Off the Beaten Path - 2 Great B&B's in Ireland

I will gladly admit that I am quite the planning freak – and it is not unusual that I spend a looong time finding the BEST place to stay when we are travelling. On our short road trip in Ireland, I had placed the responsibility of our accommodation in the hands of our tour operator though. And that is not a decision I have regretted for one second! We ended up spending a night in two wonderful places, which I properly hadn’t found myself…

Castleview House B&B in Slane Village

As we arrived at our B&B in Slane, Gerry and Marie welcomed us. Their home is located in the lovely Slane Village, and from the outside, it looks just like the homes we are used to see in the British TV-series. We got a tour of the inside, and were shown to our rooms: a double and triple room, both with their own bathroom and plenty of space for our luggage.

Unfortunately, the rain was pouring down upon our arrival, so we didn’t get to see the apparently charming garden that guests can also enjoy. However, we quickly asked for recommendations to where we could grab a bite, since we were starting to get hungry. Gerry and Marie quickly gave us a few great tips, and even offered to drive us the short way to the restaurant. At this point, we really needed to stretch our legs, so we ended up borrowing an umbrella instead.

After a good night’s sleep, we woke up to home cooked breakfast at the time we had agreed upon the day before. We had also been asked, what we would like to have for breakfast, and they talked us into trying an Irish Breakfast (which apparently is “much better than an English Breakfast”). I will admit that I was not a big fan of the so called black pudding, but with plenty of toast, egg, sausage, bacon and cereals, we all left the table with full stomachs. 😉

After a single night, we drove off to new adventures, but I will highly recommend this great B&B, where you will meet the Irish hospitality, live near famous attractions and be in walking distance to the local city life with restaurants and pubs.

You can read more about Castelview House B&B on their website.

The Villa Farmhouse in Cushendun

After an eventful next day, we finished off just a bit outside the small village of Cushendun, where Maggie welcomed us to her home. A very friendly, elderly lady, who lives with a view that most people can only dream of living with!

If you are looking for peace and quiet, this B&B is the place you need to go! Contrary to our B&B in Slane, we were not close to anything here other than fields and sheep – but that has its charm as well. Just be aware that if you plan to use a taxi here, there is only one taxi driver in the area – and if he has chosen to have a day off, he is not in a state that allows him to suddenly sit behind the wheel… If you know you would like to go out and explore the local pubs, it might be a good idea to coordinate with Maggie beforehand. Then she can make sure that the taxi driver is not taking a day off on that particular evening.

Here, we also stayed in a double and triple room with private bathroom. What we learned is that this is no place to stay, if you have an aversion to flowers. The theme of the decoration of our rooms was, without exaggeration, flowers and flowers and flowers. There were flowers on the walls, the floors, the carpets, the bedspread, everywhere! Quite different from our own bedroom at home, but it was still a nice place to stay.

After a good night’s sleep, we woke up to the sound of sheep and donkeys – welcome to the countryside! We had arranged with Maggie at what time we wanted our breakfast, and we had chosen what to eat from a small menu she had made with a fine selection. Again, there was plenty of food, and our breakfast was served in the living rooms with pictures of the entire family on the walls. It was very personal, and it made it very clear that we were on a visit in a private home.

We only had a single night here as well, but I often dream back to the view we had from here. I was so in love with it, that I have even made a large poster of it, now hanging in my own bedroom. This way, I can pretend that I am waking up to this gorgeous sight every day. 😉