An Bruachan

Loved An Bruachan. Despite our late arrival and a prior engagement, we were greeted by our hostess - Julia - and shown to a beautiful room with the biggest shower I saw in all of my journey through Ireland. Julia gave easy to follow directions for dinner in nearby Kenmare and promised us a wonderful breakfast in the morning. She more than delivered. Two of us had omelettes filled with fresh herbs and felt bad for the one of us who slept in. We needn't have. Julia delivered her the prettiest plate of pancakes, surrounded by fresh berries and a fresh pot of coffee as we sat out by the beautiful stream that runs through the back yard. Really wish we'd spent more than the one night but highly recommend it to others.

So we are back from our whirlwind tour of southern Ireland--and cannot wait to go back again!!! We had a Groupon for a Great Values Vacation with Air, car, 2 nights in a hotel then B&Bs of our choice throughout Ireland. There were lots to choose from and we were so glad we chose Julia's An Bruachan in Kenmare. what a spot--the setting on the brook (river-like in it's fullness when we were there!) and the beautifully gardened landscape were more than enough, but then to go inside and have such a lovely room to relax in. Julia and Etna (sp?) were delightful. They did all that they could to make sure we were happy. We were! Add to this Julia's WEALTH of info on my sweetheart's ancestor, shom she happended to have researched. Well, we felt we were meant to stay there. And so should anyone considering a B&B in Kenmare: an Bruachan is a great spot to stay and also to explore the beauties of the area--Kilarney national park?--my goodness! This deserves a 15 out of ten stars!!! :)

Thank you for the wonderful nights in your beautiful B & B. Everything was lovely!

Julia was delightful and very friendly. She served us coffee and lemon cake and introduced us to some of the other guests who arrived around the time we did. The accommodations were very clean and tidy. I chose the omelet for breakfast and it was scrumptious!! On the day we left to go to our next destination which was hours away, I realized I had left my jacket and scarf in the armoire at Julia's B&B (which was a gift from friends who had been to Ireland). When we reached our next B&B, I called Julia to let her know. To give you an idea of what a nice person she is, she was kind enough to ship it to me in the States with a lovely note inside. Of course, I will be sending her the money for postage, but I was so impressed that she took the time to mail these items back to me.

Julia was unable to be at An Bruachan on the evening of our arrival however, she so graciously sent us an email very early in the week to notify us that she would not be there and, instead, her "deputy" named Dennis would be taking care of us. Dennis ended up being our MOST favorite host out of our whole trip to Ireland!! There are not enough good things we can say about him. Dennis was very funny, friendly, kind, and went well-beyond out of his way to tend to anything we wanted or needed and he also spent much time with us to recommend the best places to visit in town. The B&B itself was very beautiful, peaceful, and comfortable. The backyard is gorgeous! My husband and I definitely enjoyed our stay and while we, unfortunately, were not able to meet Julia, we are so happy we met Dennis!