Fodor's Expert Review The Bastion

An inviting glow hits you as you step into the long, narrow corridor of this unconventional B&B, all nooks and little staircases, an easygoing place to chill for a few days. Run by two brothers, Anthony and Vinny McCay, the Bastion is simply and tastefully furnished with crisp white linens and comfy beds. The studio room is €10 extra and is worth it for some additional space. You're spoiled for dining options, surrounded by Italian, Indian, Thai, Lebanese, and modern Irish restaurants as well as several pubs within a few minutes' walk on Athlone's left bank. Breakfast is not served, but the Bastion Kitchen directly across the road opens at 8:30 am and cooks what may well be the best sausage bap in the Midlands from the Castlemine farm.

The owners have renovated a delightful 200-year-old thick-walled and whitewashed cottage available for rent.

Killoy Cottage is a 20-minute drive northwest of Athlone at Lecarrow on the Rindoon peninsula close to Lough Ree, an area saturated in medieval history. It can be rented on a daily basis (€120) or for a week from €500, and crucially comes with a pub and grocery store round the corner. Described as a country hideaway, photographs of the cottage and interior rooms can be viewed on the owners' website.