What a great experience at orchard lodge my family of 5 had. The house itself was more than adequate for our needs. There are so many rooms, we didn’t even use two of the beds while we were there. The sitting area is very comfortable, the dining table is huge and the kitchen has so much space, we never felt cramped in the slightest. The views from the front were great, and the area was so peaceful and quiet we couldn’t have asked for a better place to relax. At night, all the houses in the valley keep their lights off, so if it’s a cloudless night, the night sky is spectacular.
The location of Orchard lodge was perfect for exploring the southwest corner of Ireland. All five of the peninsulas can be reached in under a couple of hours, with the nearest three quickly reached in an hour. Cork city is only an hour away as well, and some of the best beaches in Ireland can be reached in no more than an hour. In the town of Bantry there are two grocers and several take away restaurants. Our favorite for pubs to visit at night was Glengarriff which was only 20 minutes, or Kenmare at 45 minutes. To put it in perspective, we stayed a month and never ran out of things to do or places to see, in large part because the location was central to so many places.
As hosts, Mary and Denis far exceeded our expectations. As we are from America, some of the utilities in the house were unfamiliar to us. We asked Mary for a little clarification and before we knew it, she appeared in the driveway to show us in person so as to avoid any confusion. Mary was very friendly and helpful with anything we needed.
If ever we find ourselves in the southwest of Ireland again, without a doubt we would stay at the Orchard lodge again.