Elisecas
September 2014
The accommodation is beautiful and the location is perfect for a quiet, authentic Irish coastal town holiday.
The first thing to say about this gorgeously restored apartment is that it is much, much bigger than it looks in these photos. We were really surprised to find that the kitchen is large and has an adjoining butlers pantry; the living room is much bigger than we expected; and the bedrooms and bathrooms are on a separate floor, up a large, wide, winding staircase. It's been beautifully restored and one suspects Farrow and Ball played a significant part in the decor.
We deliberately sought out lovely accommodations as we wanted a place where we would feel happy and spoiled about having nights in with a DVD and staying in for supper; we were tired, and just wanted a rest. But we also knew that we would be bored of that after a few days and so we also looked for a town with a quiet, friendly population and exploring to be had within short distances. We found that spot here.
The town of Kilrush is quiet - perhaps because we went at the end of September - and was perfect for what we were seeking. We wanted a town with one or two local pubs populated by friendly locals and served food, in a town by the sea, with a little to explore by car in the vicinity. That is what Kilrush is; it's not got a huge nightlife and you'd be sorely disappointed if you were looking for a party town, but if you want genuinely low-key high-friendliness Ireland, you can find it here.
Sites like TripAdvisor will tell you about Crotty's pub (which serves lovely Guinness and great, though somewhat overpriced food) and the Buggles Bar (with free wifi and friendly owners who are happy to chat to blow-ins like us). However, we recommend you seek out Johnsons Bar, opposite Gleeson's Hardware store: the Guinness is fresh and the banter is friendly and, if you're really lucky, you may even get invited to join a lock-in without even noticing it happened.
That all sounds glowing, so were there any drawbacks? Well... in terms of the flat, we could have done with some instructions on how to use the cooker, and the en suite shower is a bit small and that bathroom has no shelves. The staircases, particularly as you enter the flat, are rather steep and the television is very small. It would also be very hard to stay here without a car, though I suppose you could easily get here by taxi from Shannon airport.
Overall we loved the short time we stayed here. We were supposed to stay a week, but our time in Kilrush was cut way too short due to being called home. We hope we'll go back to finish what we started, and see the dolphins the bay.