The Sanctuary

What a lovely house!

Very spacious and very well maintained. The garden is huge and so nice to sit outside, so quiet and peaceful. Would definitely recommend. Directions to the house though weren't great and it took a while to find, luckily we found someone to ask directions and got there in the end.

Excellent accommodation.

Clean, comfortable, and well managed. Communication was always quick and helpful, and we had a very positive experience throughout our stay. Thank you for your hospitality.

We absolutely adore this house.

We would book it every month if we had the chance. The house is comfortable, homely and has all you need to make it home from home. Unfortunately the Midgees are bad during summer but I think its because its surrounded by trees.

The grounds are exceptional.

The property looks great from the outside however the kitchen units are tired and need some TLC, the trim around the floor is missing, as is the glass on the upper cupboard doors. There is an ant problem around the kitchen sink. The double glass doors and kitchen window were dirty on arrival, which we later found was due to a crow who likes to knock on them from 5am. Although no pets are allowed, there was dog poo at the end of the back garden and a treat under the sofa in the living room, which should have been cleared if the vacuuming was thorough. It says to phone the caretaker within 24 hours, which we did, but they didn’t answer or return our call. The information book says there would be milk in the fridge but there wasn’t. We bought our own so it didn’t affect us but if it is stated then it should be provided. To get hot water in the kitchen it was quicker to boil the kettle than run the tap. The shower head is a good height if you’re short.

A beautiful house set in a lovely location.

Highly recommended.

This is my favourite spot to take a break in and I would book once a month if I could.

Such beautiful house, fantastic Grounds, ideal location and serene environment.

Property very warm, clean and well kitted out.

I was able to get the well needed rest I required. The lounge and 2 of the bedrooms have been refurbished since the pictures have been taken, and it enhanced the look of the property. The TV was a full streaming service, no terrestrial channels, but still plenty to watch. I would certanly like to return again at some stage in the future.

This venue is so spacious and airy, the house is so warm and welcoming.

Fully stocked kitchen so preparing a meal is easy. All i would change is to have more Towels supplied.

While we loved the area and the house, there were issues that need addressing.

Hot water only works when the heating is left on and needs resetting daily sometimes several times. Consequently no hot water every morning as we didn’t have the heating on over night. The hand held shower over the bath has no water pressure so isn’t any good. The electric shower in the en-suite was broken when we arrived. We arrived Saturday and a new shower was fitted Thursday. Everyone had to manage with a bath and my auntie who is 65 and waiting for a hip replacement had to manage with a strip wash as the bath was not an option for her. We found cob webs and some dusty surfaces too. It stated in the welcome book that we would find milk in the fridge, there was no milk. Luckily we arrived mid afternoon so drove to the supermarket. Overall I would say 3 out of 5 as the location was lovely and the house had a very rustic country feel. It seriously needs a new boiler and a shower over the bath would be an excellent upgrade. I doubt we would return unless those 2 main things were addressed. Owner was friendly and did his best to sure what he could while we were there which we appreciated.

The property is wonderfully situated.

Beautiful home and grounds. Very private. Unfortunately four adults could only share the en suite shower in one of the bedrooms. The shared bathroom had no water pressure for the hand held shower hose. No hot water. Only two sets of towels. No television. Satellite no working. We were in contact with the owners and promised these above issues would be addressed but alas they were not. It's a shame really.

Great property in a beautifully peaceful location, faultless!

We stayed last year for a week & decided to spend 2 weeks this year.

It is an isolated home in a beautiful setting & really comfortable. It was getting a bit nippy so we were totally thankful the heating was set to come on a couple of times a day. We will be back.

What a magnificent setting.

Manicured lawns, neat and tidy appearance. The house was of grand proportions and style. The Attic was of huge proportions and would be a dream cubby for children. Once again everything was clean, tidy and well equipped for our needs of 2 people. We enjoyed our stay and only wished we had allowed longer to enjoy the the opulent ambience. We enjoyed our stay immensely and would recommended to anyone wanting a quiet relaxing holiday in beautiful surroundings l.

Beautiful location and grounds to property stunning.

The house could benefit from some TLC it’s a little tired, and the general cleanliness was not the best! Cobwebs & general dirt and dust. Squeaky doors & beds need attention! The sky & TV did not work? Also more towels would have been useful for a week stay. Enjoyed our week in Ireland and the sanctuary was a good base to explore from.

The location was beautiful and created a restful atmosphere.

The interior was very dated nothing has been changed for many years it needs completely decorated and updated. It is a shame because it has so much potential to be an amazing holiday let.

The toaster did not work, the toilet in the bathroom was sometimes difficult to flush.

There was a broken light switch in the spare double room. We had a cloudburst one day and the gutters all ran over and the water went down the exterior walls.Better instructions on how to find the house. It’s a lovely property, in a very nice setting.

Property was fantastic and the land was very well kept.

The only minor issue we had, was that a light switch was broken due to general ware and tear. Also, some of the channels on the TV stopped working mid week but this a sky issue and nothing to do with the owners. That being said, we loved the place and it's location and am hoping to book it regularly as it was well worth the price. The dvd, book and toy collection was also just an amazing touch. Thanks for having us.

This is our second stay.

Last time was 5 years ago. Despite our feedback last time the overarching issue is this property has not enough hot water for the number of people it accommodates. The electric shower has a weak pressure and the shower in the bath has zero pressure. The hot water tank is only adequate for less than half a bath! In favour of the house is that it's a peaceful location and the grounds are lovely to walk around. Other than that we only stay here because it's close to family in a neighbouring town. Such a shame the owner still has no interest in remedying this issue, as we previously reported it, as did others! No doubt there is enough rental income to sort this out and it's not difficult to do so.

House and grounds are beautiful, a perfect place for a relaxing break.

We arrived at about 10pm, the directions to get there were not very clear and we had to phone to get an ire code. After putting this in the sat nav we arrived with no problem. No milk in the fridge on arrival and the house was not very clean. Toilets and shower were not clean and we only had 2 bath towels and a couple of hand towels which wasn’t ideal for 4 adults. In the folder it said there was a switch by the boiler which you could choose when using the bath or sink. We didn’t find this at all so ended up with about 4” of bath water until it went cold.

We absolutely loved this property and hopefully will be back next year for 2 or 3 weeks.

It is stunning.

A very private house with A lot of space.

The house was not really clean.

Very nice place lovely country side location with ample space.

Very nice cottage with a nice drive and lovely grounds in a quiet part of the county.

The owner has tried to cover all types of guests with Sky TV, DVD & Music CD player and games console, along with a games area full DVD's and CD's to cater for the rainy days or evenings. the kitchen is well stocked with utensils for a variety of cooking styles. A good all round property that caters across the family age range. However, this property would not suit guests who expect everything to be within easy access, as the main towns of Mallow and Fermoy are 9 miles away although the village of Castletownroche is only 2.5 miles away which has a Spar, Pharmacy and a few pubs.

Impressive piece of land!

Very silent and indeed remote; nice

This place is amazing the grounds are beautiful.

Some of the reviews are mentioned issues with water and heat but I believe that’s dude to them not knowing how they work. The water heater is on demand you have to pull a chord to turn it on and turn on the heater. The room heat is individual in each room. Maybe more explicit instructions with pictures would be good to add? But we had no issues at all the place was lovely and super reasonable. The grounds keeper was the cutest sweetest guy. The pub in town was so friendly and welcoming. I’m not thing I would suggest is the owner invest in some new mattresses for the beds. Other than that pie stay was perfect!

It was unusual and annoying to have to ring the owner who lives in Holland twice using our mobiles when arriving at the property - both times could have been avoided with clear communication.

The property from the outside is INCREDIBLE, however inside a LOT of work is needed to repair small parts of the property e.g. plaster peeling off and skirting chunks removed. The bath was dirty when we arrived, along with some of the pots and pans we wanted to use. Finally the radiator knobs were mostly broken so they were either roasting or off. And the log fire - one of the main reasons for booking - was not in use (felt an email could have been left for us prior to our arrival on this front).

Lovely spacious house with everything you could need for a wonderful, relaxing stay.

The grounds are amazing. A rural location but good for visiting nearby villages and towns. We would love to return.

No heating or hot water and when trying to contact the caretaker no answer thankfully they had an electric shower

A really lovely property it’s just a shame that the boiler didn’t work, the immersion heater kept tripping out and we couldn’t use the open fire.

Evenings in September can get cold so it was difficult to keep warm but overall a really great holiday. Thank you.

The property is very impressive outside but was lacking inside.

Kitchen and bathrooms need updating and weren’t very clean, but by the time we’d finished they were a lot more hygienic. Nevertheless the area was lovely, lots to explore.

Lovely rural location, very tidy, well kept grounds.

The house is very nice but looking tired and in need of some tlc, especially the shower room and kitchen and the general decor. However the house was clean with basically good facilities. We are an older couple and the lounge furniture was rather too low and soft for us. Despite this we had a really nice stay at The Sanctuary.

Cottage was lovely but not very well maintained not very clean cobwebs on ceilings and door frames toilets dirty toilet seat broken in the bathroom hob extractor very dirty not been cleaned oven dirty washer door broken no heating not working shower dangerous very slippery and dirty fowl smell coming up through the drains didn't see anyone to make sure that nothing was needed on the plus side the beds were comfortable

What a shame, this property is so badly maintained, no heating, the oven is filthy, and makes the house smell.

The main bedroom smells of stale smoke, the duvet hasn't been cleaned in a long time so smells stale. The shower has got black mould in the tiles, the toilets haven't been cleaned properly and the door locks are hard to open due to lack of maintenance. On the plus side the garden is beautiful.

The Sanctuary is gorgeous.

The house is beautiful and enormous. It's very remote so excellent for a getaway. It sits on a huge garden with a play area for the kids and a lovely patio area for dining out. It's all very picturesque. We really enjoyed our stay. Everything was provided: Towels, sheets, cot etc. Lots of stuff in the kitchen and loads of space for dining or cooking. The beds were lovely and comfortable and the house was very easy to heat as the evenings were getting cold (Early Oct). We will definitely be staying again.

Very nice and spacious cottage on a huge piece of land.

Nice and quiet. We extended our stay because we enjoyed it so much.

The house was extremely comfortable.

A' Home from Home'. Our children were safe on the grounds and had space to roam at will. House keeper was extremely friendly, kind and keeps to house in an excellent condition. We would love to return to the house in the future.

Lovely house - enjoyed my stay very much.

Very comfortable. I was on my own and was very happy. Broadband was fine for zoom. Grounds are lovely and nice to go out for a walk. Resident red squirrel was an added plus - haven’t seen one for years! Would go back.

great great house,very thing you would need and more,one of the best if not the best we ever had,hope to get back soon.

five star all the way.

A Lovely property in it's own grounds,very private.

It's advisable to have transport when staying there as even the local things quite a walk away. We had everything we needed in the property , heating was on when we arrived making it pleasant to walk into ( We were there early March ) The Heating itself is easy to use . There's a vast Array of DVD's ,Books & Toys although We had no children in our party to play with the toys . If you do there's a whole floor for them to play in !!! There is plenty to travel to see & do in the surrounding areas & there are lots of leaflets ,books & a couple of maps in the property for you to browse through for ideas. Overall a very good choice as a base to tour around Southern Ireland. Top marks to the owners the property is Excellent !

After traveling over 24 hours we made it to your home to find that there was no key!

Once this issue was resolved and we met the housekeeper to get inside the home all she would tell us about the house was that "everything is in the book"! You would have thought that she would have at least started the house up such as heat, power to the kitchen and explain how to use the electrical outlets, toilets and the shower! For a week long stay for 4 people we were left with dirty dishes in the cabinets, NO dish soap, NO hand soap refill, 4 rolls of toilet paper and 1/2 a roll of paper towels, and NO extra garbage liners for the trash cans! I have rented many VRBO houses that made sure all of this was handled prior to a guest arrival. We went back to the store to purchase toilet paper, paper towels, dish soap and more so we could make it through our vacation...not to mention the shortages at most stores due to the viral outbreak affecting the world. I know you said you would have communication with her, but I would honestly suggest more than that since your home was left in such an "un welcoming manner". We plan on returning to Ireland in the next 12-16 months, but I would have to seriously rethink if I would reserve again with you.

Beautiful location and property.

Much larger and grander than thought. Plenty of space for children to play and very comfortable. Facilities very good, dishwasher, washer/dryer. Perfect for families!

The house was freezing cold for the first 24 hours, even with the heating switched on as soon as we arrived, but warmed up eventually.

It would be better in future to put the heating on prior to arrivals to allow the house to warm up. This was the only thing that we struggled with as everything else was clean and tidy. All the items required for a stay were provided and extra such as games and books. We didn't use the gardens but they looked very nice and would be great for children!

Lovely and peaceful location yet in close proximity to shopping centres and tourist locations when required.

The house was very grand looking.

The children thought we were in the wrong place when we arrived as it was too nice. There is everything you could need in the house including a very extensive collection of films and music. I particularly enjoyed cooking in a large kitchen as my one back home is so small. The garden is stunning and so peaceful. It’s a bit off the beaten track so if you like to be in the thick of everything then maybe it’s not for you. I loved the quiet and solitude. Lots of things to do nearby. We went to Blarney, went kayaking and had a tour round a safari park. All in a few days! Will hopefully be back soon.

Ein sehr schönes Haus, alles war ok.

Schlüsselübergabe ist perfekt. Für uns war die Stille in der Landschaft sehr beeindruckend. Gute Lage zum Erkunden des Südens Irlands.

WiFi was never fixed, house alarm bleeped every 8hrs toilet seat was broken on arrival.

couldn’t use fire as out of order not value for money could have got a cheaper house with no fire or WiFi we had to use up a lot of or data on phone

Absolutely outstanding house with beautiful gardens and grounds very spacious inside and all mod cons would highly recommend if wanting a quiet break.

The Sanctuary exceeded all our expectations, a beautiful property, in a wonderful location.

Super well equipped and comfortable. More DVDs, books, CDs and videos than you would ever be able to watch, listen to, or read. You really don't need to bring your own entertainment. The garden is amazing, the woodland slightly overgrown, but must have been a real treasure in the past when the owner lived there. There is a stream running through the rear of the land, this is so lovely. Also a large pond with ducks and moorhens. The nearby Blackwater great for fishing. We were seeing foxes, pheasants, rabbits and many garden birds. Nice to bring a feeder with you. The foxes really appreciate some peanuts and an egg or two. They were lovely to see. Some fabulous not to be missed trips whilst here is the Ring Of Kerry, Blarney Castle, Torc Waterfall, Jameson Distillery, Fota Arboretum and wildlife park, Ballycotton cliff walk, Mitchelstown cave, Mohon Falls, Mallow Castle White Deer, Cliffs of Moher. There are so many beautiful beaches, a week isn't enough really. We will definitely return some time in the future and can't imagine a better place to stay. Postcode for the property is P51H254 and a small red sign points you towards to the road the property is off.

The place is gorgeous and spacious.

Great location for tourin southeast Ireland. Difficult to find. must use satnav coordinates and TURN at the brown fence and then drive 200 meters on a dirt road. Green fence is on the right.

The Sanctuary was perfect for us.

Very spacious inside and out. The kids really enjoyed the garden, the huge attic playroom and the orchard(especially the apples). Also a huge library of dvds was available. Good location for day trips

We loved our stay at The Sanctuary, and it was a god start to see the environment, as well County Cork and Limerick, as Tipperary.

So much and beautiful things to see, lovely holiday.

A super property in the Irish countryside.

The bungalow was well equipped, warm and comfortable. All the rooms were of a good size and nicely furnished. The gardens are huge and very pretty, with short walks that can be done all on site. The local village has a small shop and chipper. Some nice local forest walks and lovely places to visit a little further afield. I’d highly recommend this property.

We could not fault the inside cleanliness of the property at all.

However, we did think that the outside painting of the bungalow was looking a bit tired. Also it would have been nice if there was a toaster in the kitchen. A very enjoyable place to stay.

Could not find the place, despite trying to follow the extreemly poor directions, ending up knocking on a strangers door for directions.

Once we did manage to find the property, we were unable to find the key. Having spoken to the owner, we were subsequently informed that you have been told of this problem, but have failed to amend your listings. Very Poor Show Sykes!!

The Sanctuary was a real find.

It was secure, well equipped and a great place to relax, whether staying in or going out. The local town of Killavullen was a stone's throw away, and the house was within an easy drive of Mallow and access to main roads.

This place was beautiful.

However, it was missing most of the necessities. There was only one roll of toilet paper in each bathroom (and they were partially used). No trash bags at all. The ad said wood was provided for the fire place, but there was no wood, at all. The washer was EXTREMELY tiny, and had only enough laundry soap for 2 loads. The stove was difficult to operate. It was an electric stove with digital buttons. No matter how I tired to press them they wouldn't respond. No Staples (food wise). Only had salt and pepper. No paper towels or napkins. We had ants starting to come in and invade the house. We never found the gate key pad for the inside of the property. so we had to climb the fence to get to the outside key pad to the gate every time we wanted to leave. I was very disappointed with the lacking necessities. The house was very nice as far as being decorated and painted over problem spots, but didn't quite hot the mark. So sad because this place could be so much more then what it was. Maybe the care takers aren't paying enough attention to this property, or maybe they are scrimping too much. Invest a little more in the Staples (a little extra tp, napkins, paper towels, trash bags, laundry soap, seasonings, cooking oil, wood, etc...) And this place would be perfect.

Everything went so well; Directions; Facilities; Instructions were great.

The location was wonderful, for anyone wanting to be on their own in natures own setting this is the place. There are great walks in the 15 acres. The house is very well appointed, whilst there was only the two of us (My Wife and I) It would sleep 6 comfortably. Worth every penny !

The Sanctuary was a fabulous holiday home and exceeded all our hopes and expectations.