This place is just a few Countryman's Miles from Glengarriff, set out in the sticks in what is probably the most scenic part of Ireland. The scenery is stunning but, as we all know, this being Ireland the weather may be crap; for the week we were here it was hot and dry, very hot and dry. Exactly the sort of Mediterranean climate the place likes to boast that it has due to the influence of the Gulf Stream, but with the added bonus that you can get a decent pint of Guinness; something that's never going to happen in the Med.
If you're the gregarious type who wants to be next door to a pub, a restaurant and a load of other people without having to drive home, fine, stay in Glengarriff. If you want peace, seclusion and a reconnect with nature, stay here.
We spent most of our time in a canoe crisscrossing the head of the Bay, (check out the Blue Pool and the Italianate Gardens on Granish Island for yourselves), and at the end of a hot sweaty day, being tourists, we would stop on our way up the valley for a refreshing dip in the river at Pooleen Woods, (check that out on Google). Then all that was to be done was to sit outside with a bottle of red and watch the sun go down, the bats and stars come out, and the valley settle into darkness...
...And I can't resist adding this: if you're American and have only managed to hire a car with a manual gearbox (the sort with one of those funny gearstick thingies and a clutch) and you can't understand how people can drive down impossibly narrow and bendy roads, stay away. Dublin or Cork cities might suit you better, or even Detroit.