This hotel is in a beautiful location overlooking the river and the castle. The only thing nicer then the setting was the best hotel staff I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with.
There were 2 adults and an 8 month old baby in our party. Before arriving I had confirmed with the hotel that they had travel cots, babysitting service and could store food. There wasn't a fridge in the room but we were able to store the food in the hotel fridges and we had to book the babysitting service in advance but as we had planned what we were going to be doing this wasn't a problem.
The room was a good size and there was loads of space for the travel cot. Only problem with the room was that our sink's plug didn't work which was a slight problem when trying to sterilize bottles but that is a very small complaint.
The hotel is very suitable for families. The restaurant in the bar was great and the staff couldn't be more helpful. We enjoyed one of the best meals we've had for a long time in the main restaurant and it was really well priced for the food we got. There are high chairs available throughout the hotel and they were more then willing to heat up any baby food required.
Unfortunately we required a doctor while on our visit but yet again the brilliant staff arranged an appointment straight away with a great doctor.
Only faults I have on this hotel was the leisure area. Compared to the rest of the hotel it was not as clean overall. Also the water in the pool was not very warm. I had a facial while I was there but again this was not as good as I had expected. Finally the car park was very tight on space and did cost extra if only €2.
Overall the faults I have are very minor compared to the brilliant staff, beautiful food and fabulous location and I can say that I really enjoyed my stay, would recommend it and would definitely go back myself both as a family location or a romantic getaway.

Following my recent stay at the River Court I am pleased to report that it’s a gem of a find. From our first experience on check in we were greeted with a smile by the ever so friendly staff. This was to reflect our stay throughout. The location is excellent -in the heart of the city of Kilkenny. Walking distance to the beautiful Kilkenny Castle. The facilities are good, lovely pool, treatment rooms etc. if you decide to pamper yourself. The nicest treat for us was the fantastic food in the restaurant and matching service to complement the food. A truly memorable stay - I can highly recommend this gem of a find.

I stayed in this hotel recently for a few nights, and it has a splendid exterior although the car park is of limited capacity, It could create problems if the hotel was full during the busy summer months, there is also a €2 charge to lift the barrier upon exiting the car park.

If you are staying here for a few days bring a cloth for your car as the birds nesting in the ivy on the building left my car and several others with some nice white deposits! which can damage paintwork especially if left on for a while in the heat.

The accommodation was very nice and the beds were comfortable as was the chairs in the room. My room was equipped with a Philips flat screen Tv with several TV channels Movies cost €12.95 on a ppv basis and "adult" services are over €27 for 24hrs viewing. The TV also has an interactive billing service allowing you to see your hotel bill as you rack it up.

The room has tea/coffee facilities and the cordless kettle is rather bizarrely located inside in a closet and cannot be removed as it is hard-wired. The bathroom facilities were spotless and had all the usual accoutrements.

As part of my group we had more than one room and some rooms had more facilities than others, e.g.. one room had sparkling water (ballygowan), a magnifying mirror and face cloths supplied while another did not, yet both were the same price.

The housekeeping staff were excellent and very efficient and also turned down the bed in the evening with some chocolates and a weather report, a nice touch, the staff of this hotel left a very positive image of the hotel with me.

I had two major disappointments with the hotel and both were leisure related.

Firstly the pool was abysmal, firstly I had to pay €3 for a swim hat as I had forgotten my own. The gents changing facilities were very poor, firstly the majority of the lockers were all in use and the remaining ones were all broken meaning my belongings were not secure as the could not be locked. A sign was displayed saying the 50c charge (refundable) was no longer in use.

Then as I went to shower before going out to the pool, the showers have push buttons (water savers) which give around 3 or 4 seconds of flow before cutting off, none of the three showers had warm water and it was pretty cold and there was no temperature control on the showers either. However all this aside my biggest disappointment by far was the temperature of the hotel swimming pool which was cold and I just simply could not acclimatise and had to come out take a cold shower and return to my room disappointed!! Reports from my female companions were that the ladies facilities were in perfect order as were the sauna and steam room. I did not use the Gym but it looked good with modern equipment.

My 2nd big disappointment was the the H2O Treatment rooms (Spa) was booked out when I went to order a Swedish massage, presumably they take non guest business too in off the street because the hotel was pretty quite during my stay. There was plenty advice to book early but I thought it might be quite, DO BOOK EARLY!!!

All in the hotel is excellent as are the staff, the food in the restaurant was divine (especially the dijon steak) the breakfast is a buffet and the bar is a very contemporary elegant style blended with old world mahogany and leather furnishing. Drinks are more expensive than the high-street pub though. Matt the Millers across the road is another place to eat too but the food is inferior to the hotels.

I would recommend it as the location is excellent although the hotel is slightly pricier than a few others I have visited in the same quality bracket.

I was surprised at the level of sophistication I found at the Kilkenny River Court Hotel. I was expecting something a bit more rustic.

When you first enter the hotel, it is very modern and open. The front desk staff was very helpful and the portering staff was efficient. I was pleasently surprised with my room. It was more a boutique than chain hotel room. There was a modern huge floral wall paper on one wall with trendy furniture and lighting and a big sitting area with comfy chairs. The bathroom was large with modern stone and very clean.

There was free WIFI in the room with a strong connection, great as I was on business.

The best part of the stay was the restaurant. They do a four course linen service in the evening for 50 Euros and it is well worth it. Our table was right in front of floor to ceiling windows with the most amazing view of Kilkenny Castle at night. I was with work colleagues, but I would recommend for all you guys to book this hotel and restaurant for a romantic getaway, any woman would love it.

The hotel also has a leisure center but I did not have a chance to use it, although it did look nice.

The only two criticisms I would have is the parking can be difficult and I did hear a bit of noise as the bars let out in the evening, but that was not the hotel's fault.

If I am in the area again, I will stay here.