TT's Viking Invasion of Waterford

Advantages: Central, friendly, family orientated, extremely child friendly
Disadvantages: Off a busy street, no onsite car parking, little noisey

...I went to the Bridge Hotel, with my little 4 year old son, TT. We went in August in what I would describe as still being in summer season. This was our first holiday away together and so I approached it with some trepidation. The Bridge Hotel, is a 3 star hotel. It is located on the Quay in Waterford, and the Victorian facade, looks out onto the beautiful River Suir. The hotel cost me £130 for 3 nights with two meals and for me and my son. There was a £5 charge for Breakfast, but the staff waved that for my son as they said he was only 4 and would probably not eat that much. I was so impressed, this business obviously places family and child friendly attitudes as a core business value. Waterford is an ancient Viking city in the South East of Ireland and It is beautiful and steeped in history. The city and surrounding...

bigfatdogs 11.03.2007 · Read review
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Review of Bridge Hotel, Waterford

Ard Ri is King of Waterford

Advantages: Cheap, leisure club, friendly staff
Disadvantages: located on hill, tough walk home from pub

...The McEniff Ard Ri hotel stands proudly on a large hill in splendid solitude a testimony to its Gaelic name of High King! The hotel itself has suffered from a lack of investment in the past 10 years when it was owned by the Jury's group, however almost 2 years ago the McEniff chain took over and this hotel has blossomed. It is one of the cheaper hotels in Waterford despite its lofty position, possibly because it is on the South side of the river whereas the town itself and other attractions are on the North side. I stayed for a week in April for an amazing rate found on the internet for just EURO65 per night. The hotel is a popular venue for local weddings, and has large conference facilities and function rooms. It also has a leisure club with a pool supervised from the deck by lifeguards. There is also a nice jacuzzi in a kind...

DAVESTEAM 18.08.2005 · Read review
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Review of McEniff Ard Ri Hotel, Waterford

Home sweet home

Advantages: Great dining, warm and friendly atmosphere, Genuine Irish hospitality
Disadvantages: Expensive

...Ahhh, The Woodlands hotel...how i love it so. If you ever find yourself in the South East of Ireland, you could do a lot worse than staying here. The Woodland hotel offers an amazing customer experience, from the delicious food to the comfortable, clean rooms and the genuine Irish "craic" that you can feel as soon as you walk through the door. But it wasnt always like that.... 10 years ago, the little town of Ballygunner, where the hotel is situated, was a sleepy little town, just on the outskirts of Waterford city. There was a pub, a shop and a church and that was pretty much it.Not much ever happened. The community was very tight knit with people having lived there for many years, always leaving there front door open. Then, one day a rumour started...A big hotel group were going to build a big hotel and leisure centre in...

mandrea 25.01.2007 · Read review
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Review of Woodlands Hotel, Waterford

lovely accom and great area

Advantages: location, price area.
Disadvantages: freezer not too big especially if a family stayed there

...of shops and burgers stands etc (which were not open when we were there) Just around the from the amusements is a small area where there is about 5 bars and about 3 or 4 restaurants. We didn't eat in any of them as we decided to save money by cooking our own food but we did try the kebab shop one night after a few drinks and it was very nice! The thing we liked was back then Ireland was already non smoking in public places so none of the bars were filled with smoke which meant it was very nice to go in the pubs. (especially for me as i'm a non smoker). One bar we went in had a live band on one night and the place was rammed with the locals who were all very friendly and had us up dancing. We definitely experienced Irish craic! Where the holiday homes are it is about 10 minutess drive to the city centre of waterford and in the day we went in...

frankiecesca 10.08.2007 (28.05.2008) · Read review
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Review of Pebble Beach Holiday Homes, Waterford

Irelands Costa Del Sol Region

Advantages: Beautiful historic old city. Generally good weather
Disadvantages: Not a lot.

...Introduction ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Waterford, a small city with a present day population of around 50,000, is one of the principal cities and seaports of the south east of Ireland. This area is Ireland’s very own “Costa Del Sol” region, so nick-named because it invariably gets more sunshine (that is not of the “liquid” variety) than anywhere else in the Republic. History ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ It is a historic city, with a colourful history stretching back over a thousand years. It is believed the city originated around the middle of the 9th century, when either the Norse or the Danes established a settlement here known as “Vadrefjord”. There was much trouble and fighting between this settlement and the indigenous Irish over the next three centuries, until the town was eventually captured by...

the_mad_cabbie 21.05.2001 · Read review
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Review of Waterford City (Ireland)

Clear as Crystal

Advantages: Wonderful centre
Disadvantages: Factory possibly shutting down soon!

...This is as Waterford as you can get - as Waterford as a "blaa" (those floury buns used for any meal of the day, and with any kind of filling). This impressive building, located on the Cork Road in the city stands out amongst its surroundings. It showcases the Waterford Crystal and Wedgewood products, and will also give guided tours where you can see the craftsmen fashioning each piece of crystal before it is ready for sale. There are many collections to be seen within the visitors centre - including those designed by Robert Mondavi, Marc Jacobs, Michael Aram, as well as collections such as Lismore, Ballet and Evolution. There are also lovely pieces of linen, pens, and some replacement parts available here too. The tours are quite good, and bring you along step by step to see the crystal manufacture procedure - from blowing...

cooler1968 10.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Waterford Crystal Visitors Centre, Waterford

A Tale of Two Cathedrals

Advantages: Provides wonderful insight into architecture, religious society
Disadvantages: Not for everyone - bit far apart

...Waterford City plays host to two Cathedrals, designed by the same architect and built in the same era, but they belong to different religious denominations. The Cathedrals, one belonging to the Catholic Church, and the other to the Anglican communion of the Church of Ireland were both designed by John Roberts. The Catholic Cathedral which is located just off the Quay on Barronstrand Street, was built in 1793, and is Ireland's oldest Cathedral. Two major renovations have taken place in the Cathedral's recent history - in 1977 and again in 2006. The flooring, interior and exterior structure were extensively worked at to ensure the Cathedral would remain in good repair. This Cathedral is a wondrous building to see inside. Waterford Crystal Chandeliers are suspended from the ceiling. The sanctuary area and the pews are reminiscent...

cooler1968 26.03.2008 (25.03.2008) · Read review
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Review of Holy Trinity Cathedrals, Waterford

Fit for royalty, but needs updating

Advantages: Friendly staff, good food, good leisure facilities
Disadvantages: A little bit dated and not all facilites are on par with other hotels

...The Ard Ri has for many years been a favourite of both locals and tourists for two main reasons: value for money and fantastic service. Located across the river Suir from the city, and claimed by some to be actually in County Kilkenny (a great source of local rivalry and jovial banter), this hotel is well situated to take in the panoramic views (especially at night) of Waterford City and the river Suir. This hotel was originally built back in the 60's and despite the ongoing maintenance and renovations that have been done, this hotel appears to be a little outdated when compared to some of the others in the city. The bar is well laid out, and is tastefully decorated. It is big enough to accomodate a fairly large amount of patrons, but does get a little packed on the weekends, especially when there are some of the usual free...

cooler1968 19.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of McEniff Ard Ri Hotel, Waterford

Dublin, Waterford and Glendalough

Advantages: Wonderful sscenery, A good place to visit
Disadvantages: Glendalough - what a disappointment

...Afetr visiting Dublin for a week i was simply dying to go back and see more of the wonderful "Emerald Isle". Waterford is completely gorgeous, breathtaking scenery and small villages where everybody really does know everyone else. The villages are everything you imagine them to be, the grocer, the post office and the pub of course where everyone meets on an evening to discuss the days events. I also had the luck of living and working in Dublin for six weeks which was truly amazing. Being able to shop on Grafton Street, eat lunch in St. Stephen's green and go out to one of the many pubs and clubs on an evening to have a pint of the "black stuff"! Simply heaven! Although after being in town for a few weeks i simply wanted to see more of the green isle. So off to Glendalough i went. Glendalough or "Two Lakes" is right in the middle...

Lindsay_huxtable 01.01.2001 · Read review
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Review of General: Ireland

Family run hotel, in the heart of the town

Advantages: Wonderful food, both in carvery and restaurant. Family friendly. close to town and local amenities
Disadvantages: No hotel operated car parking, no leisure facilities

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cooler1968 20.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Lawlors, Waterford