Our 5-week stay at Jacqueline's cottage was even better than I had imagined it. We felt at home immediately in the beautifully decorated rooms, which the AirBnB listing photos capture precisely. It really is that lovely!

Jacqueline answered all my many questions as we were planning our trip and, once we arrived, spent quite a while helping us get settled, picking up a few things from the local shop, giving us pointers on things to do and places to go, etc. She was available throughout our stay to answer questions and help with the little problems that are always going to come up with an older house. She also was gracious in accommodating a change in our plans that had us leaving a week early.

Glounthaune village was perfect for our adventures. In our 5 weeks, we had access to a car only 6 days, on three separate occasions. All the rest of our excursions to Cork, Fota, Cobh, and Midleton were via public transportation. Tip: Buy a Leap card in Dublin or at Waterstone's in Cork and use that for your bus and train travel, so you can get a discount over single-journey fares.

We alternated excursions with rest/reflection/work days at the cottage. Wifi worked very well and enabled us to keep in touch and make progress on some of our ongoing projects. We relaxed with walks in the village, especially along the short bit of ever-changing tidal water. We even took a long stroll one Sunday evening up to Caherlag to watch a local hurling match and visit a historic graveyard.

Bedrooms, kitchen, bath all met our needs very well.

Some of the special things about our stay:

-- I really appreciated the two sitting rooms. We used one for TV-watching and computer time, reserving the front room for my twice-a-day meditation practice.

-- Having a fire was wonderful on the days when we came in chilled and wet.

-- Once we got to know each other a little, Jacqueline brought us a few books that she thought we'd especially enjoy. And she was right on target!

-- Our village neighbors were kind and generous, offering tea when our power went out briefly and even sharing fresh salad leaves from a family garden.

-- Don't miss the excellent farmer's market in Midleton on Saturday mornings. You can get there by train or bus, stock up on great local ingredients, then get a few other staples at the well stocked village shop that's a 5-minute walk from the cottage.

-- Midleton also has a Tesco and cinema near the train station, plus an excellent craft butcher who also stocks a few vegetables, spices, and sauces.

-- The local pub (no food) is very welcoming. We watched a couple of hurling matches there and quite a few EUFA football contests. Even stumbled across an early evening sing-song one Friday!

-- Entering the house through the gorgeous garden every day immediately put me in a relaxed mood.