NO EXTRA FEES! No insurance or hidden fees! Heating, electricity, wifi and linen hire are all included in price.
The Little Irish Cottage, over 150 years old, is situated right on the Wild Atlantic Way in west Donegal, Ireland. It is situated close to beautiful deserted Atlantic beaches, traditional Irish pubs and some of the most spectacular scenery in western Europe. Why not come to Ireland for the craic!
Our beautiful family holiday home is decorated in a traditional but comfortable manner with original artwork and vintage and antique pieces. The cottage is at least 150 years old but has been sympathetically modernised and extended and has three bedrooms, all with double beds (smallest bedroom has a small double).
There is a family bathroom with full sized bath and separate shower cubicle, and an ensuite wc and shower room to the main bedroom. The kitchen has a full sized oven and hob, dishwasher, refrigerator and microwave. There is an additional drinks fridge. The separate laundry room contains a washing machine, tumble dryer and iron. There is a good sized wildflower garden and parking for several cars if required. The cottage is furnished with very comfortable sofas and beds. We are proud to be in the top 10% of Tripadvisor rental properties in the world, based on our guests’ reviews.
Please note that the garden is a wildlife haven and as such is occasionally left uncut.
The cottage is in a remote rural area but only a short drive from the heritage town of Ardara, and is incredibly peaceful. The cottage is full of books, fiction and non-fiction, there are board games, an iPod/ iPhone/ MP3 docking station/ speaker and a radio and CD player. WIFI is provided free of charge. Sky TV is available with a second TV and DVD player to watch the selection of movies provided. You can sit by a traditional turf fire in the evenings with a relaxing drink and really feel that you are hiding away from the world. The sun does not set until after 10pm in summer and it is beautiful to sit outside on long summer evenings watching the sun set into the west. On clear nights the stars are spectacular as there is little or no light pollution.
The town of Ardara is only a few miles away through the glorious scenery of the Glengesh Pass and has loads of pubs and restaurants. Nancy's Bar and the Corner House enjoy fully deserved worldwide reputations for traditional music and craic. Ardara is the centre of the Donegal knitwear and weaving industry and there are many shops selling locally produced garments in wool and tweed. In the other direction, the quaint villages of Carrick, Kilcar and Glencolumbcille nestle in spectacular scenery, and the cliffs at Slieve League, the highest sea cliffs in western Europe, are a must-see. There are many golf courses in the area, and surfing is popular at many of the Atlantic beaches nearby, particularly Tramore at Bundoran, Rosbeg, Rossnowlagh and Dooey Strand. Finally, the most beautiful beach in Donegal and perhaps Ireland (in my opinion) is at Maghera (complete with caves) which is very close by. There are plans to extend the International Appalachian Trail to this part of Donegal and there are waymarked trails for walkers in the area (less than 1 mile walk from the cottage).
The cottage is well placed for visiting further afield. Belfast is only 3 hours drive away. During 2012 the city commemorated the 100th anniversary of the launch of the Titanic, the most famous ship in the world, with the opening of a spectacular visitor centre. Derry city is around 90 minutes drive - it was named UK Capital of Culture for 2013. The world famous Giant's Causeway is about 3 hours' drive from the cottage. Other destinations - the Fermanagh lakeland (which was the venue of the 2013 G8 summit) 90 minutes, Malin Head the most northerly point of Ireland 2 hours 30 minutes, Galway 3 hours 30 minutes, Dublin 4 hours (all times approximate).
The rental rate at the cottage includes electricity, wifi, oil and starter fuel for the open fire. Bed linens and towels are provided, as are household and cleaning products (e.g. diswasher detergent, bathroom tissue etc) and some cooking supplies (e.g. condiments, olive oil, tea and coffee).
The black and white photos of the cottage are used with kind permission of Lee Boyd.
Lonely Planet listed Ireland in 5th place of countries to visit in 2015.
Ardara was named Best Village in Ireland to live in by the Irish Times in a survey in June 2012, and one of the top 5 places (city, town, village etc) in the whole of Ireland!
Bundoran is named in National Geographic's top 20 surfing towns in the world.