Niamh’s Place in central Kinvara is the perfectly situated base for exploring Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. During our eight-day stay there my wife Mary and I made numerous day trips as far south as Liscannor and the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare and as far north as Bangor Erris in County Mayo. Our favorite destinations, though, were the coastal villages and plains and mountains of Connemarra! (Watch out for the sheep!!!)

All were managed with plenty of time for shopping—including a 35 minute bus ride to Galway—and sightseeing during daylight hours, a strategy that I highly recommend for drivers unfamiliar with Ireland’s narrow, twisting, shoulderless roads. These roads, by the way, are made all the more interesting by speed limits that frequently are absurdly high and native drivers who wildly careen past with breathtaking precision in excess of them.

The home itself is crisp and clean, nicely appointed and well equipped with tasteful furnishings and spanking new appliances for brewing tea, toasting brown bread and doing laundry. There were only two of us, but we could have shared the place with up to three other persons quite conveniently.

All of the important products and services—grocery store, farmers’ market, bus stop, fine restaurants and pubs, to name a few—are available within a two block stroll (or stumble in the case of the pubs).

Although they were out of the country during our stay, and we never met them face-to-face, Tony and Genevieve did everything they could to help prepare and support us prior to and during our visit. All was in order when we arrived, and they answered our questions promptly and made us feel welcome via frequent texts and emails thanks to the high-speed Internet service that they installed only a short time before our arrival.

All said, the accommodations and services provided by our hosts made this, our first trip to Ireland, a tremendous success and left us hoping to return soon when the Burren is ablaze with wild flowers. You could not find a better haven from which to explore this beautiful country!