel has a couple of spots for dinner. On Night 1 we dined at 22 Bar & Restaurant, and on Night 2 we picked the fancier option and had dinner at Earth and Vine Restaurant. I’ll let the photos do the talking, but first, this is what we ate:
Night 1 at 22 Bar & Restaurant
Starters: Hot and Spicy Chicken Wings with Ranch Dressing
Mains (me): Meat Madness Pizza with added Pineapple (Yes, I’m that person who eats pineapple on pizza)
Mains (husband): Irish Sirloin Steak with Pepper Sauce and Fries
Dessert (husband): Chocolate Gateau with Chantilly Cream
Night 2 at Earth and Vine Restaurant
Starters (husband): Confit Duck Leg
Starters (me): Vegetable Soup
Mains: Crispy Pork Belly and a side of Vegetables
Dessert: Dark Chocolate Fondant
Castleknock Hotel also has some fab features that I didn’t get to photograph! The incredible spa, which I sadly did not have time to check out [take a look at their treatments over here]. The pool is also amazing and warm, but phones weren’t allowed so I’ve got no evidence of this. There’s also a gym [look here to view the classes they have available].
All in all, I’d say that Castleknock Hotel is a fab wedding venue for different sized groups. They can host up to 250 guests in their new ballroom, but if you’ve got a smaller group, they can accommodate that too! They have a lovely wedding package called Pick a Perk, where you can create your very own wedding package to suit your own individual taste. This means that you no longer have to pay for extra items that you just don’t need or want. I would also say that couples looking for a short romantic getaway should seriously consider Castleknock Hotel. I was treated like a queen, enjoyed incredible food, and relaxed to my heart’s content.
