Irish Cottage Inn & Suites

We Liked everything about Irish Cottage Inn & Suites. We liked the Irish theme, the suite with bedroom, fireplace, jacuzzi tub, and mini kitchen. Although we did not partake in the 3 pm tea and snacks in the library, we observed others there. If we would have had time, it looked delightful. The items for sale in the gift shop were appropriately themed and very nice. There was also an Irish Pub attached to the Inn. The evening we visited they had an Irish duo playing which we entirely enjoyed. In the morning there was a cooked breakfast offered that included delicious scones. It was much better than your typical hotel breakfast. All in all, we really enjoyed our weekend at the Irish Cottage Inn & Suites in Galena, Illinois.

We could have used an additional day or two to enjoy it all. We had no time to try the pool, hot tub or 3 pm tea in the library.

There was no one to seat us as we walked into the restaurant so we went to the table with pastries & fruit, fixed our plates & sat down at a table to eat. As we were about half way through eating, someone came over & told us what items were available to be cooked for a hot breakfast & to take our order. If we had known how this worked we would have waited to enjoy a hot breakfast but now were about finished eating.

Someone to greet you & seat you in the restaurant. A better explanation of how the breakfast service worked.

The breakfast was good. The scones were awesome! My husband totally enjoyed his massage. Our room was right by the elevator, which I thought would be noisy, but not at all. It made it very easy for my husband to get down to the spa.

The heater in the pool was broken, but not a deal breaker for us. We enjoyed the hot tub instead.

Location and the bar/ restaurant and pool area, the decor

I wasn’t able to use my prepaid debit card through my bank. I was able to use it a few months ago when I stayed there. I’m not sure what they would have done for me if my fiancé wasn’t there. I offered cash. They didn’t offer me any options. I guess they would have made us leave and I’m a repeat customer at this hotel, using the bar/restaurant and also spa services in the past. I have spent quite a bit of money here and thought they would be more accommodating.

When we arrived the front desk woman was so nice. She informed us her manager has upgraded our room to a suite on the house for our 5 year anniversary. It was so thoughtful and sweet of them. The suite was wonderful. The room had a beautiful view of rolling hills and a farm. We really liked the jacuzzi in our room and the breakfast in the morning was exceptional. The chocolate chip scones were delicious! The staff were all very helpful and polite. We had. A great experience with every person we talked to. We also loved how close the hotel is to the main street. It's less than 5 mins away driving. We did a lot of hiking and biking in Galena and towns near there. Id highly recommended the Galena River Bike Trail.

It was our first stay here. Everything exceeded our expectations. Room was very big and very clean. The property is very close to downtown Galena and shuttle service is available which was very handy because parking downtown is scarce or comes at a premium. Attached restaurant was very good, a bit of a wait but was able to go back to the room and wait for a call when seating was ready. Staff was friendly and helpful.

I have no complaints, other then would have preferred the cost be a little less but I'm sure everyone would like that. LOL

This is our second time staying here and we just love it! It is worth the drive out from Chicago to be immersed in this lovely Irish atmosphere. The facilities are beautiful and everything is really clean. We appreciate the Irish touches all around the hotel, and especially love sitting in the moody library downstairs with a cup of tea. We love the attached pub and really appreciate not having to go outside to get to it--very useful on a cold winter night! Also, the buffet-style breakfast was ample and delicious. They had eggs, potatoes, and sausage in chafing dishes, along with scones, toast, and oatmeal, not to mention coffee, tea, and three types of juices. There is no way you could leave hungry, even if you are gluten-free. A special shout-out to the delightful staff who all worked hard for the guests and maintained a cheerful, hospitable attitude.

The downstairs library could be quite drafty.

They charged us an additional 20% above the booking price as a "hold" in case we wanted to buy something from the hotel or have a meal there. That seemed to be unethical business practices....they did NOT inform us nor did Booking inform us of this prior to arrival. Very sneaky. Technically it is a hold only on your charge card but who gives them the right to just decide they will put an additional hold on your card AFTER you have paid in full for your stay? If I were to return I would refuse that charge.

it was close to the downtown area. The breakfast buffet was very good.

it really needs a little updating. The chair in our room was all scratched. Also there needs to be more lighting in there. When you come in the door and turn the light on the light comes on by the sink but not in the hallway area it’s self. Also there was no light by the microwave. The hallway was very dark and it was hard to see the arrow on our key as to which way to put it in. by the second day we got used to the hallways.

The room was huge and clean. Staff was friendly and quick to greet us when we walked in. Everything in the room worked, including the TVs, fridge, and jacuzzi.

Not that they could have done anything to prevent it, but the kitchen and pool were both closed due to renovations, which limited the dining options in the on-property restaurant. We've stayed at the Irish Cottage Inn before and one of our favorite parts was having dinner at Frank O'Dowd's with live entertainment. I wasn't aware of the renovation closures before booking, as I didn't book on the property's website, but again, it didn't upset us, nor deter us from staying here again!