What our guests have said..
Reviews
Fantastic long weekend in Ballyvara House
We are just back following a fantastic long weekend in Ballyvara House. It was an ideal setting for a large family reunion - we had 30 people in all including 13 grandchildren. Much of our family live abroad so reunions are rare and difficult to organise so we were delighted to find a place that could cater for a large number of people. The house and amenities exceeded our expectations on many fronts. It was an ideal location for adults and kids alike. The house itself was very spacious and cosy with interesting décor & artwork throughout - the ‘Certavi et Vici’ bar/lounge area in particular was an ideal setting for sing-song / games room with a fire crackling away for extra ambience. The commercial kitchen was superbly equipped and was complimented by two dining rooms providing ample space to cater to a large crowd. All bedrooms were ensuite with two large suites (you may fight over who gets these :-)). It was a very safe and spacious environment for kids – they loved the impressive outdoor facilities including soccer pitch, tennis court, a kids’ play village and more.
We also used the Sherwood Inn for catering (based on John’s recommendations) for the night of our arrival. The food was high quality, delivered to the door on-time, and it was really convenient not to have to cook on the night of arrival.
It was also a great base for touring the local area and attractions – the Cliffs, Doolin, Lehinch, the Aran Islands, the Burren & more.
In summary, it ticked all the boxes for us and we’d gladly (and hopefully) return some day.
Chris M from Galway.
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Stayed: August 2018
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Submitted: August 2018
We had an excellent time in Ballyvara
The website and pictures did not do the house justice. We had no idea how big and luxurious the house would be. Everything about it from the rooms, bar, kitchen, pool table, football pitch and path in the grass to the village! We were also spoiled by John who helped organise all of our events and locate a fisherman for us. He's a legend.
Anon.
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Stayed: June 2018
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Submitted: August 2018
3rd time staying in Ballyvara House
Perfect house for a group of friends or hen party. A group of 25 of us stayed at the end of April 2018 for a hen party and everyone was blown away by the house. It has everything you need between the football pitch and tennis court out the back where we held a school sports day, large kitchen allowed us to easily cater for our big group and the bar and lounge was perfect place to sit and catch up. It's my 3rd time staying in Ballyvara house and can't wait to book my next trip.
Anon.
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Stayed: April 2018
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Submitted: May 4, 2018
Amazing place! Loved by old and young alike! Everything you could want for a luxury break!
Ballyvarra was more than we hoped for! The pictures don't do it justice! We were a family group of over 20 and everybody had a lovely stay with plenty to do for everyone. John was a great help and very courteous, there when we needed him but not intrusive at all. Overall an amazing break, we'll be back for sure. Rebecca Griffin
Rebecca G.
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Stayed: October 2017
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Submitted: October 11, 2017
Irish Splendor
17 of us were able to fulfil a lifetime dream by making an epic journey to Ireland as a family. Ballyvara House is the perfect location for day trips to enjoy the near by variety of terrains, Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, the Aran Islands, Dingle and even Ring of Kerry and Blarney. We simply didn't have enough time to do it all~ but loved every minute of it. Doolin is a great little town just a walk down the Heritage Trail created along the property and we loved travelling up and down it to hear music on the hills and enjoy amazing sunrise and sunsets as well as a clear view of the water. The house itself is rambling yet cozy, very soundly made giving all of the rooms privacy yet providing a central area with a fireplace to roast the turf and sing songs and play games ~ while in your own pub. The kids loved playing outside on the fields and courts and playground. So much to do...and in speaking to the local workman who was building a foundation, additional services for banquets will soon be added. The kitchen is massive and very well stocked. The adults loved the proper dining room and we even had happy hour outside on the stone table enjoying the beautiful scenery that surrounded us. Every room had an amazing view. So lucky we found this gem! Thank you!
Lori M.
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Stayed: August 2017
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Submitted: August 28, 2017
A fantastic house with every amenity you need!
We loved our weekend at Ballyvara House - as mentioned by others, the photos do not do it justice. The house has everything you need for a holiday home away from home, every room is spacious and are all en suite. The kitchen has every gadget and facility required to make any meal. The sitting room is cosy with a great bar in the corner! And the playground is magnificent... I've never seen anything like it. A mini village that any child would love to play in for hours. Cosy in the winter, and a great outdoor BBQ area for the summer, it's a house for all seasons. Becky is the hostess with the mostess, who is just down the road if you have any queries or questions. Situated just outside of Doolin with the wealth of what Clare has to offer on your doorstep. Suitable for any type of group, but I think families will really get the most out of what's on offer. We'll be back!
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Stayed: October 2014
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Submitted: November 2, 2014
Amazing in Every Way
Our time at Ballyvara House made possible a dream that we hardly thought was possible which was for my husband and I, all six of our daughters, ours sons-in-law, and ALL of our grandchildren (35 in all) to stay in one breathtakingly beautiful location in Ireland. Every family basically had their own "suite" within the home including their own spa-type bathroom, as well as having beautifully furnished family gathering areas, a library, game room, a huge kitchen and amazing grounds. We were able to travel daily wherever we wanted to go, seeing the local sights in Doolin (which EVERYONE loved), Ennistymon, and the Cliffs of Moher, as well as in Galway, LaHinch Beach (even a bit of a swim for the little ones), Blarney, the Aran Islands, the Burren, and Connemara to Kylemore Abbey. Ballyvara House provided us with the perfect locaation to be able to stay local and enjoy great food and music (which we often did), as well as to venture out for a few hours or an entire day), knowing that we had the "comforts of home" to which to return each evening. The kids actually wanted to remain 'at home' everyday because they had so much fun playing hide and seek in the house and exploring the grounds. All in all, it was just the most amazing time which we will always remember...and to which we hope to return some day in the not-too-distant future. Thank you, Becky, for making everything just splendid for us! ~ The O'Toole Family
Patti O'Toole, Cheltenha, PA, USA
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Stayed: April 2014
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Submitted: August 29, 2014
Brilliant as per everyone elses review
Amazing house in a perfect location. As per everyone elses comments, becky is great and extremely helpful. Accomodation photos are brilliant and it doesn't even do the place justice. Stayed during the craft beer festival which meant that we were close but could accomodate large numbers. There appears to be additions that others may not have seen, (brilliant playground and a small football pitch). All in all there is a very good reason why this has all 5 stars.
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Stayed: August 2014
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Submitted: August 26, 2014
Fantastic place for a family gathering
We used Ballyvara for a family gathering for a week in July, 2014. Becky Flanagan, the proprietor, was wonderful to work with. The accommodations are everything one would want. Our situation was that we started with a group of 15 from the U.S. (a mixture of adults and children spread across 6 families) and added visitors (cousins from Ireland and England) to the mix for 2-3 days of the stay. At the peak, we had 22 guests and everyone was comfortable as could be. Ballyvara has an ideal mix of double, triple and family rooms that provides great flexibility. In our case, when we just had 15 guests, the children could have their own private rooms. When our count expanded to 22, the children were able to join their parents in family rooms with no real inconvenience to anyone. The fit and finish of Ballyvara is topnotch. It was built as a high-end guest house and it has a feel of luxury and comfort. The grounds are wonderful as well, with a private tennis court and a terrific play area for children. The kitchen, living and eating spaces are terrific as well. The bar area became a popular gathering spot for good craic both early and late in the day. Each family took the lead in preparing a breakfast for the group and we found that the commercial-style kitchen, with grills, griddles, multiple ovens and stove tops and warmers made the job much easier! Two fridges in the kitchen and one in the bar made food and beverage storage very convenient. We had a catered dinner on one of the nights that we had 22 guests. We used “Yum” from the nearby town of Ennis (featured on the Ballyvara website and recommended by Becky) and everything worked great. YUM brought all the food, dishes and utensils and set up a nice buffet. Dirty dishes and all went into crates for collection by Yum the next day. On two other nights individual families cooked their own entre on the outside Weber BBQ, supplemented by shared sides and veggies prepared in the big kitchen. If it were not for the fantastic kitchen and great eating facilities, I think we would have chosen to eat dinner out more often. Thank goodness we didn’t! The shared dinners provided even more opportunity for great times together!
John Mulligan, Snoqualmie, Washington, USA
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Stayed: July 2014
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Submitted: August 24, 2014
Hen Party
Had a fantastic time here for my friends hen party in May. The weather was awful but having such a nice house made up for it. The living space is large enough for 20+ people to sit around and enjoy the party. Restaurant quality kitchen made feeding the masses a joy. Would recommend this for anyone with a big group looking for a house with good space and amenities, some even managed to play some tennis in gale force winds!
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Stayed: May 2014
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Submitted: July 25, 2014
Absolutely perfect for what we wanted !
We had a family wedding party/ reunion . It was the perfect spot for this. Approximately 20 people stayed at the house and perhaps 75 attended the party. There was lots of room for everyone ! Becky and her family were great. The house is well equipped with washers and dryers for laundry and a large professional kitchen. It is well situated and it is just a nice walk to the village through the back field.
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Stayed: June 2014
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Submitted: July 14, 2014
Most amazing house
We booked this house for my sisters hen weekend and we could never have imagined a house could be this beautiful. We had the most amazing time and Becky was so helpful with everything. Will def return again when there is a large group of us missing it already
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Stayed: June 2014
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Submitted: June 24, 2014