Booking
All went smoothly and because we had booked months in advance we had it in mind that we would get in touch the week before to finalise keys and times etc. and John had the same thought it seems. Great communications, both through Airbnb message service and mobile. Nice little touch that John also rang mid-trip to make sure everything was ok and we had no issues.

House
Easy to find, the directions given were great. We were met at the house and shown everything we needed to know and once the kids had the Wi-Fi sorted out, we were left to our own devices. What a wonderful little cottage. Authentically decorated and furnished, very homely and clean with everything we needed and more. Deceivingly spacious with a great, sunny back yard and garden. Even though it was on the main road there was no constant hum of traffic, because the roads are so quiet. Not at all what we are used to! As there were five of us we used all four bedrooms and both bathrooms, all good sized comfortable rooms. Absolutely perfect.

If you like to do your own cooking any and every utensil, crockery, pot and pan you could ever need is there in the kitchen. And as for the choice of coffee machine…. You can’t go wrong, however you like your coffee; the machine is there! We only used the living room once, because the weather was kind to us and we spent our stay in the garden (what a sun trap during the day), but it was comfy with enough seating for all of us. Again, deceptively spacious cottage.

Locality
Right in the heart of the town and so close to everything. An ‘Open all hours’ garage just across the road had a very good stock of provisions including fresh sandwiches, hot and cold drinks and a good stock of wines and beers. The kids especially loved the milk shakes & ice creams available. Can’t comment on any of the restaurants because we either cooked or ate out in one of the other towns.

The estuary was a stone’s throw away with the viaduct and bay walks providing some ideal early morning or evening exercise and scenery. The kids enjoyed playing tennis every day on the communal courts next to the community centre. The road signs and the roads are generally very good and if we’d only had more time there we would have ventured beyond Skibereen, Schull, Bantry, Mizen Head and Baltimore (all highly recommended). Nowhere was too much of a distance though and each place has its own character. Nobody was in too much of a rush to pass the time of day and have a quick chat. Lovely places and people. In fact there’s so much to do and see that we didn’t spend that much time in Ballydehob itself sadly – that’s for next time.

Overall the most relaxing holiday you could ever hope to have. Loved it!