Shoreline Hotel

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lofty
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What's the general view on the improved and new Shoreline (AKA The Waterside/Dunes/Wagon Wheel?.

I have eaten there 3 times since the refurb the first 2 times just about average although the decor and new windows etc look great but last night Wednesday it was excellent. There were a crew of us and everyone was pleased with their meal and experience. If you are just looking for "value" then this is not for you as it is a little pricier than others (but then again they have apparently spent €1.5 million and need to see a return on their investment).

Service was good, food was tasty and prompt, and unlike other times all the food arrived at the same time. I commend them on the new improvements but would suggest the old staff need to move with the times as their past performance needed a lot to be desired.

A positive development for the peninsula now we all have to support it if we are to ever want facilities like this in our parish.
Gillchan
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Service was shocking. Not sure we will return!
lofty
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Might be worth another go Gillchan although I know what you mean.
kenny
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I was there for the Portrane Hockey Centenary celebration on Saturday night. Food was good, service was good, the refurbishment is a huge improvement. They are apparently trying to go for 4 stars eventually and getting rid of the cheap weddings. They were running a shuttle bus all night. Hopefully this works out.
Sleepy
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We were there over the Easter weekend and they had a really crap "special" menu which was at the extremely boring end of ordinary carvery fare (burger and chips, chicken curry, sea bass etc.). Service was appalling (we had a reservation for a table in the bar which they seemingly lost and didn't manage to get us a table until almost 45 minutes later). I ended up just getting a burger and while it was fine, it wouldn't even be a patch on the likes of Eddie Rockets.

They really need a decent restaurant manager and a much better chef to put together a much better menu if they intend to continue charging at the price level they're at.

Keelings in the village are a better and cheaper option for a family meal at the moment which is a shame because the Shoreline has an amazing location and used to have some decent things on their menu (the seafood platter they used to offer was a fantastic thing to look forward to after doing the cliff walk!).
Beenthere
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Sleepy wrote: 03 May 2019, 10:51 We were there over the Easter weekend and they had a really crap "special" menu which was at the extremely boring end of ordinary carvery fare (burger and chips, chicken curry, sea bass etc.). Service was appalling (we had a reservation for a table in the bar which they seemingly lost and didn't manage to get us a table until almost 45 minutes later). I ended up just getting a burger and while it was fine, it wouldn't even be a patch on the likes of Eddie Rockets.

They really need a decent restaurant manager and a much better chef to put together a much better menu if they intend to continue charging at the price level they're at.

Keelings in the village are a better and cheaper option for a family meal at the moment which is a shame because the Shoreline has an amazing location and used to have some decent things on their menu (the seafood platter they used to offer was a fantastic thing to look forward to after doing the cliff walk!).
Completely agree-have given it two chances. Went up for dinner last weekend, you’d get way nicer and more reasonable up in Jones’s during the afternoon. Tried it for breakfast €14 the other day again bland, cold and grumpy staff. Will be going elsewhere. Shame I would have loved this to be a winner.
yelruf
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Hiya Lofty,

Just wondering why you referred to the Waterside as "The Wagon Wheel" in the Post leader. Was it an older name ?
pat mustard
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lofty wrote: 02 May 2019, 15:28 Might be worth another go Gillchan although I know what you mean.

If you experience bad service, why would you go back and give them more money? To give them "another chance".?
Not in this day and age. no point spending loads re-badging the place if you cant provide the basics. Lots of restaurants out there competing for business.
Nata_nm
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Joined: 05 Jul 2016, 10:08

I am appalled by the service in the new hotel - been there twice since they reopened - first time waited 40 min for a coffee and a slice of cake ( mid week, place was empty) second time yesterday with friends and 2 kids - waited for over 40 min and no one taken our order, came to a member of staff asking if we can place an order and we were told “ I am busy now”, place was empty, he was chatting to another member of staff and was not busy at all. We left and will never be coming back. Such a pity as the view is amazing and it could have been an excellent addition to donabate outing.
Last edited by Nata_nm on 06 May 2019, 17:34, edited 1 time in total.
fred
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Haven’t had a meal there,so can’t comment on that,but went for coffee & scones with a group yesterday.Found the staff very pleasant & service was prompt.Decor is lovely and ,as mentioned,view amazing!
Tomat
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Interesting comments about the hotel, we have been planning on going out,, due to the images posted of the renovations, our previous experiences with food from its past life where very poor.

Re comments on Keelings, we have had our home here for 17 years and never entered, quite simply due to their permitting customers and staff to illegally smoke inside the entrance.

Anywhere that does that I don't give my money too, if staff disdainly smoke within a premises entrabcd, underneath a sign clearly stating it is illegal to smoke there, why would I trust them with handling food?

Anyway, we will get out to the Shoreline at some stage soon, if only for that majestic view, hopefully front end and kitchen staff will develop a pride in the service given, especially with the main tourist season about to begin.
lofty wrote: 02 May 2019, 15:23 What's the general view on the improved and new Shoreline (AKA The Waterside/Dunes/Wagon Wheel?.

I have eaten there 3 times since the refurb the first 2 times just about average although the decor and new windows etc look great but last night Wednesday it was excellent. There were a crew of us and everyone was pleased with their meal and experience. If you are just looking for "value" then this is not for you as it is a little pricier than others (but then again they have apparently spent €1.5 million and need to see a return on their investment).

Service was good, food was tasty and prompt, and unlike other times all the food arrived at the same time. I commend them on the new improvements but would suggest the old staff need to move with the times as their past performance needed a lot to be desired.

A positive development for the peninsula now we all have to support it if we are to ever want facilities like this in our parish.
Spitfire
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We’ve been there 3 times in the past 3 months. dinner, coffee, pints

FOOD
Positives: Quality of food was excellent (it’s the same chef as before)
Negatives: Slightly overpriced, as in, enough to discuss as a group and question was it worth it! Not atmosphere, sterile but it’s new and still smells of paint and we had fun.
Just drop the prices a little - it’s Donabate not Dalky!

STAFF
They appear to have retained the old staff from the Waterside which unfortunately seems to have allowed that “disinterested shop girl” attitude which I think takes years to actually master!
They don’t give a damn, they know how the place runs and don’t care about a lick of paint - business as usual, along with the desperate service as usual. Apologies if other members here know people that work there but they are beyond training and should be replaced ASAP! Toilets were filthy and serious sewage problem / oudour with toilets at the end of the bar.

Front of house / reception:
Delightful, helpful. We had visitors staying and needed a boarding pass printed and they did it no problem! They were even staying in the hotel - we just had dinner. Great surprise.

Main negative: its overpriced and also It’s sad when a few staff members, especially long standing ones can bring down the entire reputation of a place, new staff don’t stand a chance when they see how the mature staff treat customers. They do appear to have spent generously on refurb. Hope they get the floor staff replaced or we won’t be back which is disappointing as we’d be happy to be regulars. Fingers crossed.
Sleepy
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Genuinely surprised to hear it's still the same chef. The old menu had gorgeous seafood (and standard) platters, the chips used to be fresh rather than frozen McCain rubbish.
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Vlad the Impaler
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Had an absolute shocker there recently. Mrs Vlad and I were down for lunch to see what the new setup was like.

The order that was delivered was something I could cook with my Left foot and not as described on the menu.

We asked to see a manager, but it turned out there was non available. At lunchtime on a Friday!

The girls on the floor had no idea how to deal with the complaint. There was an older waitress who wasn't interested. The chef didn't seem interested in discussing why he was not delivering exactly what was on the menu (for which they were charging handsomely).

We won't be back.
yelruf
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Vlad, absolutely dying to know what you ordered that could be so wrong, spill !
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Vlad the Impaler
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A burger.

The description was something like ‘topped with chargrilled plum tomatoes’.

What we got was a big soggy granny burger. Sogginess was due to the fact the the tomato was just a big thick slice of raw unseasoned beef tomato. Not a chargrill in sight.

Fine for a fiver at the local chipper but not 14.95.

The worst was how they dealt with the complaint. They were almost surprised to have to deal with bad feedback.

But then it was just a young waitress.

Manager would be in ‘later in the afternoon’, she said.
lofty
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Yelruf, yes once upon a time many moons ago (about 1980 I reckon) it was a shop called the Wagon Wheel, a real bucket and spade and ice cream shop that advanced to a chipper type place at the back.

Mr Kingham then built some rooms and that was the start of the hotels history.

PS they had one or two donkeys and did donkey rides up and down the beach, simpler times.
yelruf
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Lofty, thanks for the info, absolutely fascinating. I have a vague memory (possibly false)of it once being derelict in the mid/late 60's.
cheeseandoniontayto
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I remember the Wagon Wheel and the Kinghams from spending summers in Donabate in the 80s. They had a slot machine that rarely paid out, my cousin worked there for a summer. Mr Kinghan started to build the hotel in the 80s but must have run out of cash as it lay there unfinished for many years.
The Samaritan
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Joined: 14 Sep 2022, 08:18

The food is shocking .the views amazing .the service a little slow from the younger staff but that's just the Samaritan's view
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