We recently got married at this little gem of a hotel and hosted our day 2 party in Little Jim's. We are UK based and have been coming to Castlecomer for years and have stayed at the Avalon numerous times so thought we knew what to expect, but we were wrong!
The Avalon surpassed our expectations in every way possible and our weekend was so much better that we ever imagined it could be.
The Venue
The venue is beautiful, a boutique hotel that has the right balance of modern yet traditional, luxurious yet homely with a lovely well-appointed courtyard and access to the gorgeous and unique Little Jim's Bar, which we used for welcome drinks and our day 2 celebration. We were able to pre-book all hotel rooms, so we had the main part of the hotel to ourselves for the weekend which felt extra special. The bedrooms are well appointed, comfortable and beautiful, the beds are the comfiest I have slept in at a hotel! The main suite was spacious and had the luxury of a roll top bath. The chocolate brownies & bubbles left on the night of our wedding was such a special little treat and we were really touched by the effort. All areas of the hotel were kept clean, fresh and inviting. The wedding room is light, bright and airy and comfortably accommodated our guests, there is a sufficient bar in the room which could easily cope with the traffic on the day. The room was fully dressed for us, including chair covers & sashes, top table, memory and cake table and it looked perfect! The attention they put into the little details impressed us so much and the care and attention they took to ensure everything was perfect was truly appreciated
The bridal party was provided the little fire station to get ready in, we were served us room service from this room which provided us with so much space for hair and makeup and made the entire morning easy and completely stress free.
The People
The reception team allowed many guests, who had travelled from the UK, to check in early too which was very well received. I had elderly great aunts who were also allowed to check out late, without financial penalty, due to a change in their travel plans. These acts of kindness and service by the hotel are so appreciated and give it a real family feel but also show how they go the extra mile for their guests.
Every single member of staff went above and beyond during our entire stay, providing faultless service. Nothing was 'too much', no ask an inconvenience, and they took steps to focus on the little details, that meant so much to us (and we had not considered) that blew us away.
The wedding dinner servers were brilliant; fast, efficient, attentive, kind and so warm, welcoming and friendly to everyone. The bar staff were so much fun too! Great fast service and done with laughter and dancing which really felt special on our wedding day.
The cleaners were all wonderful, friendly and happy to have a quick chat with you. They work so hard to keep the rooms, and the hotel, fabulously clean and welcoming.
Laura, our wedding planner, was brilliant, no ask was too big, and she was patient and thorough with all my requests no matter how big or small and responded to all of my 13,276 emails. I asked for many changes to the meal and events of the day and Laura, and the team, were so accommodating and put every effort into ensuring we had the day we wanted.
Mary supported us through our wedding tasting and was fantastic in the lead up to our day and on the day itself, so attentive and accommodating and an absolute pleasure to work with.
I wish I captured the names of all of the staff involved in our weekend to name them personally because they were all great, I could go on and on but in summary I have never received such great service at any hotel I have ever stayed in.
I have had so many guests compliment the staff, during and after the wedding, expressing how they have not experienced such wonderful service before. The staff are a real credit to the venue and help to make it so successful.
The Food
Our wedding meal was incredible, hot, fresh and fast! I paid an additional sum to have additional menu options, and this worked out fantastically, our guests were so impressed. Everyone commented on how good the food was and loved the added touches of our wedding photo being on printed menus.
We had a few guests with allergies, and they too had their own menu with options, I didn't expect this, but those guests said they have never felt so included and have never been offered options before so were thrilled. These details helped everyone feel special and was so appreciated. My brother is Coeliac and had had a lifetime of feeling like an ‘inconvenience’ or an ‘afterthought’, especially at weddings, so I wanted him to feel fully thought of and he, and all others, absolutely were!
The evening buffet was awesome too, the quality of the food was excellent and abundant, and I was so impressed, so were my guests.
For day 2 we had a BBQ with salad bar, fresh pizza for the children, veggie and gluten free options also. This food was excellent, I cannot believe the quality and quantity of food supplied and everyone ate well and thoroughly enjoyed it. The venue also provided crumble and custard for my guests which was delicious, this was an extra but again shows that they did absolutely everything possible for me to have the day I wanted.
We had an incredible wedding at The Avalon House Hotel and I cannot wait to return to stay at the hotel because it truly is a beautiful hotel and venue made even better by the staff.
