One is immediately impressed by the quality of the conversion. Many original features remain, including the large stone fireplace, the exposed stone walls, old pine floors, doors and the original pine staircase. The ground floor's open plan allows one to take in the scope of the public rooms upon first crossing over the threshold. The interior style is quite sophisticated and modern, a perfect counterpoint to the old building.
The atmosphere is very comfortable and casual. Yellow predominates. In the sitting room, large stone arched palladium windows allow plenty of light. The sofas are made for comfort; the fireplace adds visual and actual warmth. There is a TV and DVD player. This is a beautiful room for entertaining or just sitting quietly with a book. The modern, snazzy kitchen is to the right of the entryway. Although not huge, it is a cook's kitchen with any appliance or accoutrement one could want. The adjacent dining area seats 8 comfortably at an antique pine table.
All four bedrooms are en suite and all have maximum privacy.
Two of the bedrooms are on the main floor. One is off the front entrance hall. It has a queen bed, very nice appointments and a large bathroom with a shower. The other bedroom, also with a queen bed and en suite bathroom with a shower, is at the back of the house, beyond the living room. It has an exterior door out to the back garden.
There are two staircases, one on either side of the house. The original pine staircase, near the dining area, leads up to the open balcony sitting area which overlooks the living room.
The spiral staircase, located just at the front entry way, leads directly to one of the upstairs bedrooms, the room with stone walls and a king bed. The en suite baThe other upstairs bedroom is on the opposite side of the balcony sitting area. It is accessed via the pine stairs. All the bedrooms overlook a nice grassy area behind the house.
The back lawn area is not level and does not have a patio. You can eat casual meals in a designated area in the front of the house where there is a table and a few chairs. It's fun to look down onto the town from this perch. Clifden is a lively and friendly town with excellent restaurants, authentic pubs and nice shops. It's a 1-minute walk down to the high street.
This is an excellent base for touring the Connemara, a gorgeous and haunting area. There's much to see and do in here. There's golf, of course. The beaches are beautiful, empty and clean. At every turn, you'll see glorious scenery. There are Irish craft shops, many ancient Celtic sites and opportunities to ramble in the Twelve Bens.
Children are warmly welcomed to this property. This house books very fast so we suggest you book early. There is no internet access at the house but there are several internet cafes just down the street. There is a pay-as-you-go cell phone at the house for your use.
Galway is 50 miles, Shannon Airport is 107 miles.