Sheen Falls Lodge

What can I say about Sheen Falls Lodge? Only that it gave my daughter (the bride) and 90 or so guests from America a memorable, fairytale wedding experience over four extremely complicated days of events and activities — all executed flawlessly by a cheerful, dedicated staff under the keen direction of Assistant General Manager Ciaran Murphy and General Manager Seamus Crotty.
The initial idea behind the couple’s plan to wed abroad was that having a destination wedding (in a spot historically significant to the groom’s family) was likely to keep attendance numbers small. The couple and we, the parents of the bride, were pleasantly surprised, however, when many friends and family said «Sure — we’d love to come to Ireland!»
Fueled thereafter by the desire to show everyone willing to pay plane and hotel costs a really good time, wedding plans changed and evolved over a period of several months. There were all the problems you would expect in planning from long distance a wedding in a foreign country, and there also were some unexpected developments (having your wedding coordinator quit just a few days shy the big event to mention just one).
It therefore was with some degree of trepidation that we showed up in a VERY small town in Ireland — the very one that our exclusively American guests had to drive miles on the wrong side of the road to reach. Was I (an experienced event planner) worried? H*** yes. Should I have been? As it turned out — No. From the Welcome Tea on Thursday afternoon to the Farewell Brunch on Sunday, things moved like clockwork. Food and drink were at all times plentiful and delicious. The staff was at all times friendly and accommodating. The four course wedding dinner was perhaps the best meal I have ever had. Beyond that, every event was exquisitely styled — be it the tea tables, the Irish Dance Lesson/​Whiskey Tasting buffet, or late night snacks. And no opportunity to go «above and beyond» was ever missed — from the clever decorations on the table-​seating wheel to the personalized cookies, sparkling wine and a framed photo in the bridal suite.
So — bottom line — was it expensive? Of course! Weddings are. Was it worth it? Absolutely! Moreover, it would it have cost at least three times as much to do as much in LA, and then we all would have missed the chance of a lifetime to party for four days in an exceedingly difficult to reach, excruciatingly beautiful small town in Ireland.

In 2014, we celebrated our honeymoon at Sheen Falls .I really can’t express how thrilled we were with this hotel. The food was amazing, the accomadations exquisite, the staff outstanding, and the grounds were breathtaking … We also very much enjoyed the activities they provided on site. The horseback riding with joyce was awesome– she has a love for her animals that shows, and a lovely personality. I grew quite fond of Ozzie, my favorite ! Also, we learned so much from the falconer on our excursion with his birds ! Very exciting ! We would highly recommend Sheen Falls, in fact, we are going back for a 10 day stay on July 20!
Katherine B.

This was my first trip to Ireland. We decided to go straight to the south country side. Not researching in advance, we had no idea what we were in for. Sheen Falls is a beautiful resort right along the river with rushing water falls outside my room. It’s located 1 mile walking distance to the very quaint town of Kenmare. We walked there every day or evening and felt safe after dark (which is 10:30P in June). Resort Staff is very friendly. They have activities onsite: tennis, horse back riding, spa services. The masseuse was fantastic. Breakfast is included and I must say, it’s an extensive breakfast. Definitely take advantage of this.
We rented a car and drove to some of the loveliest places I’ve ever seen. Most hotel guests stayed 1 or 2 nights as they traveled across Ireland. We stayed 6 nights and chose to do all of our sight seeing within close proximity to Sheen Falls. We were very happy with our decision.
It is also a great location for a Business Retreat.

Pampered, royal, boutique, relaxing… So many amenities you’ll want to stay a week and hate to leave.

Unbelievable! The rooms, the amenities, the pool/​sauna, the views, the service, the breakfast, the activities were all top notch. The rooms were very spacious and the baths were all marble. Our room looked out over the river. — gorgeous! Jer was wonderful and took care of our car, luggage, plug converters, and map needs. Sinead took care of us on the activity front booking our falconry session, lending us bikes, ensuring our every need was taken care of in the pool area. She was delightful. The cute town was only a mile away. Jeff gave us a falconry experience that was one of the highlights of our trip. Breakfast was amazing! There was no wifi so plan accordingly. I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking to stay in the area. It’s a great location –Dingle peninsula was 1.5 hours away.
Fantastic experience all around.

This place is a gem. I traveled here with a friend and we were amazed this place was not more expense. We were given a room with a balcony and the view was breathtaking. Rushing water with a background of green and an adorable bridge.
When we arrived they personally escorted us to our room and asked what we planned to do in the area and offered tips and suggestions. They even went so far as to double up the shampoos/​conditioners and other amenities so my friend and would have our own. We went out to dinner and when we returned they had turn-​downed the beds and laid out robes. It felt very high class!
The breakfast was included in our stay and it was lovely. I had the french toast and the bread looked to be homemade. The view from the dinning room was amazing.
The staff was always kind and helpful, I know where I’m staying should I go back to Kenmare!

The room was beautiful and the views were amazing. This place is a quiet luxurious lodge tucked away in the hills. There weren’t alot of visitors to the lodge, so the lounge was kinda dead. The bartender had no idea how to make several easy drinks (Kahlua n cream or a Shandy), so that left us kind of disappointed. (hence the 4 star rating) The breakfast in the morning didn’t disappoint us however, as it was very good.

I traveled here with a bunch of American buddies a few days before St. Patrick’s Day. We were inspired to come here from a Samantha Brown video that showed a vista of the falls from the guest rooms.
Normally, I’m a penny-​pincher, and I have a hard time spending over USD $ 100/​night for a room. This place was well worth it. The gracious service and the lush grounds themselves were worth three times the price I paid. The grounds overlook what is a sort of bay, and the Sheen Falls are definitely viewable from some of the rooms. I love the sound at night of the falls!
This place is an outdoors-person’s wonderland. They have all kinds of lovely sports that you can do, but for my normally lesser-​active self, so much of the land was available for hiking and walking. We went to off-​limits zones quite a bit and found more falls; no one seemed to mind too much.
For the culinary types, breakfast was included in our particular fare. I would never have guessed that the best freshly-​squeezed orange juice I ever have tasted would have come from this provincial town in March. The hotel made the best breakfast I have had in quite some time.
A quick note on the amazing service — we were told that upon the tragedy of 9/​11, the hotel wrote a personal, sympathetic message to each American listed in their guest books. Wow. That’s classy and yet thoughtfully personal. I would definitely stay here again.