We booked Paula’s house for a staycation this year for a week in July and ever before we arrived there, I communicated with Paula on a couple of occasions. I’m an organised person and knowing the unreliability of Irish weather and the remote location of the house, wanted to be well prepared and she patiently answered my questions and went further with helpful suggestions etc. Paula’s goal was obvious, she wanted to make sure that all her guests had a happy, enjoyable and very comfortable stay and was so approachable and contactable throughout the week too. She genuinely couldn’t do enough to help us. We arrived on the day in horrendous rain and although there was a small glitch with accessing the house as we found the lock box hard to open, once I phoned her she had somebody down to us in minutes and issue resolved. The house was so inviting and spotlessly clean on arrival. It’s an old build so the stoves are a lovely feature and added touches such as the throw blankets and candles, just made us feel so comfortable. So we found ourselves lighting the stoves and enjoying the bad weather in this house! We loved the quaint feel to the cottage, yet having every comfort we needed. Paula checked in with us during the week too which was very thoughtful. There was great cohesion to the house and everything went so smoothly for us throughout the week.
As for the house and setting itself, it’s a gem. We had a pretty poor week, weather wise, so we embraced all the little extras of the house, the pool table being a huge hit, the kids loved the novelty of making mini doughnuts, popcorn, pancakes and the comfort and cosy feel of the house was fab. When the weather dried up, we took a drive to Dereen Gardens as recommended and it was a gorgeous walk around and walked up to the local tennis court, about 5 minutes walk. The court itself isn’t in great shape but that didn’t affect our play in any way and it has a stunning view down to the bay.
When the sun shines at the Beach house, the view is just stunning. I found myself almost mesmerised and immediately relaxed in the garden and sitting outside, or even when in the dining room or washing the ware in the kitchen! There are so many little features we enjoyed, the higher level seating area is so private and a little sun trap, the outdoor fire is a special touch. Our children loved the house and garden as the best hide and seek place ever! We made the most of our surroundings and other than taking a drive to Sneem/Kenmare and around the Healy pass, all of which are well worth the drives, we spend most of our time enjoying Paula’s house and just watching the sea. The local little inlet/stony beach is about 2 minutes away and while its not a beach for easy swimming for small children due to the rocks etc., we had great fun at the rock pools (bring a net maybe) and playing with the stones and dodging the crashing waves. We’ve holidayed in several self catering houses in Ireland before and this was by far the best. I felt very attached to this house by the end of the week and sad to be leaving. Being Irish holidaying at home this year ended up being a lot more special and relaxing that I could have imagined, and I can only attribute that to Paula’s kindness and great communication and a lovely homely house in a gorgeous setting.