We had a truly wonderful 1 week stay at Deirdre's house and would highly recommend it. We wanted to experience the island properly and see the sights at our own pace, without the hurried packing-it-all into 1 day tourist experience. This turned out to be a great decision. We rented bikes with trailers/buggies from Aran Bike hire because we had our two children aged 5 & 7 with us and realised when we got there that the distances involved would be too much for them to cycle. The bike hire was a bit pricey but since we were there for a week and there is no real transport, we needed them. It was great to have the bikes anyway because it enabled us to get around and do things as and when we wanted. Note concerning this: it’s tricky to get car transportation to and from the house. There are no taxi services on the island, and with the exception of 1 or two locals who live near the house, most of the people that may give you a lift are basically tour operators who take tourists around the island, and will therefore fit you in if and when they can. The house is located on the opposite end of the island to the village, 11km in total. We were fortunate to be able to get lifts when we really needed them but it involved a lot of texting and calls which was time-consuming. Everyone was very kind and did their best for us which was heart-warming. So basically if you’re a party of adults or adults plus teenage kids, the location is no problem whatsoever if you have bikes. If you have kids under the age of 10-12, you’d need to give that some consideration. Also a side note: the bike hire shop didn’t want to drop the bikes up to the house (they said it was ‘cos people frequently change their minds re what kind of bike they want) so we had a job trying to get ourselves down to the village the day after arriving to pick them up ourselves. Not ideal with kids alas. But we were aware of the distance before we booked so it’s not a complaint, just something that has to be taken into account.
The house itself was comfortable and well-equipped. The kitchen had absolutely everything and Deirdre had even stocked the cupboards with much more than just the essentials, which we were free to use. Very handy when there’s no shop in the vicinity. The view from the kitchen is stunning and we delighted in sitting there and outside on the patio, watching the incredible sunsets and sea views – the stuff a great holiday is made of. Beds were comfortable and warm, there were plenty of towels and lots of space for everything. Wifi was very good and there was even Netflix on the tv. Overall the view and positioning of the house was a 10 out of 10. If you walk down the road to the end of the island which is not too far from the house, you can see more gorgeous uninterrupted sea views while enjoying the countless patchwork stone wall-lined green fields with cows . My husband was even able to go fishing there and caught two pollock within no time.
The island itself needs no descriptions as everything is out there online to be read about and all the superlatives are true – it is a magical place where you can experience the true wild beauty of nature and be immersed in somewhere unique and authentic. A holiday like no other.