The house is located in an amazing place; on a gorgeous island in a beautiful part of the country; and the views from the front yard are stunning. The local pub, which is a 10-minute walk away, is absolutely lovely.
Brian is very nice fella, he kept us up to date when he was unexpectedly called into work when we were due to arrive. He offered us some free potatoes. He even gave us some money back when we had to leave early due to illness!
I must admit though, that the house did not live up to our expectations, especially considering the amount we paid for the week (€1400…less the kind refund). The kitchen and bathroom were well equipped, the bedrooms were also fine; but the lack of comfortable furniture was a real bugbear when we wanted to sit in out of the soft, west Cork rain. There was no sofa (just a large wooden bench) and the two armchairs were very old and substandard. It just wasn’t a comfortable living room. There was a second living room, but this was very empty and generally unusable. The listing states none was included but, I do think a TV would be a good addition for anyone staying during those gloomy winter’s evenings.
Also, if we had seen a broader view of the house’s immediate setting, we wouldn’t have rented it. The photographs portrayed a very idyllic setting, but it is immediately flanked by various unused old farm buildings and some others that might be used by building contractors (judging by the comings and goings). There were also two unfinished small new builds (one residential). However, none of this is necessarily a problem if you’re actually expecting it.
All in all, I just think that the photos didn’t portray an accurate picture of what is being rented.