Name: Rossnaree House
Address: Rossnaree, Slane, Co. Meath, Ireland, Slane, Slane, Slane, Ireland
Rating: 8

Elevator/lift

Heating

Garden

Outdoor furniture

General

Bridal suite

Rooms

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Diet menu (on request)

Restaurant

Packed Lunches

Bottled water

Meals

Internet access

Internet

Bike rental

Barbecue grill(s)

Hiking

Picnic area

Fishing

Recreation

Parking

Conference Hall

Business

Beauty services

Beauty and wellness

Location

At the hotel

Dublin Airport

Phoenix Park

National Botanic Gardens

Dublin Zoo

Guinness Storehouse

Ha' Penny Bridge

Dublin Castle

National Gallery of Ireland at Merrion Square

National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology and History

St. Stephen's Green

Aviva Stadium

Rossnaree House

Slane

If you've watched "Bridgerton" and wondered what it would be like to live in a graceful, aristocratic manor, then this historic home is for you. From the grand, sweeping surroundings overlooking the Boyne River and a glimpse of  Newgrange visible on the horizon, to the antique furnishings and family portraits enhancing each room, this home easily carries you back to an earlier age.

We found the home itself to be very clean, and each bedroom had its own character. We stayed in the Bird Room, with hand-painted wallpaper, and other family members stayed in rooms offering tremendous views of the surrounding countryside. Connecting to wifi was intermittent, depending on your location in the house, but it also had the effect of keeping us in the ambiance of earlier centuries.

Aisling, the manor's owner, greatly enhanced our stay with her entertaining stories of the house's past inhabitants, and she provided delicious food for our breakfasts. She also created the most memorable part of our stay: a multi-course, tailor-made dinner to celebrate my mom's 93rd birthday. 

Step back in time with this beautiful manor house

Where to begin? Rossnaree is an idyllic home, nestled in the iconic tapestry that makes up the Irish countryside. From the moment you arrive, you can feel the magic that surrounds this place. The old house is surrounded by large trees and beautiful flowers. It is a historical house and there is an element of what some would deem “slightly dated” furnishings, but when you take time to appreciate it, you realise it adds to its wonderful quirky character. The rooms are sensational! Capturing different far-off lands with their exquisite detail and thoughtful touches. All the rooms have been refurbished to keep in touch with modern comforts, but still hold on to their original detail. The views overlooking the river are breathtaking. 
Aisling is a delightful host, full of energy and enthusiasm for the place. You can see her heart and soul have been poured into the upkeep of this enormous home. There was nothing too difficult for her to go above and beyond for the comfort of her guests. Her spirit added to that special glean that encompassed the place- plus her stories are one for the ages! 
Walking around the grounds is almost mystical (as is the local area of Slane!) and full of surprises. From chickens to geese and the glossy peacocks that came to the front of the house, it was such a joy to see who would join our stay. 
For guests looking for an authentic stay in an Irish country home, with an embellished twist of paradoxical eloquence and quirk- this is it! 
Spiders were noticed, but as a naturalist, they didn't bother us at all. But for those of us who were uncomfortable, our 8-legged friends were gently whisked away (we wouldn’t have appreciated a senseless genocide of earthy beings) at request. We will definitely be back!

A Touch of Home

I feel it's my ethical duty to say something here because clearly since the time we were there a few years back... NOTHING has changed. 

We came over from London a few years back on a trip-around-ireland tour, and I was SO proud that I planned the whole thing. Rossnaree was supposed to be the icing on the cake at the end of the trip. My wife was so excited.

It all started before we checked in. We went to visit Newgrange earlier in the day, and got into a conversation with one of the staff there. Irish people are very friendly and very talkative. When we told her where we were staying, they all went quiet... and one said... "hummm yeah... you're in for an experience that's for sure..." they let us have free entrance because we were staying there... and they didnt do it because there was some agreement with them and Rosnaree.

When we arrived at the house, we hadnt been there more than a few mins when we realised there was something very weird with the place. First on the list was the very musty-smelling drawing room where we met a young lady and her husband.. the owner was away, so I think this was her niece or something.

We were shown up to our room (no locks on any doors, either inside or outside). It very quickly became apparent that these rooms were rarely cleaned thoroughly... maybe a hoover of the carpet and change sheets, but otherwise....

the SPIDERS... O M G the swarms of flies and spiders! 

The room was crawling with them... we tried to call the hotel number but no-one answered... we went downstairs... no-one to be found. We decided to go out and eat somewhere and come back a bit later and talk to them then if we could find them about getting another room. 

It was dark when we came home... no outside lighting, and no-one to be seen. Nothing locked (all our stuff upstairs in unlocked room)... we laid down on the VERY creaky 1.5 meter long bed and looked up... OMG.. the SPIDERS  ALL OVER THE CEILING.... it was like a scene out of India Jones!

A spiders web covered the entire ceiling... wall to wall! they could literally crawl from one side of the room to another without touching the ceiling once. At this point, one of the many flies in the room then got trapped in the web, and two spiders pounced on it, one of which preceeded to wrap it up ready for a night-time snack. All of this directly above our pillows!! Absolutely disgusting

At this point, we decided we'd had enough... it was 11.00 at night and we checked out, without a plan. There was no-one to tell... no one answered the phone or when we knocked on the door to the main house. We loaded up the car and started to drive. As we rounded the main house, we looked to the right, and through the window, we could see the temporary proprietors were "relaxing" on the sofa watching TV or something.. 

They lept up when seeing the car lights and saw that we had stopped.. and the lady came out. We explained that the place was uninhabitable and we would rather sleep in our car. She was very apologitic and said the owner would call the next day sort it out.. She explained that this is how it is out in the countryside ( with all the flies and spiders)... to which we replied "you have to be joking, it needs cleaning properly" and just drove off. 

We have NEVER EVER left a hotel ("hotel") like that before.. in the middle of the night, and in a foreign country, with absolutely no plan.

We were incredibly lucky that the D in Drogheda had a room for us so late at night. I explained the situation on the phone. When we arrived they had put some cake in our room, and flowers and towel swans.. a nice touch at such short notice. They clearly understood our pain, and had heard of the place.... 

Were we one of many couples who'd done a runner?

It wasnt until our return home that we discovered this house had featured in the irish version of "Hotel Nightmares" or something similar. We read the reviews on tripadvisor when we booked (which we had based our decision on) and they were all ok apart from one VERY negative one which was similar to our experience. Unfortunately, we didnt see that one until after our return. The rest of the reviews banged on about charm and authenticity and the amazing view. Well if you think that 50 year old spider webs are charming and authentic, then fine. Each to his own.

We felt incredibly tricked. I had built up my wifes expectations... showed her the pics... it was towards the end of that wonderful trip, and this place could have destroyed it!

I dont know how it is today, but when I see a recent review like the one written by Cartagia, I am going to believe that one rather than all the 5 star reviews. It does not sound like this place has changed at all. They have NO business being in the hotel business WHAT-SO-EVER. 

But if you dont care about what I have written here... be my guest.... go stay there... but don't be shocked by the filth. I believe what people write about the owner being a charming and lovely person, but a capable hotelier she is not... end of story.

Now I am fully aware that she's going to comment this review and claim something lame like... you must be referring to another hotel ( i added pics so you can see it IS yours), or we didnt give them a chance to clear it up and probably just some REALLY long explanation that inevitbly seeks to blame it all on us in some way.... "We wanted to help but you did this or didnt do that etc so we couldnt... " I have seen it on other reviews here, and the owner always has the last word because you cannot answer their comments on Tripadvisor...so I am pre-emptively countering your reply now... IT  WAS what it WAS. Just accept it instead of trying to blame your guests, and maybe tidy that place up? If you dont have the time or finances to do it, stop ripping off unsuspecting tourists who leave deeply disappointed, and get the heck out of the hotel business. 

Oh and btw.... yes there will be people who love authentic old-fashioned houses and stay there for that EXACT reason, not caring about things I have written here, so you will probably have some satisified guests. But save us the whole "Many of our guests are satisfied, so your experience is rare" in your reply, because its irrelevant... 

That 10 guests are satisified and 3 are horrified is NOT ok. Guests can always be dissatisifed, but NO-ONE should be running away HORRIFIED!

So why not just be honest in the description instead? 

"Charming old country house, which needs a lot of cleaning and TLC, but if you're after the charm and history, and dont mind the spiders and smell.. come stay with us"

And "4 star boutique hotel"? come on! Go google 4-star hotel and see if you REALLY fit into that classification. 

Be honest up front, and save yourself more reviews like this one...

The strangest and filthiest place we've EVER stayed at. 1 star (if I'm generous)

This place is an absolute dump. We saw this show featured on an Irish television show that helps businesses be more successful. We had high hopes and chose the place to stay for our first honeymoon. I was an absolute nightmare.
The place stank as soon as we entered. The public rooms were a mess with junk everywhere. I actually got lost and ended up in the kitchen and Oh My God I’d never seen such a filthy dump. The whole place should be shout down.
The bedroom decorated in old style which looked nice from a distance but on closer look, it was a dump. Door knobs came off in your hands, drawers were full of junk, the room stank of cat piss and the bathroom was gross.
The place is owned by an artist who doesn’t really care about the house nor the advice she was given on the tv show. Avoid this dump like the plague.

WHAT A DUMP

We have just had a fantastic stay at Rossnaree House, from the moment we arrived we were welcomed with a roaring open fire and warmth from Aisling the owner.  Beautiful, unique rooms, fantastic history,  history galore, wonderful food and the warmest host you could wish for.  I would highly recommend Rossnaree House and look forward to going back soon

Home from Home.....but better!

On the way to the Drogheda Festival, we arrive at this fantastic facility immersed in Irish greenery. The owners immediately offer us a warm tea and accompany us to the huge bedroom: a fantastic dip in 800 Irish! A huge and clean bathroom, Irish breakfast with fireplace lit and 4 pleasant conversations with the owner!

Special people in a special place!

My husband and I booked into  Rossnaree House while attending a wedding in Slane.  On arrival we were met by the owner Aisling and given a hearty welcome... we were shown to our bedroom which was The Morris Room overlooking the river Boyne and  Newgrange neolithic site. The room was warm and very comfortably and beautifully furnished with antiques.... The bed linen was pristine and the bed extremely comfortable and we both had a wonderful and peaceful nights rest. We had a delicious breakfast with freshly squeezed orange juice, a choice of cereals, full English breakfast, real coffee.... just wonderful.... served to us by Aisling and her two lovely grandchildren. The house itself is full of character which is just what we would expect from a country residence.... this house would not be suitable for someone who expects a modern day hotel but is for the discerning  guest who would love the experience of living in a fine old country house full of character and charm and with history by the bucketful.... thank you so much Aisling for a very memorable experience and we would certainly look forward to another trip to your lovely home. Regina and Alan Wilkinson.

Characterful country residence

What a gem... A real beautiful and majestic hidden gem! I stayed there for a night: very welcoming, very mindful of my wishes, awesome tasty food! And there is no word to describe the view of the River Room... I promise you will not be disappointed!

A hidden gem

We have just returned from Rossnaree House, what a gem, yes the house is a little tired but the surroundings are magical.   We had. a fantastic welcome from Aisling who showed us to our splendid room (William Morris)from which we a wonderful view of Newgrange.  Couldn't fault anything and breakfast was delish....we will return 

Rossnaree House

Main amenities of the hotel

Location

Available rooms

Location

Description of the hotel

What other amenities are there?

Policies

Check-in terms and conditions

Payment