The house was the best available in the area we wanted to stay, and was priced in accordance with the high demand at that time, Euro1700 for a week.
We are a family with 2 adults, and 3 children (aged 8, 6 and 1 year).
Pros:
Available at short notice.
Quick and responsive communication.
Beautiful views.
Practical - good kitchen table for meals, utility room, decent cooker and fridge, with plenty of utensils etc.
Clean and not a lot clutter (we had to put out of reach some things that the toddler could break!).
Tra na Rossan beach is a 10 min walk, gorgeous beach (but not safe for swimming we were told by locals).
10 minute drive to Downings.
Straightforward check-in (key box) with a follow up check from the owner’s uncle who lives a couple of doors away.
Cons:
Very close to two other houses, so not at all private (especially the living room attached to kitchen - we kept the blinds closed).
There is no outside “space” at all, it’s on rocky / rubble so this is all there is out the front and out the back (apart from a very beaten up clothes line and abandoned caravan!). This was really disappointing as we couldn’t open the patio door at all for the children, or they couldn’t bounce a ball etc, and was not at all safe for a toddler as there is no fence / barrier at the cliff behind the house or the road to front.
The bed in one of the bedrooms was broken - the slats kept coming off. We kept fixing them but they would drop off every time we got in or out of the bed.
While the house was clean and very liveable, it is not in any way luxurious, but we knew we were paying high prices to reflect the pandemic market!
There is a no pet policy. We had hoped to bring our dog (non shedding, freshly groomed Coton-du-tulear) but were told when we inquired of the policy (fair enough, but a downside for us! And we all missed Luna loads every time we saw the dog bed in the hall!).
Due to the positioning of the house, if the wind gets up at all, there is a “wind tunnel” effect, so extremely loud. Didn’t bother us but might others.
No WiFi and unreliable phone connection.
No high chair / cot etc.
We had a lovely week as we really just needed to get away from the city, and we were keen to stay near friends in Downings so we could meet up and go to the beach and climb a few mountains. All of which we were able to do from this base. I think the house would be best suited to a group of adults.