Big Cottages In Ireland

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Geraldine - Verified booking

  Hosts Pauline and Hugh were so friendly and welcoming.

  This cottage has only become available this year and I think that's why there are not many reviews, but don't let that put you off. The cottage has recently been completely redecorated and the kitchen and bathroom have recently been refurbished as new, also new flooring throughout. Fantastic new Neff hob and oven, new microwave etc and managed to cook some lovely meals for a cosy night in with a brand new log burner which also heats the house (as well as the central heating). The beds are really comfy too. Tea, coffee, sugar, salt, pepper, herbs, oil, milk and biscuits in stock on arrival. Centra (a store) in Ardara also sell home made ready meals if you are a microwave dinner person. The Heritage Centre in Ardara is great for lunch, fab homemade veg soup. The cottage is situated just behind the dunes of Maghera beach and caves which are just amazing and a stones throw away to walk. The small field between the cottage and the dunes, behind the cottage, has sheep and it was lovely watching Hugh training a young pup to herd. There is a road from the house through the Granny Pass to south Donegal which is a spectacular drive, worth driving to An Port (20 mins) a deserted village and port with fabulous views over the Atlantic. Also you can take this road to Glen Columbcille and also Silver Strand and Sliebh Lieg (highest cliffs in Europe), all approx 30 mins without stopping but we kept stopping to admire the scenery and take photos! Also about 30 mins is, Killybegs, if you want to see a working fishing harbour with the best fish and chips. Further north there are loads of lovely peninsulas to drive around, eg Maghery, The Rosses etc and Dungloe is about 40 mins away with an Aldi and Lidl, if that's what tickles your fancy!!! From the house and beach it was a delight to see Ravens, Choughs, Wagtails, Yellowhammers, Robin, Hooded Crows and a few sparrows too. Due to the climate, many cottages of this age can be damp and fusty and this one does NOT have any signs or smell of damp and was a delight to stay in. We would recommend this cottage as perfect place to stay in Donegal and if you book it, we hope you enjoy it and the surrounding area as much as we did.

  Read more less >

• Ryan - Verified booking

  The cottage was ice cold when we arrived although we were warned.

  It took a whole day to warm it up. Absolutely freezing. The property had not been cleaned properly since the last guests. The toilet had been used and was filthy, the fridge/freezer still had old food inside. Both the fridge and freezer had black mould growing inside and around it. Because the radiators must need bled as they make a lot of noise constantly when they’re on. To the point it keeps you awake. Wi-Fi is quite slow and doesn’t really work at all in the bathroom. The sheets are far too big for the duvet, everything all hanging loose which makes it a little uncomfortable to sleep. The floors, and the area rugs are filthy and marked. Washing machine doesn’t work correctly, the settings on the machine doesn’t kick in. Clothes were being washed for hours before we noticed and you have to manually click the washing machine to rinse and spin etc. luckily enough we didn’t have delicates being washed at the time or they could have been ruined. Also the kitchen is in a bad way, handles missing from the front of cupboards, some are duck taped , there’s panels that’s cracked and hanging loose. All in all this was a negative experience. Mostly because we already came from 1 cottage in the south of Ireland in dingle the “Finn house” and that set the standard we were expecting as everything was perfect, clean, well maintained and was actually cheaper then this stay. We felt compelled to clean as soon as we got there and you don’t do these breaks to spend hours cleaning just so you feel comfortable again. You expect a high level of cleanliness, a warm environment, and definitely a well maintained environment. We would not stay here again for sure.

  Read more less >

• Jeremy - Verified booking

  Dromstabla Cottage is beautiful gem set in a little slice of Irish heaven.

  If you are looking for peace and tranquillity after a day exploring the area on foot, by bike or in the car then this is the place for you. The cottage is well equipped with everything you could need for self catering, the tv has the basic channels and there are small amount of DVDs (or you could always take a few of your own). The lounge has the most comfortable sofa to relax on and the bedrooms are comfortable with decent light blocking blinds. A welcome package with bread, milk, tea, coffee and sugar was provided for us and the fresh flowers were a lovely homely touch and we also received a lovely gift as I had mentioned we had married a couple of weeks prior to our holiday and although we didn't get to meet Mairead and Vincent, they contacted us to make sure we arrived safely and everything was ok, and again after we left to make sure we had arrived home safely. The nearest towns are Killorglin (about 20 mins drive) and Killarney (40 mins drive) both have supermarkets and lots of places to eat. Killarney I would say is more geared toward tourists but has a great cinema. Kells House and the Kerry Cliffs are a must see - perhaps a boat trip round Skelling Michael for the more adventurous. Also, would highly recommend Dingle Sea Safari as a great way to sea the coastline from a different perspective, with the added bonus of seeing the seals on Great Blasket Island and the pods of dolphins in North Atlantic, maybe even a whale or 2! We never tired of the breathtaking views returning from our daily trips out and hope to return in the future.

  Read more less >

• Stephanie - Verified booking

  I stayed in this cottage for 3 weeks in November and had the place almost entirely to myself in that time, which was a delight.

  The cottage has beautiful views of Dingle Bay to the front and is nestled in beautiful mountains just behind. You will struggle to find a better place from which to explore the kingdom of Kerry. I did not come in a vehicle yet got around to the places I wanted to see with relative ease. Lorraine (who manages the property), was helpful and available as and when I needed. Glenbeigh (2km away) is where you’ll find your nearest shops, restaurants, pubs etc. Come prepared with loose change (in €1 and €2 coins) for the electricity meter! Everything in the house is run off electricity and it took me a few days of scrabbling around for change to get myself sorted. The post office and shop in Glenbeigh were happy to provide though. The place needs quite a bit of heating in the winter time (including the water for showers, baths, etc), so be aware of this whenever you are planning your visit. You can also light a fire, but will need to buy additional fuel, so all costs aren’t quite included on the listed price. Otherwise the place had everything I needed and I really enjoyed my stay.

  Read more less >

• Padraig - Verified booking

  The location was lovely and quiet and just what we wanted.

  The house had everything that we needed for our stay and Vincent checked with us just after our arrival to see if everything was ok and we said the only think we would have liked was a barbecue as the weather was lovely and the next day when we came back from a day at the beach there was a lovely gas barbecue waiting for us. The decor is lovely and bright and the house layout is just perfect with the 3 bathrooms for a family stay. I would highly recommend this property and I am sure we will return again. The cows in the field around the house are nice to see first thing in the morning when you look out the window and I never once heard them making noise early in the morning. Finally the friendly fox that came to visit us every day was a real treat and not just for the kids as us adults loved to see her call and eat the food we left out for her and she would look in the patio door at us and then fill her mouth with food and bring it back to the Cubs. We loved our stay.

  Read more less >