Melissa5

Has anybody stayed at the Olde Railway Hotel? We want to stay in Westport for 3 nights in the summer as a base for exploring County Mayo. Also, when was your visit?

Travelling with hubby and 2 young adult daughters so would like to be within walking distance of fun Westport pubs.

I like the location of the Olde Railway Hotel, walking distance to Westport town centre. I like the sound of it...historical, antique, antmospheric...

But is it also comfortable? Quiet enough to sleep at night? Looked at the tripadvisor reviews and the word "creeky" is the common theme there in describing the Olde Railway hotel!

What is your opinion? Thanks!

I should add I'd rather avoid staying at a big hotel which would attract noisy large weddings/parties. I'm a light sleeper and like it to be quiet in my room after midnight.

Any noisy late night-clubs near the Olde Railway?

Thanks!

IrishEyes

I haven't stayed there but took a peek at the rooms about 10 years ago. Unless there has been a BIG update it is creaky and shabby. Could have used better housekeeping. Have you looked at Knockranny Lodge? It is very nice and would be quiet.

Melissa5

IrishEyes, thanks for your reply. So 10 years ago the rooms weren't looking too good at Olde Railway Hotel, you say. Has anybody seen them recently?

Knockranny Lodge does look very nice, but I am a bit concerned that, since it is big and nice, thay may have large groups there like wedding parties. I am a light sleeper and easily disturbed by people making merry late into the night. The bigger the hotel, the more chance you have late partiers not realizing how much noise they make returning late to their rooms.

I will be more than a wee bit cranky if I don't sleep for 3 nights in Westport.

I think my son has my genes. (Of course he does!) He has been telling me a cricket has been keeping him awake at night. And here I thought it sounded like a lullaby!

IrishEyes, I have found several choices for County Clare and Dingle, and even Dublin which I think would work for us. But I am having a hard time with Westport. Wanting to be closer to the night-life and pubs seems to be conflicting with the need for quiet at night!

Not only do I want to hear trad music in person (have been listening to some on DVDs and CDs), but I know my young adult daughters would love Westport. I know if we stayed out in the countryside it would be quieter at night for me, but too quiet for my daughters!

Usually research helps me locate just the right place for the whole family to enjoy staying at. But that place seems elusive in Westport.

IrishEyes

Knockranny Lodge only has 16 rooms. Are you confusing it with Knockranny House Hotel? Why not send them an email with your concerns and let them tell you if they accept wedding parties? Many smaller guest houses & B&Bs don't like the noisy guests either.

Melissa5

IrishEyes, you're right, I'm confusing Knockranny Lodge with Knockranny hotel! Thanks for clarifying this. I will try to locate the e-mail or web-site for Knockranny Lodge. Have you stayed at Knockranny Lodge?

SiobhanP

Melissa...Please check the posting you had for westport as I am sure I added the knockranny lodge address to it with a reccommendation from my friends. I have been to Westport many times each year as I have friends living there and we take a break from Dublin there on long weekends. I would not stay in the old railway hotel. Looks to crummy for me.

IrishEyes

Knockranny Lodge: http://www.knockrannylodge.ie/ I have not had the opportunity to stay there yet (budget wouldn't permit it on last trip). I met the manager (very nice woman) who showed me around. It is a bit more expensive than a B&B but was very nice. The rooms were quite spacious and the location quiet. It is very near The Knockranny House Hotel. You could walk there to the bar or restaurant. I believe the guesthouse has some sort of a reciprocal deal to use the facilities at the hotel.

Melissa5

IrishEyes and SiobhanP, thank you for the information, it's great to hear from you folks who have seen these places, instead of just reading about them in a guidebook!

I've seen outside photos of the Olde Railway Hotel in Westport and from the outside it looks like a place they should tear down! But from the inside it looks historic and charming at least in the public rooms. Now, I don't have any idea what the bedrooms are like, they are showing a photo of a bedroom that looks fine, but as we all know you can't always know if photos are recent or updated. Also hotels tend to show a photo of their best room, not their average or worst room. Also very important is how well do the bathrooms function, I have no idea.

I did locate a web-site for Knockranny Lodge, and you're right, SiobhanP, I think you did provide it for me, in answer to one of my thousands of questions! Thanks so much for all the help! I have files and files, so I had to look up the right file.

Yesterday I was despairing of ever finding a suitable place in Westport! But I did look at the Knockranny Lodge and it does look nice, though you're right it's sure a bit expensive. It's a possibility.

I also looked at the Wyatt. Inside photos of the hotel looked fine. I was a bit dismayed to see a photo of the outside with hundreds of people milling about outside! Also they do have a conference center, it seems, shown on the website. Funny thing about the Wyatt, maybe because it's a chain hotel, there is zero info on it in any guidebooks that I have (I think I have 8 guidebooks!) The only reason I know about it is from you helpful folks! Is the Wyatt considered a reliable hotel chain?

Well I'm off to see Harry Potter at the movies with the family, looking forward to it! I'll worry more about Westport accomodations tomorrow or late tonight!

Thank you all for putting up with me. Right now I am considering the creeky but charming Olde Railway Hotel, the Wyatt, the Knockranny Lodge, or maybe even a guesthouse in the pleasant countryside however this isn't my preference, I mean I wold love it, but I know my young adult daughters will be so pleased to actually stay in Westport. I like to keep them happy on trips so they will continue to accompany us!

Thanks all.

chatham

Melissa, the Wyatt hotel up until a year or so ago had another name. I think it was Central, maybe.

historytraveler

You've probably already done so but I suggest you take a look at trip advisor. It's helpful to get comments fron Fodorites, but since no one seems to have had recent experience, it makes it difficult to give you a definitve answer to your queries about the Olde Railway.

One caveat in checking the reviews on trip advisor---Look at the dates of the reviews, and don't let a negative one discourage you. There always seems to be someone who can't be pleased. If the general opinion is negative then take it seriously. You'll often find informative comments.

McShane

Hi Melissa,
I know the perfect place in Westport will jump out at you soon!

First - Dublin. Yes, I read the responses that discouraged you from spending 3 days in Dublin. We spent 2 days, 2 nights there, and didn't have time to go to the jail (gaol.) You know how it is in a city - you can really just do 2 things per day and the museums there are quite good. I do love cities! And like you I loved Rome, but Florence, not so much... I wished we'd not spent the night in Trim and spent 3 nights in Dublin, but at a nicer hotel.

I checked my library of Ireland guidebooks for Westport and all recommend the Wyatt. Footprints Ireland is my favorite guide and the new edition came out this June - they recommend the Wyatt. We were right behind the Wyatt and I heard no noise. It's on the Octagon, which is not where the great pubs are, but you could always get a room in the back facing the park to ensure more quiet.

We had a pint at the Wyatt and I can report that the pub is definitely for the old fogey crowd! Quiet traditional music for the older set.

I don't know if the townhouse will rent for a week, but if I had your email I can give you John's contact info. He's a terrific guy - works at the butcher shop. He may also be able to help you find a suitable place. My daughter is in contact with some nice ladies she met in Westport and I'll have her check with them to find out where they stayed and what they thought. I think they may have stayed at the Olde Railway.

I'll let you know what I find out!

Melissa5

McShane, you are so nice and helpful with your info for me! I can't believe my luck, you actually have the Ireland guidebooks that I DIDN'T buy, as mine don't mention the Wyatt! The Wyatt is sounding good. I would also be very interested to hear how the "nice ladies" liked the Olde Railway. Renting our own place is my last choice as we prefer being able to see other guests at breakfast or in the lounge, and saying hello to the staff.

Well I was also considering Knockranny Lodge, which I now understand isnt't the same as Knockranny Hotel.

You are welcome to write me at [email protected] Please put "Westport Ireland" in the subject line as that's how I pre-screen for junk mail before I decide to open it or not. Many thanks!

Itallian_Chauffer

Melissa5:

I took the liberty of sending you an email. I added Westport in the RE:, per your request to McShane, though it isn't really about Westport, but it IS about Ireland.
Bob

Melissa5

Bob, thanks, look forward to getting the mail.

Historytraveller, I totally agree about tripadvisor. It is generally very useful but if a hotel has 10 reviews, 1 or 2 of them will inevitably be bad, and I suspect a few are even made up! It doesn't mean the hotel is bad. You're right, you have to look for the overall pattern of the reviews. You almost have to ignore the worst review and also ignore the best review, and consider all the rest as more typical.

The most accurate and useful information tends to come from people who have taken the time to write an entire detailed trip report. These people are real travellers just like us, and you can even see their personalities in their trip report which you can take into account when reading their hotel reviews. Thank you to everyone on fodors who has written a trip report!

Melissa5

McShane, here we are talking about Dublin on my Westport post, but hey, one thing leads to another! I am intrigued by the fact that you stayed in Trim (I was considering that) but wish you'd stayed in Dublin central, and that 2 nights wasn't enough to see all you wanted. Perhaps I'm selling Dublin short and should keep to my original plan which included 3 nights in Dublin.

I am intrigued by the fact that you liked Rome but not florece so much either, just like me. (I tried to analyze why I liked Rome so much better. I think it's because Rome is more spread out, so I never felt closed in. But florence is more compact and has tall buildings in a small space, so it's easy for me to feel closed in, especially since it was so crowded. This is probably an unfair question, but is Dublin more like Rome or more like Florence?! You are probably the only one who will understand this question, everyone else is likely to tell me they are all very different and of course that's true.

chatham, you may have solved one mystery. If the Wyatt in Westport had another name (maybe the Central you say) that would explain why I don't see a lot of info on the Wyatt in Westport! Thanks for the clue.

jcnyc

I stayed at the Olde Railway Hotel in September, 1996 and again in November, 1999. The first time they put us in the "Thackery Room" with a canopied double bed, lounging sofa, and view out to the Mall. The room was the most charming we had in all of Ireland. (Later in the trip, we stayed at Dromoland Castle, but I thought the Olde Railway had them beat on charm.)
We had two memorable meals in the hotel restaurant (great cheese course) and the "conservatory" breakfast room is beautiful. The only downside was that in 1996, there WAS bar music in the downstairs lounge, which lasted until midnight or so. In 1999 they put us in a large, but odd room, again with a canopied bed, in a first floor room which at one time must have been part of the public area. I don't remember evening music on that trip (maybe because it was off season.) The hotel has more conventional guestrooms on the rear side of the building.
Mayo is beautiful and Westport is a great place to stay.

Melissa5

jcnyc, thanks for your detailed info on your stay at the Olde Railway hotel in Westport! Sounds like you enjoyed the visit. Music until midnight isn't too bad, it's when the noise goes past midnight that I find it really unreasonable (for sleeping). It seems like the rooms vary a lot in the Olde Railway. I think they also have some recently remodelled rooms.

SiobhanP

Melissa - I would not go with the Wyatt or the old railway as there may be noise issues adn I just see the Old railway as run down and they wyatt looks nice in Room pictures but it may not live up to the pics and I think it may be mmore downmarket. A tripadvisor comment said it was more like a Motel.

markan

I've stayed at the Olde Railway 3 times. Once in 1998, 2003, and 2004. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it each time and are planning on staying there again in 2006. It is an old, creeky place but quite charming and the rooms in my experience were very nice, well kept, and comfortable. There can be noise issues at around bar closing time due to the fact that it is right in the center of town and boisterous people walk by at night. They do make an effort to shut down the hotel bar at around midnight and keep the noise there to a minimum. Overall we did not have noise problems that interfered with out sleep. As you already have guessed the location is perfect in the sense that it is a short walk to the pubs and shops that you will want to visit while in Westport.

I recommend the place for those that want a place with a little character, want to be close to everything, and plan on being out at pubs at night. If you want modern, perfectly clean, and quiet by 9pm then this is not the place for you.

Good Luck,

Mark

Melissa5

Mark, thanks very much, you seem to have summed up the Olde Railway Hotel nicely, giving me the pros and cons that are important to me! The truth for me is that, I am attracted to the creaky historic charm, but the boisterous people walking by would definitely keep me awake and make me regret staying there. (I am especially sensitive to noise just as I'm trying to drift off to sleep and appreciate everyone who has provided their own experieces here! Very helpful.)

I have decided that I think I really shouldn't stay right in Westport town centre at all, not in July. Instead I am leaning towards a more quiet suburb nearby, and we can either drive or take a taxi.

Cillcoman House in Rossbeg, Westport has been suggested to me as being in a quiet area nearby. I am considering this one. I've heard it's clean and simple but charming, and quiet at night.

I have read lots of opinions and reviews for various places in Westport and for someone sensitive to noise like me, it sounds like I'd better head for somewhere quieter than the towne centre!

Thanks everybody.