Over the last four years my family and I have stayed at many AirBnBs in Ireland. Some were nice. Some not so nice. Some had beautiful views. Some not so beautiful views. Some were comfortable. And some were not so comfortable. And some of them met the needs they needed to meet and that was the end of that. So without any further delay from worst to best here are the airbnb’s we stayed at.
1. The worst airBnB we ever stayed at in Ireland was in Tipperary. I like to call it the famine house because it looked that old and it was that run down. We only stayed in this place for a weekend, but that was enough. Or should I say that was to long. It was poorly ventilated. So much that the fire place when lit it would fill the place up with smoke. That was bad for me and my asthma. We ended up not using the fireplace and turned on the electric heater. The floors had a bad slant in them. There was a tiny kitchen. There was a bathroom with toilet, sink and shower stall. That was one weird shower stall. Not sure how they put that thing in, but it leaked at the bottom and the water would go from hot to cold, hot to cold…. I think you get the point.
2. There was an apartment we stayed in over night in Killarney. There wasn’t anything “wrong” with this place per-say. This place was white all over and it felt more like a dorm room then an apartment. It had a living room, dining room, kitchen combo. Bedrooms were nice sized and it even had a washing machine. However this place had no food. It did have some tea and instant coffee, but that was it. Normally most airbnb’s have food for the guests. This place had nothing. The shower was luke warm to cold. Thankfully we only stayed at this place for one night.
3. Another apartment we stayed in for only one night was in Dublin. This was okay. Again it had all the essentials. Living room, dining area combo. Kitchen with a washing machine. I would have to say that the bed in this place, if I remember correctly, was surprising comfortable and the shower was nice and hot. This place was also in walking distance of a Lidl which was nice so we could get some water. Other then that it was an ok place, but not a section of Dublin I would like to stay in for a long period of time.
4. There was a house we stayed in for two weeks in Trim, Ireland. This place was okay. It had everything we look for in an AirBnB. Sadly the shower stall in the upstairs bedroom wasn’t working properly and we didn’t find out until we got there and saw the note. There was a bigger bathroom downstairs with a shower tub combo. Sadly for me this tub was very wide and rather high up. That made it difficult to get in and out of. I actually ended up hurting myself getting into that tub. I banged my leg on the inside of it pretty hard and split my skin open and got a bad bruise. That made for a bad experience for me in that place. It did have a big kitchen, but a very small living room, dining room combo. This house was in walking distance to Lidl and SuperValue. That was nice and convenient, but over all this house was eh, so I wouldn’t stay there again.
5. There was an apartment we stayed in, near Dublin I think for a weekend. It was okay. It met our needs. You know beds, washing machine and a shower. It wasn’t anything to write home about. It did what it needed to do. So I can’t say this place was bad, but I won’t say it was good either.
6. There was an apartment we stayed in Longford. It was surprisingly big for an apartment. Again there was a living room, dining room combo, but this was actually on the spacious side. The kitchen was nice with some food and a washer/dryer combo. Bathroom was nice with a hot shower. Bedrooms were nice size. The down falls with this places was, the mattress was to hard for my back, trying to get a breeze at night wasn’t easy and the the street lights shined into our bedroom window. Other then that I think over all this wasn’t a horrible place, but it isn’t one of my favorites either. Definitely easy to walk to stores, but not sure that I would want to stay there again.
7. Ah, Dingle. We stayed in a very small apartment over a store called Kathleen’s in Dingle for a week. When I say small I do mean small. However it was a cute little place. We slept well. There was a washing machine and a dryer in the bathroom. The shower stall was nice and it had plenty of hot water. Dingle was a cute town to spend a week in. And I think I would be willing to stay at this place again. Tiny, but cute and had everything we look for in AirBnBs.
8. Bundoran, an area in Ireland by the ocean, is another place that I never heard of until we decided to stay there for a week or two. I can’t remember. We stayed in an apartment, in an apartment building not to far from the water. This place was surprising comfortable. Again a living room, dining room combo. Kitchen had a washer dryer combo as well. Two bedrooms and one hand a half baths. The bedroom my husband and I used had the bathroom with toilet, sink and shower stall. That was a nice shower stall. Over all this place was nice. Great view of the beach. The apartment was surprising comfortable. The mattress was comfy. And we could walk to the beach and other places. If I needed to I would consider staying here again.
9. There was a house we stayed in for one night in Northern Ireland. It was a nice ranch style house. It had a nice cozy feel to it. The mattress in the master bedroom was so nice and comfortable. That was one of the best night sleeps I ever had. The shower stall in that house was just as nice. Over all that place was comfortable, cozy and I would go back there again.
There are three more places we stayed in. These three are my absolute favorite places we stayed in. I can’t chose one over the other two because I love them all.
1 The very first place we ever stayed in when we went to Ireland for the first time was on Rathgillan Farms. We stayed in a three bedroom house. It was simple, yet comfortable. It had everything we needed. Kitchen, living room, dining room combo and a nice sized bathroom with a shower stall. They even had a washing machine we could use. The owner of this place, Peter always makes fresh scones and tea for his guests. And he sits with them and chats with them when they first arrive. We like his places and him so much that we have stayed on his farm four times. He is a nice man and fun to talk with.
2 There is a row of colorful homes in Trim, Ireland right across from Trim Castle. One of those homes is purple with a yellow door and it is one of the cutest homes I have ever stayed in. We stayed in this house for a couple of weeks. It was a cozy home and had everything we needed and wanted. And I do mean everything. The view of Trim Castle never got old. It was altogether a great place to stay.
3 Gosford Forest Park. This park has an old Castle in it that has been converted into apartments. Well the stables have been converted anyway. We had the pleasure of staying in one of these apartments for one week in August. This place was absolutely beautiful and beyond comfortable. It had everything. This place felt like home. The couch was so snuggly, comfortable. The kitchen was so cute. The colors in this place were so nice and welcoming. This place made me miss my home and at the same time I wanted to stay longer.
The one thing all of these places seemed to have in common with each other was the living room, dining room combo or the living room, dining room, kitchen combo. Didn’t matter the size of the house or apartment it was always one of the two that you would get. I’m not sure why these places are made like that. Maybe it’s a European thing?
Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read or listen about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story