In June 2022, we finally got to take the trip we had planned for exactly two years earlier. So much anticipation! We had a large family group gathering from AL, GA, MD, PA, and NY, arriving by car and train. We met at Carriglea House and it was so much fun to gather together, choose our bedrooms, and check out the house!
We found that the house exceeded our (high) expectations. It's nicely decorated and comfortably furnished. The kitchen is outfitted really well and the dishwasher served our group often. We enjoyed meals in the spacious dining room, and relaxed after dinner in the sitting room and TV room. Card games, jigsaw puzzles, music, laughter, and sharing our day's events...what a wonderful home away from home!
One of the best features of the place is the location, which we thoroughly enjoyed. The grounds are beautiful and well maintained. We also enjoyed walks to the Lake Hotel, and some of us made it on foot to Muckross Abbey, Muckross House, and even Torc waterfall! (Be aware, that's a long walk). On more than one evening we had a walk to the lake across the street. We enjoyed being out of the traffic and congestion of the busy town, yet close enough that it was a short drive away. Killarney is really a great location for a family, because there's truly something for everyone.
At the house there was plenty of parking which was nice since we had so many cars. The driveway was large enough that the Deros Tours mini-bus could pull up and pick us up. Two of our most fun days were private coach rentals, which took us to the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula. Several of our group also really enjoyed the Gap of Dunlop with Deros, and they also picked us up. The parking in town isn't easy, so we were glad to be picked up and dropped off.
Eileen was wonderful, and each day I was in contact with her so I could ask questions or get suggestions. We didn't meet John but he is the one who handled the booking which was fine as well, although dealing with VRBO wasn't that easy because their payment system changed between our deposit and our final payment (over two years later!)
We had one issue with the dryer and it was fixed the next day. That was fortunate and much appreciated.
I can highly recommend the Carriglea House. Our family has been talking about it frequently since our return. It was really a magical trip, and our comfortable accommodations made the trip so special and memorable!