Steepe's Place

A fair review.

Property description is ambitious. More badly heated and poorly furnished small house than “traditional Irish cottage”. Calling an unheated large porch with a dated washing machine in it a “utility room” is a bit of a stretch. Same with the “dressing room”. If you’re under the impression that you’ll have a lovely dressing table to sit at while you prepare yourself for the day, expect to be disappointed. It’s a linen cupboard with no window, clearly occasionally used as a spare bedroom. The equipment and furnishings throughout are dated. It seems like most of the equipment has come from a charity shop. Even with the heating on full, the fire lit, two oil‑filled radiators as back‑up and the electric blanket on the bed, all running overnight, I woke up freezing and quickly realised that wasn’t going to change, and despite having booked for 6 nights, I stayed for 1 and found alternative accommodation elsewhere the following morning. Finally, no welcome pack on arrival. On the morning I woke up there, I had to scrabble around and found a leftover teabag and a sachet of Coffeemate. I’d woken up freezing and couldn’t even make a decent cup of tea, let alone have breakfast… time to go elsewhere. Third time using Sykes Cottages, very disappointing. On the upside, lovely location.

I was a little worried as the vast difference in reviews.

I can only say that the cottage is amazing. It’s authentic, comfortable, spotlessly clean and has an excellent kitchen with everything needed. It is animal friendly, could not tell any dogs had been in. Enjoyed the local cats greeting me as came and left. Putting on the heated blanket before bed and sleeping in the cool bedroom made for amazing sleep. I was able to travel different directions to see Cashel, Limerick, some of County Cork and even a calf auction in the next town. I also had a few quiet days in. The fire place is a central part of living area and had it going each day which provided lots of hot water with the boiler system. Betty pops over to ensure everything is as needed. I absolutely adored the cottage, and can’t wait to come back, love to bring friends to enjoy it with me.

Very nice cosy place!

Also very functional house and so acceptable price in this crazy accommodation Ireland world :) Dog friendly! Thank you Betty!

Steepe’s place was exactly as described in the listing.

It is a traditional cottage in the countryside and is managed by Betty, who is very sweet. We had several feline visitors (outside of the house) so if you enjoy cats then you’ll have some furry friends here! The cottage itself is fairly bare bones but had everything we needed. The electricity is pay as you go, we made sure to have 1 and 2 euro coins handy and it was never really an issue. The beds are firm and are equipped with heated blankets which were great on the chilly nights. We were able to do a load of laundry (you will have to line dry) and never had issues with the WiFi. I would definitely stay here again. Good for those on a budget who don’t mind a little driving.

Unfortunately we were very disappointed with the accommodation, no welcome pack was provided, so after a long day travelling we had to then travel to find a shop and get necessities.

The bed was very hard and uncomfortable The sheets were too small for the bed The quilt was too heavy plus too small The bathroom is way too far from the bedroom, being downstairs the far side of the kitchen. Not the cleanest, dust and cobwebs Very dated and needs attention in several areas of the house People walking onto the property and left gates open which I was not happy with as I've rented the whole property and had my dogs with me so this was dangerous for my dogs. We've stayed a few sykes properties with no problem at all.

Lovey adorable cottage set in beautiful country side- yes things are a bit dated however it is over 400 yrs old- good base to travel Southern parts of Eire and handovers really easy.

Only down side was couldn’t work out hot water to wash up but just filled kettle and only one knife (bread one at that) so made chopping fun and won’t stop us returning in future- lovely and quite.

The property was very tired, equipment out dated, things would break when used, eg scissors, kettle switch, shower head fell off, the bath filled up via a hole where the shower attachment should be!

!!!,not through the tap. However, the location was good for getting about, Betty the care taker was lovely. For £300 a week you can’t grumble and so so quiet. Never slept as well.

We absolutely loved our stay, the bed was so comfortable and we had everything we needed.

Betty was great, and it was helpful to know she was close by if we needed anything. There is a coin operated electricity meter which takes 1 and 2 euro coins. We used about 8 euros in total for a week. We would definitely stay here again if we return to the area.

The cottage is very reasonably priced so we didn't expect 4 star facilities.

It is though a bit basic. Pros.. Very quiet and peaceful Beautiful location Very helpful and friendly lady (Betty) who looks after the place Clean Lovely log fire Cons... Tricky to locate, especially after dark. A name on the cottage would help Take your own sharp knife for the kitchen No colander or sieve in the kitchen Bathroom a bit of a hike from the bedroom In cold weather, the place is slow to heat, even with the boiler and central heating Advance warning in the listings that you need euro coins for electricity would be a good idea Summary... Value for (not a lot of) money

Lovely host(dropped down extra firewood) and lovely cottage , Nice and quiet.

Open fire , peace and quiet and lovely surroundings. Will be back !

We had a nice 2 weeks peaceful and quiet Betty was wonderful and very nice house was lovely and clean everything you need was there I would have no hesitation in recommending this house to my friend's and family I would like to thank Betty and the owners for their kindness

It had everything we needed.

Nothing we can complain about. Thanks Steve & Amy.

Property was in a lovely, quiet and safe location.

It was ideal for a few days of sightseeing as there is so much to see and visit within a short drive. House is spotlessly clean with everything you could possibly need for a holiday. Everything worked as it should and the quality of all items was excellent. We travelled with our Dog, who loved the enclosed yard and garden and had a ball playing with the neighbors cats. I would recommend you bring throws or blankets to put on sofa and chairs. Betty the caretaker, who lives near by was so lovely and pleasant to deal with.

A lovely traditional Irish cottage with everything you need for a comfortable stay.

We enjoyed our stay. It would have been nice to have some outside furniture so we could sit out Also the electricity meter needs €1 and €2 coins so make sure you have some when you arrive.

We had a lovely stay very clean and warm Betty was lovely and very welcoming she couldn't do enough for us owner was very nice.

We got nice weather and was nice to go walking with dog I will recommend to my friends I would like to thank Betty and the owner.

Surprisingly spacious, adequately comfortable, well equipped, genuinely retro and quaint.

I know I’m fussy about beds, but the mattresses would definitely benefit from a topper! We were there in hot weather, and it did get very warm upstairs suggesting that it isn’t very well insulated and would be expensive to heat in winter. The yard was safe enough for our dog, but it is just a concreted farmyard with no grass. Overall it was good value and a lovely quiet situation close to some good walks.

Probably the worst Sykes cottage we have stayed at!

! arrived on the Saturday as planned only to be told they weren't expecting us until Monday. hence the cottage had not been properly prepared, i.e. it had not been aired and was damp and as the keyholder said they normally heat the cottage through no heating had been arranged

Beautiful place with gorgeous original features.

Nice and quiet with fab views and lovely area to walk. Betty is lovely and helpful. Great onsite amenities. Loads of space. But the cold of the house is unreal. It is never adequately heated. Oil is charged extra to the person staying there. Nobody pays it and so the walls are ice cold there, doors stick, hard to feel warmth there. I lit fire and burnt coal and blocks but you would find it hard to feel the heat from it. Water came out of walls. Smoky smell in the living room. Oil heating and electricity should not be charged extra. It's not cheap to stay here.

We had a fantastic time really very nice place and lovely people could not ask for anything better everything supplied beds was very comfortable and very clean and very cosy house Betty was fantastic went above and beyond could not do enough she is fantastic and very friendly it was really great to meet her I will be returning

This was a lovely place in the middle of Irish country side.

Many locations to visit around. Host is lovely and accommodation itself was brilliant, you have everything you need there for self-catering

Great feeling of old Irish touch.

200 years old building, open fireplace. It was a relaxing time to stay. And very friendly and helpful owners

Water leak bedroom window .

fuel cost electric and heating oil have pay cash

The additional costs added for electricity and heating are excessive and came as a shock at the end of our week.

warnings should be made to future renters.

We had a great holiday at Steepes Place.

Its the kind of authentic old cottage we love but beautifully clean and with everything you would need. Betty & her husband were amazing hosts & even brought down a mattress, from their own home, to put on the sofa bed so that my dad could sleep downstairs ! The bedrooms upstairs were lovely & the beds were so comfortable. It is in a great location for visiting lots of attractions but so peaceful if you just want some quiet time. Would definitely go back in the future. Betty keep up the good work as you are doing a great job.

Kept clean and overall a comfortable stay.

The one issue is with the bathroom - It's about as far from the bedroom as you can get, not ideal for those nighttime trips! The shower is a disappointing trickle. Kitchen facilities are good with everything you need and in good condition.

Had a really good time and Betty the key holder was very helpful and a lovely woman.

Totally bombarded with emails from yourselves from time of booking which made looking for relevant emails to what we had actually booked long and complicated