I was really surprised when John messaged me again 2 days before we arrived to give us detailed directions to his home - something that I have not experienced yet from other BnB hosts. Although he was expecting us at 10am, we arrived 3 hours late due to delays at the airport but he was extremely understanding and even prepared tea and shared brown bread with us. We met his two wonderful sons Callum and Neill, both of whom were also very welcoming.

The room had two beds - a double and a single, both with memory foam - and to date, after staying in so many BnBs in ireland, John's bed was by far the most comfortable. Had the best sleep there! There are no pictures of the room, but I can guarantee that is really very comfortable.

There was a small ensuite shower, although it might seem small at first, it really was more than enough to meet our needs. The shower went a bit wonky in the afternoon but Marie set a bath for me and even offered the Jacuzzi function in a bathroom down the hall. John later checked the hose in the evening and everything went fine after - water was hot and nice!

Location wise, extremely close to town (1 min drive) and close to the road, but the neighbourhood was hidden away from traffic so it was extremely peaceful and quiet.

John and Marie put a lot of heart into preparing a delicious and full breakfast for us - fruits, yoghurt, different types of cereal, brown bread and even eggs when they themselves only had cereal. They constantly asked after us and made sure that we had everything we wanted.

John and Marie were really the perfect hosts and made us feel like family in their beautiful home. It felt like we were staying with friends. They were more than willing to converse and share more about Ireland with us but were also extremely respectful of our privacy when we wanted to rest. They even invited us to watch Neill's Hurling game at 7pm. my father and I had many wonderful and long conversations with John and Marie as well as Neill.

We stayed here after touching down to recover from jetlag and to break up the drive down to Kerry, but Portlaoise was a beautiful town with its own amazing oft overlooked sights. We could not have chosen a better place to stay - I can promise that you would be extremely well taken care of if you choose to stay with John. I could not have asked for anything more, and honestly, it was the people that made this stay so memorable and wonderful.

I think that John and Marie perfectly embody the hosting spirit of Airbnb, and staying with them was a genuinely grand experience. Thank you so much John and Marie!