West of Ireland bungalow with sea views

“This has been a perfect exchange ! The house of Francis and Eileen is very bright and confortable, it is located on a little hill so you have a splendid view on the landscape and the skyline... you can even see the Cliffs of Moher!. It's really well situated to explore the west coast of this stunning island. The small town of Midtown Malbay has all the facilities you need. The house was impeccable and the communication with the generous couple of Francis and Eileen was friendly and easy. Highly recommended exchange :-). Thank you very much for offering us the discovery of a beautiful country and people !”

“We spent 5 weeks in Ireland, with 3 absolutely fantastic weeks being in this really lovely, big and spacious home. Eileen and Francis have traveled extensively and their home reflects this with beautiful pieces of art throughout, everything is just great. Everything we needed was there waiting for us, we found a really warm and beautiful home! There were only the two us so 3 of the bedrooms were unused, the house would be perfect for families as well. We had an opportunity to spend some time with the two of them before we left, a great couple! Eileen even took us to Dingle for a day trip which proved to be even better than we had planned with a stop in the cutest town of Camp, where a wonderful little festival was happening, fantastic. Their friends were so generous, offering to show us the sights. Their home has many many huge windows, with remarkable views from each; the mountains, waves lapping in the bay, the meadows where you see, pheasants and hare leaping across in the early morning and the early evening, and cows with caves grazing and playing, what a sight. We experienced the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets you can imagine, and about a billion stars! Then you have the lovely town which has a great butcher shop, the best bakery, a cute little florist, a nice little gift shop which also operates the local tourist office. Mike and I walked into town most days and ate at number of the 13 local pubs, each had great food, and the drinks, well we enjoyed those as well! Wonderful day trips were made to surrounding sights which are simply unbelievable, their home provides a wonderful base to visit; the Burrens, the Aaran Islands, Kilrush, Quilty, Ennis, Galway, Dingle, Doolin, Lahinch, Shannon,Cong (where parts of the movie "The Quite Man" was filmed), Lisdoonvarna, Bunratty Castle, the list goes on. Our trip was made perfect by having this lovely home to return to each night. We highly recommend this beautiful, warm, and inviting home and the couple who are generous enough to share it with the rest of us! Pat and Mike”

“During our spring holidays in May 2014 we did the swap with nice couple from Miltown Malbay. This is a small town, that is located in Western Ireland, very close to the Atlantic Ocean. Their large and comfortable house lies in the middle of green meadows and it offers great view towards the ocean. At clear weather even famous cliffs, known under name Cliffs of Moher, are visible from their garden. Last year it has been arranged 20 kilometres of walking ways there, with magnificent view and you can also visit The Visitor Centre and you attain the virtual walk round the Cliffs. We spent wonderful day there! We won't forget the trip with a boat on Inis Oirr, which is the smallest from among Aran Islands. During our walk we saw seals within their natural environment. Incredibly! Not to mentioned all dolphins, that swam right next to a boat. Children were so happy! We spent a wonderful week there and we are also so glad to met Pauline, Eileen's and Francis's friend, who explained us many interesting things per funny manner. It was really helpful for us, that Eileen and Francis left so many leaflets, maps and local information, so it was very easy to decide where to go. But unfortunately one week is not enough to visit all the attractions around. All the people we met in Ireland from the moment we came there, were very friendly, nice and helpful, but at the end of our stay we met Eileen and Francis, the couple that we changed house with, which are more than kind, amusing and hospitable and for sure we would like to see them again.”

“We encountered Ireland almost by accident as it was not on our preferred exchange list and we had never considered it until Francis and Eileen proposed an exchange that tacked neatly on the end of our two-week stay in England. We arrived on the 1st of September and Francis and Eileen graciously offered to pick us up at the airport, saving the three-hour train or bus ride. We got to spend an evening with them and had a great time-they are articulate, gracious and very down-to-earth. Their home is situated on a 10-acre working farm, surrounded by cattle, sheep and even a donkey but so close to the village of Milltown Malbay that we easily walked into town for shopping and the pubs (all 12 of them!). There is a beautiful view of the ever-changing ocean from every window and I walked down to the nearest beach (White Strand) one blustery day. The house is very well-equipped and modern, with beautiful pine finishes and a huge country kitchen where we spent a lot of time. A special treat is the attached greenhouse, which provided us fresh tomatoes and peppers throughout our stay and the extensive potato patch where I just went out and dug a plant or two whenever we wanted fresh, new potatoes. During our second week we were joined by our niece and her boyfriend and tried to spend most days seeing the sites in the area. Our favorites were the Cliffs of Moher and Bunratty Castle as well as the markets in Galway and Limerick, but we couldn't drive anywhere without experiencing beautiful, awe-inspiring views. We learned all about Hurling as the All-Ireland final was on during our stay and we caught the game in Clancy's pub with all the locals, quite a few mugs of Guiness and free sandwiches and warm snacks from the proprietor. Unfortunately, the game ended in a draw leading to a replay yesterday, when Clare, our favorite, won handily. We weren't able to find the game live online here in Canada, but we followed the updates all through the day and shared Francis and Eileen's jubilation over the win. We're now hooked on Hurling. The most serendipitous discovery of our time in Ireland however was the people. I have never met more welcoming or lovely people than the Irish. Wherever we went we encountered charm and hospitality. Ireland has gone from not being on our bucket list to being top of our list for places we want to return to.”

“A warm welcome awaited us from Francis at Shannon Airport and was a sign of what was to come from our visit to Milltown Malbay County Clare. After a hearty bunch at a local pub Francis took us on a whistle stop tour of the coast which was bathed in October sun quite beautiful. Supper was cooked by our hosts Francis and Eileen we’ve never tasted steak like it absolutely delicious, served up in their farmhouse style kitchen. Their home was just that, a home from home so well equipped everything you could possibly need. Tap water was crystal clear never tasted water like it. Sleep came easy in this peaceful home sleeping under down duvet and set in typical Milltown setting of peace and quiet, fields, big skies, cows and views of the sea in the distance. Milltown is a quaint Irish Town with individual shops, restaurants and bars all taking you back in time, for their friendliness and where life is unhurried and everyone knows their neighbours. Milltown is so central for exploring and finding gems steeped in history. If you like the idea of spending time in a peaceful environment drinking crystal clear water not forgetting Guinness, with lovely people and traditional music, the opportunity to see extraordinary scenery at every turn, take long walks by the sea, watch surfers as the sun goes down, wonder at the contrast of green fields and limestone rock of every shape and size and witness the power of the sea as it crashes against the cliffs and rocks whilst breathing in the fresh air coming from the Atlantic then Milltown Malbay is for you, be prepared to be amazed.”