Cottages That Sleep 8 In Northern Ireland

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Ruth - Verified booking

  We took this cottage as we were taking elderly parents (originally from Mourne) to celebrate their Golden Wedding with the possibility of hikes for younger members of the party.

  We had a great week. The downstairs accessible bathroom made it ideal for the grandparents while the location is ideal for walking the Mournes. The house belonged to Jack Kyle which was an added bonus for the older generation of Irish rugby fans! It is spacious and well equipped and good value compared to other similar sized properties in the area so I have given it four stars. Had it been pricier, I would probably have rated it slightly lower as there were a few niggles and it is important to know what to expect: (1) there was a lot of animal hair on the mats and stair carpets (maybe that’s normal for properties that allow pets - I don’t have any and wouldn’t normally choose one except the accessible bathroom and location made this one attractive); (2) again possibly an animal problem, but the sofa in the living room smells really bad to the point we couldn’t use it, although fortunately there is a lovely sunroom with nice seating so that was less of a problem than it might have been; (3) the bin situation is not adequately managed - guests have to put the right bin out on bin day but that clearly hadn’t happened for weeks as both the black and blue bins were overflowing on the patio. We had to tidy up the previous tenants’ rubbish and rearrange it to get it in the bins and get them closed. We put out the blue bin so it was emptied and we had to take the rest of our rubbish home as there was no room for our rubbish in the black bin. There wasn’t even a bin liner provided so we had to get that ourselves too. That’s going to be a problem for this week’s incoming guests too although at least they won’t have to tidy up our rubbish. The owner needs to ensure that the bins are emptied and have enough space for incoming guests - it isn’t fair to have to sort out previous guests’ waste and if you were coming from further afield you couldn’t take your rubbish home. (4) Getting hot water was complicated - there were more switches than explained in the book - you need to turn on switches to the left of the door in the hot press as well as the one in the kitchen to get hot water for the upstairs shower. It took us a couple of days to work that out! (5) It would be a good idea to bring extra towels even if you aren’t planning on the beach. We were 7 guests and had 7 towels and 2 hand towels. If you have a few people with long hair and it isn’t cold enough for the heating to come on, they don’t dry. So, great location and plenty of space. The man who cuts the grass was also very friendly and considerate. It clearly states that pets are allowed so my first two niggles might not bother you if you had brought some. However, I think the owner should sort out the bin management and improve instructions for the hot water. A couple of spare towels would be nice but not essential!

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• Thomas - Verified booking

  Tudor Lodge is a treat & an experience to stay at.

  This lovely house is also very engaging if you love a good story & like reading. Owned by the Kyle family this property belonged to the late John Wilson Kyle, better known as Jack Kyle. Jack was one of Ireland's greatest Rugby players of all time having been entered into the Rugby hall of fame for his achievements in the sport. He also graduated from Queen's university in Belfast in the medical field & spent 34 years as a surgeon in Africa & was one of the first doctor's to help people with the Hiv virus. When this incredible gentleman returned to Ireland he brought back with him all his books & art work from Africa, which are all still in Tudor Lodge for you to indulge yourself. The house itself is a lovely big family home with lots of seating areas, a large kitchen , living area, dining room & conservatory. At one point we had 20 people in the house, & as people came & went it was a fantastic atmosphere for everyone to catch up, even the kids had lots of room to run around & the back garden is very nice too, with great views but especially at night if the sky's are clear, as there is no light pollution, so the sky lights up like a Christmas tree, you can even see the outline of the milky way. For sleeping the two downstairs bedrooms & bathroom are very handy, if you have people with you of an older age or with mobility difficulties, this was very handy for us as we had 70+ years old family members coming to stay. At one point we had 6 cars on the drive too, so having all the room at the front of the house is ideal for people coming & going. The upstairs bedrooms are both nice and big , comfortable & are both ensuite with large wardrobes for all your clothes etc. I highly recommend this family home, it's location, views, accommodation & history, make it an absolute pleasure. A special mention for Caleb too, jack's son, the landlord, he is a lovely man and very helpful and accommodating, thank you Caleb for everything & bless you , Tommy.

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• Paul - Verified booking

  The admiral is a lovely house and the location is good to see the surrounding area.

  The cleanliness could be better and the kitchen utensils, pots and pans are a mish mash of oddments thrown together. No sharp knifes, tin opener doesn't work all glasses and dishes are oddments. Unfortunately the kitchen sink was blocked on arrival, we reported it to the owner and he responded quickly and fixed it within twenty four hours. The shower heads need descaling they only spray from half the head. No clean linen for beds were provided even though we were there for two weeks. Only two tea towels provided so struggled to dry pots, the dishwasher was out of use and the dustbins were full on arrival. Has I said earlier the Admiral is a lovely house but unfortunately it appeared poorly equipped and maintained. On a brighter note the people of coleraine were lovely and made us very welcome has did everyone we met on our holiday to Northern Ireland.

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• Hazel - Verified booking

  A super house in a beautiful part of the country.

  Close to some amazing walks and great restaurants. Very comfortable with great quality furnishings- it felt more like staying in a friend’s house than a holiday let! We didn’t have any children with us, but thought the family room with children’s games was a great idea. Overall we had a great time in a large, bright, airy and comfortable home. Only some tiny things to mention: - only one hairdryer which seemed a bit odd given the number of rooms - kitchen needed a bit of a clean (unlike the rest of the house) - oven was dirty, open food left in cupboards with spilt flour etc - there is a bbq - we couldn’t spot that in the listing - if possible would be great to have a mirror at the end of the driveway, as it’s very difficult to see when pulling out. Overall a great house which is even lovelier than the photos show.

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• Jian-guo - Verified booking

  It is a very nice cottage to accommodate 4 couples with 4 en-suit units.

  Fairly priced, convenient for car access and ideal for travelers to explore both Northern Ireland and the south. The kitchen and dinning area are also fit for purpose. The parking space within the gates is enough for 4 cars, more than the web stated 2 cars. We are very happy to be there for 6 nights. There are some recommendations for improvement: Some taps and toilet flushing switches are not functioning smoothly; Some central heating panels are not working (some of us felt a bit cold in the first two nights due to the temperature drop); Provide a fly-swatter if possible (a few flies tried to share the food with us and we could not find a easy way to get rid of them). Considering the price, we should not complaint about these minor flaws and we hope anyone reading this review would not be discourage to rent this cottage.

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