Castlemartyr Resort Wedding Venue

Ricecake30

Hello, We are thinking of booking CastleMartyr Resort as our wedding venue. Has anyone been to or held their wedding here recently? We are currently living in Oz so we cannot view the property (or any property back home in Ireland for that matter). We are taking a bit of a risk booking the venue without seeing it and are basing our opinions on family and friends that are doing the viewings for us. Some feedback on any previous weddings attended here would be greatly appreciated! I have seen some snaps of the buildings wooden finish that looks particularly run and weathered, but the overall feedback from our friends that went to view this place was that it was amazing. Some older posts (cir. 2009) mention that the food isn't great, the service is terrible and the bar is expensive. Do these opinions still stand?

ABajaninCork

I've never been to Castlemartyr for a wedding, but have heard great reviews. Only thing is, it's a little expensive.

Is it just County Cork you're looking for, or are you considering the city as well?

Ricecake30

ABajaninCork wrote: »

I've never been to Castlemartyr for a wedding, but have heard great reviews. Only thing is, it's a little expensive.

Is it just County Cork you're looking for, or are you considering the city as well?

No we are looking anywhere in Munster that's five star. We have already considered all the popular hotels like dromoland, Adare manor etc.

Toto Wolfcastle

A few people I know were at a wedding there a few months back and they said the food wasn't great.

AshAdele

Hey
we looked into castlemartyr resort a few months ago and we werent really impressed.
the room itself is smaller then I expected. it would sit comfortably 100 ish id put a max of 150 in there. either way there will be a very small dance floor (and probably have to move tables to make a dance floor)

you do get the run of the hotel for photos which I did like and the few suites they have are stunning. i cant remember the cost as they dont have it in there broucher and you have to talk to the weding planner to get those details, but im sure in the fine print of the broucher we got there was a minimum cost per head mentions of about 80euros for a minimum of 3 courses (I could be wrong on that i dont have the bourcher in front of me)

we never booked a meeting with the planner to discuss it further as we felt that having 120 guests there and wanting a dancefloor it would be tighter then everywhere else we looked at.

the grounds are nice, the hotel is nice, the staff seemed very good. i havent tried the food. but the few prices i did see for drinks/canepess etc was way over what we expected. I know it is a 5 star but we have booked a place that is half the cost and we are getting triple the food, drink etc for our money!

also bear in mind accodation cost, you said your looking all over munster so most of your guest will have to stay overnight. think of that cost as well. they will be already buying a present, fuel, probably new clothes/hair/make up.

Gamb!t

You will need to pay 45% of the wedding cost 6 months before your wedding day.I thought it was over priced.
We heard the food was nice but "Art on a plate"(small portions).
We went for Dunloe Hotel in Killarney(5*),much better deal and have heard good feed back.

Ricecake30

AshAdele wrote: »

Hey
we looked into castlemartyr resort a few months ago and we werent really impressed.
the room itself is smaller then I expected. it would sit comfortably 100 ish id put a max of 150 in there. either way there will be a very small dance floor (and probably have to move tables to make a dance floor)

you do get the run of the hotel for photos which I did like and the few suites they have are stunning. i cant remember the cost as they dont have it in there broucher and you have to talk to the weding planner to get those details, but im sure in the fine print of the broucher we got there was a minimum cost per head mentions of about 80euros for a minimum of 3 courses (I could be wrong on that i dont have the bourcher in front of me)

we never booked a meeting with the planner to discuss it further as we felt that having 120 guests there and wanting a dancefloor it would be tighter then everywhere else we looked at.

the grounds are nice, the hotel is nice, the staff seemed very good. i havent tried the food. but the few prices i did see for drinks/canepess etc was way over what we expected. I know it is a 5 star but we have booked a place that is half the cost and we are getting triple the food, drink etc for our money!

also bear in mind accodation cost, you said your looking all over munster so most of your guest will have to stay overnight. think of that cost as well. they will be already buying a present, fuel, probably new clothes/hair/make up.

Is the ballroom really that small? We are thinking of 170 but now that you mention it I'm not sure our friends that viewed it took into account the need for a dancefloor etc. good thinking. If it comes down to cost then we are willing to subsidise the cost of the accommodate for our guests so that it is more reasonably priced for them...only if the venue is worth it though!

Ricecake30

Gamb!t wrote: »

You will need to pay 45% of the wedding cost 6 months before your wedding day.I thought it was over priced.
We heard the food was nice but "Art on a plate"(small portions).
We went for Dunloe Hotel in Killarney(5*),much better deal and have heard good feed back.

Did you ever look into the Europe Hotel in Killarney?

AshAdele

Ricecake30 wrote: »

Is the ballroom really that small? We are thinking of 170 but now that you mention it I'm not sure our friends that viewed it took into account the need for a dancefloor etc. good thinking. If it comes down to cost then we are willing to subsidise the cost of the accommodate for our guests so that it is more reasonably priced for them...only if the venue is worth it though!

I felt it was small, I think they say their max is about 170. but that would be with NO dancefloor. i never liked the idea of having to ask Aunt/uncles to move out of their seats just after the meal so the tables can be moved/removed.

It is a lovley room 5m high cielings, full glass walls on two sides, nutural colour scheme etc. but I just expected a bigger room.

the room has been broken in two so that your drinks reception area is on one side and the dinning on the other. the toilets are between the two so you cant open it up to full size. maybe you could have your dancefloor area in the same place as your drinks reception??

its would be lovely for a wedding up to about 100 IMHO but at the cost per head i dont think many peoply would afford to invite much more that that.

I know you want 5 star but i think it would be worth looking at 4 star!! you will get much better value for money and they will more than likely do more weddings per year so less likely to screw up!

We left castlemartyr thinking we are paying fro the name and the extra star. i couldnt see how the food/sercive/drinks could cost that much exxtra

Gamb!t

Ricecake30 wrote: »

Did you ever look into the Europe Hotel in Killarney?

It's a new hotel and wasn't open last month while we were in Kerry.Id always be a bit iffy about having a wedding in a hotel that hadnt any experience in doing weddings etc.

Ricecake30

I didn't realise it was so new. I assumed it had been around a few years but that I just hadn't heard about it, thanks!

Toto Wolfcastle

The Europe has been open for years.

Dostoevsky

Ricecake30 wrote: »

Hello, We are thinking of booking CastleMartyr Resort as our wedding venue. Has anyone been to or held their wedding here recently? We are currently living in Oz so we cannot view the property (or any property back home in Ireland for that matter). We are taking a bit of a risk booking the venue without seeing it and are basing our opinions on family and friends that are doing the viewings for us. Some feedback on any previous weddings attended here would be greatly appreciated! I have seen some snaps of the buildings wooden finish that looks particularly run and weathered, but the overall feedback from our friends that went to view this place was that it was amazing. Some older posts (cir. 2009) mention that the food isn't great, the service is terrible and the bar is expensive. Do these opinions still stand?

1) Was at the last wedding fair there. The front is essentially a car park, full of vintage cars when we were there.

2) The function room does not open to an outside space where people can sit outside chatting on the fine summer night of a wedding. While I loved the garden, the stream and the old ruin on the site, I found the function room far too claustrophobic for this reason. It's incredible that the designers hadn't the wit to incorporate part of the function room next to the garden. You might as well be in the Four Seasons in Ballsbridge! :mad:

Gamb!t

Bobblehead Panda wrote: »

The Europe has been open for years.

Must have closed for renovations then,as we were told it was a new hotel just opened..

Rew

Dostoevsky wrote: »

1) Was at the last wedding fair there. The front is essentially a car park, full of vintage cars when we were there.

2) The function room does not open to an outside space where people can sit outside chatting on the fine summer night of a wedding. While I loved the garden, the stream and the old ruin on the site, I found the function room far too claustrophobic for this reason. It's incredible that the designers hadn't the wit to incorporate part of the function room next to the garden. You might as well be in the Four Seasons in Ballsbridge! :mad:

1) they rope that off the day of weddings so no cars can park there.

2) There are doors out to the front area and its the primary smoking area on the night

It was our 2nd choice hotel. Found them difficult to negotiate with till we put them over a barrel. The room is nice but when the draw all the curtains you could be in any function room. Hotel rooms are really amazing but very pricey. You have your drinks reception in the bar and out the back if the weather permits. Other hotel guests use the same space which may or may not be a problem. After that your in the function room till you go to bed. The residents bar is in the function room and drinks can only be bought on account.

Whoever decided to build those holiday cottages at the gate of the hotel was a complete money grabbing idiot, really takes from the feel of the place as you go in the gates.

Pool is nice didn't use the spa. Restaurant is over rated IMHO. We had a nice dinner nothing stands out about it other then the chocolate tart for desert. Its the only time I can ever think of I didn't finish a desert. It was a horrible chocolate ganache (and I like chocolate ganache!) and I watched as half a dozen other's all went back to the kitchen half eaten. How any chef let it out the door in the first place I don't know.

Another let down for me was I thought they had huge grounds to take a walk or cycle around. Turns out its the field in front and the golf course behind and thats it.

Ricecake30

Rew - Where was your 1st choice hotel? From their website the grounds look huge, thanks from bringing that to my attention.

Rew

There are the ruins to one side of the hotel as well so there is plenty of spots for photos but you wont be going for any long rambles.

I got maried in Castle Leslie in Monaghan last month, just back from honeymoon

There oppositie ends of the country I know but we have family locally in Cork and Monaghan.