Gortagown Cottage, Sneem, Kerry,

Oh boy, I had a bit of a rough start with this cottage (more on that later) but did eventually warm up to it.

I'll start with the positives:

+ quiet/peaceful location away from traffic

+ views of animals and wildlife (very common to see hares in the garden!)

+ the bedrooms are spacious yet cosy, and retain their heat overnight

+ the main living room is cosy, the furniture is comfortable, and there is a decent view of the Caha Mountains from the dining table

+ the kitchen has a good selection of quality appliances including a tumble dryer!

+ the FM signal is strong (surprising in such a secluded location) and there is a radio (it's an old Sony from the 1990s but has decent bass); I enjoyed 2FM so much that I stopped using Spotify!

+ solid mobile coverage (at least for 3 network; TescoMobile was poor by contrast) such that the lack of Wi-Fi wasn't a problem: 3 provided 1080p streaming with no glitches (I purchased the SIM from 3 store in Killarney - 20 euros for unlimited data)

The negatives:

- the second lounge/living room is the most musty-smelling of all the rooms, especially when cold, and the laminate flooring seems out of place compared to the other rooms. In short, it's easily the least cosy room in the cottage. It would be improved enormously if the floor was carpeted, and that huge blank wall is just begging for a large TV

- the TV in the main living room is small (B&B-sized) and fixed to the wall in a corner - its placement is daft, especially when there is wall-space above the fireplace for it

- lack of sockets (because old cottage), especially in the living room where there is only 1 single socket - and that is being used by the TV! Although there are multiple sockets in the kitchen, all of them are occupied by appliances

- musty smell when rooms are cold (because old cottage)

- the dirt-road to the cottage is fairly steep with a gate at the bottom (because the cottage is on farmland) - cyclists may find this particularly awkward

Given the age of the cottage and its location on farmland, such compromises are normal and should be expected if you wish to stay here. It seems the owners are aware of this and have priced it accordingly.

Now to the rough start: when I arrived at Gortagown Cottage, there was no electricity. Without electricity, there was no heating, and only a limited supply of water (there is a water pump in the cottage; the taps delivered water at low-pressure, before running dry a few hours later), and my e-bike was low on juice since I had just cycled 63km from Ballinskelligs - this meant cycling the next day to purchase bottles of water would be dicy unless I could charge in Sneem. As I had only ever started an open fire once before, I burned my hands several times trying to get the peat to burn, but without much success. All told, the electricity was off for 19 hours, making for an uncomfortable and frustrating experience that night and most of the following day (the cottage was cold and musty without heating, and I could not sleep at all in the cold bedroom. If I sound like a wimp, just bear in mind that I have a crippling chronic illness). The owner's only contribution to me was one bottle of water that he filled at home, and an offer of a lift to Sneem (I'm not counting the jokes he made about the situation when he returned from playing golf the following afternoon). Sure, he was no doubt busy that morning behind the scenes, getting on the case of ESB and trying to restore the supply, but given my chronic illness, I expected more than this minimal level of service. When it became clear that the problem was more serious than a tripped breaker, a good host would have returned with a 'welcome basket' of food items that could be made with the gas hob (I only had microwaveable food with me since I don't want to fuss with cooking when on holiday), and a powerbank for charging my phone. A great host would have offered alternative accommodation for that night (e.g. B&B or hotel nearby). If I was left without electricity for 19 hours in England, I would have received £125 in compensation; on this trip I received nothing...

Accuracy of listing: ***** (5/5) [photos updated recently]

Cleanliness: *****

Comfort: ***

Facilities: *****

Helpfulness of owner: **

Value for money: *****