The key was ready for us at the Duffys, and the cottage was lovely and clean when we arrived. Even though guests are allowed dogs at the cottage, there was no smell or trace of them which was really nice. The kitchen was a nice size and well stocked with cooking equipment. We did come at a very cold time, and the space heaters were not very effective (a few of them we couldn’t ever really get to work) and as there were many warnings not to use them too much, we felt a bit nervous about switching them on. So, we were really cold in the cottage, particularly in the mornings. That I would say was the only real downside. I can sympathize that some guests may have abused the heat (and the WiFi) in the past, and that it can be expensive, but when I book vacations, I like to go somewhere that’s cosy and free from stresses or worries, and the restrictions (and reminders/warnings) on the heat and the WiFi didn’t particularly engender those feelings. Sue is upfront about all that though throughout the whole process. The stove really helped warm up the living room in the evenings, and was really nice to have. Previous guests had been really generous with leaving fuel (we left a huge bag of coal that we never even used) so I would recommend going to the house and checking before buying anything.

Taxis were a bit expensive (and a bit difficult to book from the cottage to Donegal Town, particularly as there isn’t really an address), but that’s to be expected, and worth it to be out in the country. The cottage wasn’t quite as isolated as I thought, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There is one neighbour right next to the cottage, which sort of discouraged us from going out stargazing at night as we didn’t want to disturb them, but that might have been over-cautious on our part. The backyard is nice, but pretty small; however, it was all fenced in, which I’m sure is an advantage if you want to have a dog there. But there are some beautiful, peaceful walks on the road in either direction.

Sue was very responsive; she texted back right away when we had a quick query during our visit. Overall, I would definitely recommend this cottage to others. It was clean, well taken care of, cute, the beds were really comfy, and it was rural while still being close enough to shops and things to do.