Irish Self-Catering Holiday Accommodation – What Can You Expect?

Imagine a modern, comfortable, quiet, welcoming and fully equipped Irish holiday home.

Now imagine that you are looking through the glass patio doors onto a large wooden terrace, installed a couple of meters above the ground, with views of the mountains, trees and fields.

Imagine that you can hear the birds singing and the gurgling of a river, but that is all.

Imagine a garden, where your children can play on the swings, kick around a ball or be kings and queens in their own castle with miniature towers.

This is what we imagine, well not as good as that. But that’s what we build.

We had a very clear image, not so much of the building itself, but of the “feel” we wanted people to get when they entered the place.

We wanted them to be surprised by the first impression they receive, enchanted by the slightly quirky design of the lounge area, and awestruck by the sight.

Of course, many of the “breathtaking” enjoy the weather, as you can never be sure if the Galtee Mountains, which border the view, will be there or not. We have gone as far as to mention on our website that you may have to take our word for it that they are actually there, sometimes.

They can be shrouded in mist, topped by a layer of the whitest snow, they can be all colors from black to green, orange to purple, depending on the light. Or they can be mysterious to the point of invisibility. In short, they can be entertainment in themselves, of which we never get tired.

We find ourselves watching them, when making the beds, dressing the children or tidying up. We draw the attention of our children and others when they have a peculiar shade of some nameless color.

And sometimes, as I’ve said, they’re not there at all. In fact, we have had friends over to stay several times, who have never actually seen them. Granted, they usually come in the winter, and it’s usually just for a weekend, but it would still be nice, if for once, they didn’t have to take our word for it.

But in general, they are there, and the view is, as I said, impressive.

Back at the lodge, it’s warm and welcoming, exceptionally clean and comfortable without being pretentious.

We wanted to create a space that feels like home when you get there, and not like an empty shell, echoing with your voices, like some places we’ve stayed.

Of course, it has to be decorated, but in such a way that your own personal tastes do not override the sometimes delicate senses of your visitors. I mean, no one likes to be overpowered by the color purple or too much gold braid. So we don’t have any of those.

Instead, we’ve opted for a pastel color palette, accented by carefully selected images. Interesting for some, but with a bit of history for us, since all of them have been previously chosen and enjoyed by us, before being carefully placed on the wall of the house.

It is not for us a tasteless box of chocolates with a false color of oil flowers, so appreciated by some hotels. In truth, most people couldn’t tell you what was on the walls after they got home, which is fine, especially if it means they’ve been away from home, experiencing the difference of being in Ireland.

The Ballyhoura area, where we are located, in the village of Galbally, has many different activities to enjoy. Horseback riding is minutes away, and there are hundreds of different rides to find and places to explore. There are castles, ruined churches at almost every turn, lakes, caves and waterfalls within easy reach by car, and it’s a golfer’s paradise, with around 20 good courses to choose from on your doorstep, virtually.

Information is available on fishing, local shooting clubs and shooting ranges. A walking guide is available for the adventurous who don’t want to get lost. And for the energetic, there’s a 90km open mountain biking trail about 20 minutes away, in the middle of a great area to explore.

We take regular drives to find interesting rides, and at this stage our children will only go to the same place once or twice before begging for a new experience, which is never hard to find. Around Caste Oliver, where the bike path is, we found some really interesting old fragments of castle walls, with towers still attached in places.

The bike trail itself is great for walking, and the views are incredible, especially in the fall where you have layer upon layer of trees changing colors at the same time.

Then further afield is “The Burren”. This is a stone landscape that stretches for miles and over time people have created small stone sculptures out of the local rocks. It’s really something else to see.

There’s so much more, and we’re located right in the middle of it. We are reasonably close to the cities, but far enough from the city for absolute peace and quiet. We are close to loads of different activities, something for everyone, or you can walk into the village, a 5 minute walk away, and enjoy a pint of Guinness in one of the 3 local pubs. However, I must warn you that one of them is also an undertaker.

I’d love for you to get to the end of the article and work up an appetite, because Ireland is different, from England and almost everywhere else I’ve been, and I’ve been to a few. The characters are genuine, and it’s not all begorra, begorra, (whatever that means)

It’s not the cheapest place in the world either, but you can have a truly relaxing holiday in one of our self-catering apartments, because they were built with you in mind.

They have stone facades, even picturesque, and we spent 2 interesting years building them, but that’s another story…