Irish B&B rvws - Doolin, Cashel, Laragh/Glendalough,Kilkenny, Kinsale, Killarney & Bunratty
Apr 23rd, 2003, 01:24 PM
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Irish B&B rvws - Doolin, Cashel, Laragh/Glendalough,Kilkenny, Kinsale, Killarney & Bunratty
B&B reviews Ireland April 2003 - all places but Doolin - asked for 2 twin rooms.
DOOLIN : Cullinans Guest House - Nice enough. Easy to find. We had the Family room - 1 double bed , and 2 twins. No TV in the rooms. Decent sized bathroom. Breakfast was ok. Unfortunately, the restaurant was not yet open for the season, so we could not eat dinner there. Overall, it was just OK. James was very friendly when we checked in, but Carol seemed a bit stand off-ish when we dealt with her.
I don?t know if I would stay there again- I wouldn?t avoid it, but would probably try somewhere with a view of the ocean if possible. ( price 25pps)
CASHEL ? Dualla House - FABULOUS. We loved it there. Could have stayed an extra night. We lucked out and were there towards the end of Lambing season, so there were tons of baby lambs jumping all around. The house itself is gorgeous, and the rooms we had ( asked for 2 twin rooms) were enormous. One had 1 double and 2 twins, and the other had 1 double , 1 twin and a couch. Both had TONS of space to spread out. Heck you could have fit 2 or 3 of the room we had in Kilkenny in our room alone. Grand wide staircase, Super friendly owner ? Mairead was a joy. At first the 8 miles out of Cashel seemed pretty far, but after hearing all the trucks go by in town ? we came to love the peace and quiet of the lambs bleating in the distance. Would stay there again in a heartbeat. Probably our favorite place of the trip. (price 40 pps)
GLENDALOUGH/LARAGH ? Pinewood Lodge ? Fine. Nice location ? dead center between Laragh & Glendalough. Good sized rooms ? the Pine floors everywhere can get a bit noisy. Didn?t much care for the loose stone driveway and parking area. Made it a bit difficult to walk from the car in anything but tennis shoes, and the suitcases could not be rolled in from the car ? had to be carried. Very friendly owners - the oldest daughter sat down with us when we got there, and mapped out all of our routes for us.
No TVs in the rooms ? only 1 in the ?lounge? area. Was important to my Dad, as he likes to catch up on the news at night, and since we were there 3 nights, he was going through withdrawals.
Would probably stay there again- location was good, but only if they put in the TVs 
(price 30 pps)
KILKENNY - Laurels Guest house. Our least favorite of the trip. The twin room Mom & I had was the smallest room I have seen all of my travels using B&Bs. Literally 2 twin beds in an ?L? with the space of 1 more filling out the ?L? - that was it. Barely enough room to put our suitcases down, and still move from the door to the bed. The bathroom was so small that you had to step practically into the 2x2 shower to pull up your pants. Dad & Steve?s room was normal sized ( 1 dbl & 1 twin) but the stairways were very narrow. No guest lounge area except the entry way by the front door ( which one of the owner?s daughters was using) . Rooms did have TV?s , but the controls were very odd, and would change channels with no input from us. Location is ok ? right off the roundabout by the Hotel Kilkenny. But except for the Pub next door (no food there , but at least a place to sit) the Hotel is the only thing near by. City Center is about a 15 min walk uphill. Brian the owner was VERY nice and helpful, but room #5 was just not worth the 40pps he charged. Compared to the room in Doolin - it was not even worth 20 pps. Would not stay there again. If we were staying in Kilkenny again, would try to move further up College street or something. ( price 40 pps)
KINSALE - The Charthouse - VERY nice - a Close 2nd to Dualla house . Beautiful Rooms, plenty of space. ( not as large as Dualla House, but still pretty large rooms). The BEST showers of the trip. Both rooms had jacuzzi tubs and separate showers. There is some construction going on , on the building across the street, so the view was not the best, but the location was very nice - ? block from the water, an easy 3 or 4 minute walk to the ?heart? of Kinsale. Breakfast was good ? fresh pastries & bottled water were a nice touch. Mary the owner was wonderful. She was the absolute best ? hands down ? in giving us directions for our drive to Killarney ? she showed us on a map and then drew a map by hand with all the turns and landmarks to look for - Not a single wrong turn the whole drive. Definitely worth the 65pps we paid ? would stay there again!
KILLARNEY ? Crystal Springs - This was our second time at CS. It was just as nice , if not better this time. We lucked out and got the 2 rooms on the first floor. This was very welcome, as we were there 3 days , at the end of the trip, and were not looking forward to lugging the suitcases up the stairs. Mom & I had the Anglers Nest which faces the river, and Dad and Steve had the Brewery tour room. Both had 1 dbl bed and 1 twin, with a desk , and ?!?!?!? a small refrigerator !!!!! Mom was in heaven ? we could pick up her precious Pepsi, and it would be cold all the time. Eileen , the owner , really went above the call of duty for us. Dad went ill for a most of Thursday night, Chills, upset stomach etc. Eileen brought in an electric blanket for him, a bowl of ice so he could have cool water/ 7up to drink. Then later that evening , she came up and checked on him, offering some toast, cheese & tea. The next morning she made him some poached eggs and was very concerned that he was feeling better ( He was). Overall , I like the location of this B&B ? right on the river, a short drive ( or 15 min walk) to town, plenty of off street parking, a nice guest lounge and good size rooms. We will definitely be back. ( Price 34pps)
BUNRATTY ? Headley Court ? This was our 2nd time here as well. Both rooms ( 1 dbl + 1 twin, and 2 dbs + 1 twin) were very large. This B&B has the biggest showers we have seen. Instead of the 2x2 cube showers, they have big , almost handicapped equipped showers - easily 2x4, with curtains instead of doors, so they seem even bigger. Breakfast is the big draw for me here. I am allergic to eggs, and by this time I was sick of just toast and sausages - Kathleen Browne makes a wonderful French toast for breakfast. Personally, I like the location of Headley court. It is at the end of the Low road, so there is no missing it, it is easy to pull out onto the road ? good sight lines, it is close to the Castle and to Durty Nellies, has plenty of parking, etc. And as a bonus ? it is close to the airport too. Only thing is ? they only accept cash. Not a big deal, but something to be aware of. We would stay there again. (Price 32pps)
--Debbie
DOOLIN : Cullinans Guest House - Nice enough. Easy to find. We had the Family room - 1 double bed , and 2 twins. No TV in the rooms. Decent sized bathroom. Breakfast was ok. Unfortunately, the restaurant was not yet open for the season, so we could not eat dinner there. Overall, it was just OK. James was very friendly when we checked in, but Carol seemed a bit stand off-ish when we dealt with her.
I don?t know if I would stay there again- I wouldn?t avoid it, but would probably try somewhere with a view of the ocean if possible. ( price 25pps)
CASHEL ? Dualla House - FABULOUS. We loved it there. Could have stayed an extra night. We lucked out and were there towards the end of Lambing season, so there were tons of baby lambs jumping all around. The house itself is gorgeous, and the rooms we had ( asked for 2 twin rooms) were enormous. One had 1 double and 2 twins, and the other had 1 double , 1 twin and a couch. Both had TONS of space to spread out. Heck you could have fit 2 or 3 of the room we had in Kilkenny in our room alone. Grand wide staircase, Super friendly owner ? Mairead was a joy. At first the 8 miles out of Cashel seemed pretty far, but after hearing all the trucks go by in town ? we came to love the peace and quiet of the lambs bleating in the distance. Would stay there again in a heartbeat. Probably our favorite place of the trip. (price 40 pps)
GLENDALOUGH/LARAGH ? Pinewood Lodge ? Fine. Nice location ? dead center between Laragh & Glendalough. Good sized rooms ? the Pine floors everywhere can get a bit noisy. Didn?t much care for the loose stone driveway and parking area. Made it a bit difficult to walk from the car in anything but tennis shoes, and the suitcases could not be rolled in from the car ? had to be carried. Very friendly owners - the oldest daughter sat down with us when we got there, and mapped out all of our routes for us.
No TVs in the rooms ? only 1 in the ?lounge? area. Was important to my Dad, as he likes to catch up on the news at night, and since we were there 3 nights, he was going through withdrawals.
Would probably stay there again- location was good, but only if they put in the TVs 
(price 30 pps)
KILKENNY - Laurels Guest house. Our least favorite of the trip. The twin room Mom & I had was the smallest room I have seen all of my travels using B&Bs. Literally 2 twin beds in an ?L? with the space of 1 more filling out the ?L? - that was it. Barely enough room to put our suitcases down, and still move from the door to the bed. The bathroom was so small that you had to step practically into the 2x2 shower to pull up your pants. Dad & Steve?s room was normal sized ( 1 dbl & 1 twin) but the stairways were very narrow. No guest lounge area except the entry way by the front door ( which one of the owner?s daughters was using) . Rooms did have TV?s , but the controls were very odd, and would change channels with no input from us. Location is ok ? right off the roundabout by the Hotel Kilkenny. But except for the Pub next door (no food there , but at least a place to sit) the Hotel is the only thing near by. City Center is about a 15 min walk uphill. Brian the owner was VERY nice and helpful, but room #5 was just not worth the 40pps he charged. Compared to the room in Doolin - it was not even worth 20 pps. Would not stay there again. If we were staying in Kilkenny again, would try to move further up College street or something. ( price 40 pps)
KINSALE - The Charthouse - VERY nice - a Close 2nd to Dualla house . Beautiful Rooms, plenty of space. ( not as large as Dualla House, but still pretty large rooms). The BEST showers of the trip. Both rooms had jacuzzi tubs and separate showers. There is some construction going on , on the building across the street, so the view was not the best, but the location was very nice - ? block from the water, an easy 3 or 4 minute walk to the ?heart? of Kinsale. Breakfast was good ? fresh pastries & bottled water were a nice touch. Mary the owner was wonderful. She was the absolute best ? hands down ? in giving us directions for our drive to Killarney ? she showed us on a map and then drew a map by hand with all the turns and landmarks to look for - Not a single wrong turn the whole drive. Definitely worth the 65pps we paid ? would stay there again!
KILLARNEY ? Crystal Springs - This was our second time at CS. It was just as nice , if not better this time. We lucked out and got the 2 rooms on the first floor. This was very welcome, as we were there 3 days , at the end of the trip, and were not looking forward to lugging the suitcases up the stairs. Mom & I had the Anglers Nest which faces the river, and Dad and Steve had the Brewery tour room. Both had 1 dbl bed and 1 twin, with a desk , and ?!?!?!? a small refrigerator !!!!! Mom was in heaven ? we could pick up her precious Pepsi, and it would be cold all the time. Eileen , the owner , really went above the call of duty for us. Dad went ill for a most of Thursday night, Chills, upset stomach etc. Eileen brought in an electric blanket for him, a bowl of ice so he could have cool water/ 7up to drink. Then later that evening , she came up and checked on him, offering some toast, cheese & tea. The next morning she made him some poached eggs and was very concerned that he was feeling better ( He was). Overall , I like the location of this B&B ? right on the river, a short drive ( or 15 min walk) to town, plenty of off street parking, a nice guest lounge and good size rooms. We will definitely be back. ( Price 34pps)
BUNRATTY ? Headley Court ? This was our 2nd time here as well. Both rooms ( 1 dbl + 1 twin, and 2 dbs + 1 twin) were very large. This B&B has the biggest showers we have seen. Instead of the 2x2 cube showers, they have big , almost handicapped equipped showers - easily 2x4, with curtains instead of doors, so they seem even bigger. Breakfast is the big draw for me here. I am allergic to eggs, and by this time I was sick of just toast and sausages - Kathleen Browne makes a wonderful French toast for breakfast. Personally, I like the location of Headley court. It is at the end of the Low road, so there is no missing it, it is easy to pull out onto the road ? good sight lines, it is close to the Castle and to Durty Nellies, has plenty of parking, etc. And as a bonus ? it is close to the airport too. Only thing is ? they only accept cash. Not a big deal, but something to be aware of. We would stay there again. (Price 32pps)
--Debbie
Apr 23rd, 2003, 01:49 PM
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Debbie,
Thanks so much for this update on B&B. You've certainly given me a few ideas for my next trip! Keep up the great comments here, too. Oh! And I'd love to hear of how your trip went as well!
Wendy
Thanks so much for this update on B&B. You've certainly given me a few ideas for my next trip! Keep up the great comments here, too. Oh! And I'd love to hear of how your trip went as well!
Wendy
Apr 23rd, 2003, 04:08 PM
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Hi Debbie. Sorry to hear you didn't really think Cullinan's was that great. We plan to stay there for a night next month as when I checked out the reviews before booking they seemed favourable.
Hope we have better luck. And the restaurant will be open when we are there.
Hope we have better luck. And the restaurant will be open when we are there.
Apr 24th, 2003, 06:29 AM
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Sher -
It wasn't like Cullinans was bad - just that it didn't blow my hair back. For the price , it was fine. Better than fine if you compare it to Laurels.
My comment was just meant to say that I didn't adore it , like some of the others. If I could get a sea view , I woudl take it. Otherwise , I would stay there again.
It wasn't like Cullinans was bad - just that it didn't blow my hair back. For the price , it was fine. Better than fine if you compare it to Laurels.
My comment was just meant to say that I didn't adore it , like some of the others. If I could get a sea view , I woudl take it. Otherwise , I would stay there again.
Apr 27th, 2003, 05:51 AM
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Debbie, We have stayed at the Seaview in Doolin and loved it, the view, the hospitality. It is down the road from Cullinan's(everything is just down the road). We ate at Cullinans and had a lovely dinner. I'd certainly recommend the food. I'd recommend e-mailing a reservation if you'd like dinner there. The dining room is small. We sat at a window overlooking the little stream. Another good place for dinner is(I think this is the name) the Doolin Cafe. We've eaten there on our two trips to Doolin and were pleased both times. Again, I think we made reservations there too. O'Connor's has good pub food and fun music. Have a great trip.
Apr 27th, 2003, 11:47 AM
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Sher, The dinner at Culinan's was not inexpensive. You can check it out online but the prices aren't included in the description. www.cullinandoolin.com We figured it was our splurge in Doolin. Although, it was worth it. The pubs have good food and are reasonable. There are a few in town. I think McGann's(?)is another pub and I already metioned O'Connor's. If you REALLY want to splurge there is absolutely elegant dining at Ballinalacken Castle Hotel in Lisdoonvarna down the road. I know this was expensive-we were treated by dear friends for an anniversary celebration on our first trip to Ireland.
Apr 27th, 2003, 02:51 PM
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Well, I know the prices are not included on the website. I understood from somewhere that it was about the same as the room is. When we are going it is 80 euro for the night for both of us.
It is my birthday so I am not really concerned, but really would like to have a nice dinner. I think we will just stick to the plan and try it as you said it was good.
The Castle Hotel sounds wonderful, but I do not think we will have quite the right outfits if it is dress up.
We only have the one night in Doolin.
Thanks.
Sherry
It is my birthday so I am not really concerned, but really would like to have a nice dinner. I think we will just stick to the plan and try it as you said it was good.
The Castle Hotel sounds wonderful, but I do not think we will have quite the right outfits if it is dress up.
We only have the one night in Doolin.
Thanks.
Sherry
Apr 27th, 2003, 05:00 PM
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We have booked a room at Cullinans for June. They said it was within walking distance of pubs. Is this true...which ones? I have experienced first hand "walking" distance in other European countries! What were your favorite pubs...and other sights? (I guess you can tell my priorities. We are also staying in Kilkenny, Kinsale, and Bunratty area (Ennis).
Apr 27th, 2003, 07:55 PM
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Sher, The food at Cullinans is delicious. I saved money by having an early bird dinner. Carol was lovely when I was there. Maybe she had a headache the day Debbie was there? Everyone has a bad day now and then.
Apr 28th, 2003, 01:23 AM
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Chip, See above regarding pubs. There is one main stretch and they are within an easy walk. I believe there is at least one or two more pubs but can't remember the names. Bring a little flashlight for walking at night.
Apr 28th, 2003, 06:24 AM
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I don't know that I would have walked from Cullinans to the pubs. It probably was less than a mile, but the road is a country road- not a city road. You would have to walk in the middle of the lane, and keep a close watch for oncoming cars. We left the pub at midnight, and we even commented that we were glad we drove, as walking back at that time of night, even with a flashlight, would not have been fun.
But that might just be me. I am not big on walking in unknown areas at night.
But that might just be me. I am not big on walking in unknown areas at night.
May 31st, 2003, 03:01 AM
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The BEST B&B that we've stayed at in Ireland is in Kinsale (Co Cork). The Chart House is great in it's accomodations and location but most of all in it's owner, Mary O'Connor who is wonderfully accomodating and helpful. This is a first class accomodation run by people who really love what they are doing.
