This place is so cute! Its everything you would want from a charming Irish cottage. Its set in the beautiful country side of Gort, over looking lots of fields with two gorgeous horses as your neighbours. Its so quiet and feels remote but is only a short drive to the town. There is another cottage beside it which is also an Airbnb rental. We really never even noticed we had neighbours, there wasn't a sound!! The cottage itself is like something from a post card, the thatched roof, the red & white paint work and the café style curtains with cute little ducks. Very charming!! Inside is cozy and small. There is a full kitchen with everything you could possibly need, even the china in the cupboards fits the aesthetic perfectly with a whole Wedgewood inspired set. There are lots of vintage nick nacks on the shelfs which also really set the tone of the Irish country charm. There is a really great gas cooker were we cooked dinners and breakfast with a multitude of pots and pans! There is a small dining table for eating meals and in the living area there are two extremely comfy chairs that you sink into! Theres a log burning stove in the center of the space, fully stocked with logs, we burnt this on the first night and were actually too warm! After that we just did a single fire log and it was perfect. Even if its not cold, its just so lovley to have, it really sets an ambiance! Across from the bathroom is a tall unit with towels and other bits and pieces. Theres is no shortage of supplies in this house, it really had EVERYTHING, irons, hairdryer, toiletries, hot water bottle, to name but a few! Up a teeny tiny stairs is the bedroom. Its in the eaves of the house so get ready to duck down!! It makes for a good laugh when you hit your head for millionth time!! The bed was really comfortable and we had lovely sleeps! The electricity in the house is not included in the price, its done by a meter were you put coins in, so make sure to bring a couple of €1 & €2 coins for that. Although you really will not need much. There is €5 in it already when you arrive. Myself and my partner topped it up to €15 thinking we would need it and I honestly think we used maybe €5 if even! We couldnt believe it!! Amazing value. Another thing to note is we both had no reception on our phones (which was actually bliss!!) but Helen has wifi in the house which works brilliantly if you do want to connect.
Helen was a wonderful host! From the moment I booked her communication was excellent. She even went above and beyond when I asked her if she knew of any boat rentals in the area. We were a bit late arriving down to the cottage on the first night so Helen called into us the next morning to ensure we had everything we needed. We thought this was a really nice gesture, she was very generous with her time and if we has any questions she was on hand straight away.
There are no shortage of things to do in the area. I went for walks every morning around the tiny roads. We drove to Doolin on one of the days and went to Doolin Caves, an Alpaca Farm and a boat tour on the sea of the cliffs of Moher. On another day we went the opposite direction and explored the Conamarra, hired a boat on lough with a picnic and explored the town of Clifden which had great shops for nice gifts etc. We also went to Galway city one of the evenings for dinner so location wise it was in the center of both Galway and Clare which was fantastic.
Overall this holiday is an experience! Its completely different to what we would usually do and it was so fun! Its perfect retreat for a couple. You feel like you have stepped back in time. At first you are giggling about the size of the house and the no phones and all these other things we have in our busy lives and now we miss our cute little cottage and wish we were back there, it became our little spot and it was very special indeed! Can't recommend it enough!! Thanks again Helen