I'm just back from my holiday in Ireland, the last two nights of which were spent at the Railway Lodge, which I highly recommend. The house itself is situated off the main road, down a country lane, and is blissfully free from any traffic/urban noise!

We were greeted by the owner with a very welcome tray of tea and delicious home-baking - a personal touch I vastly appreciated. The guest areas are well-stocked with local menus, tourist attraction information and beautiful hardbacked books on the history and heritage of Connemara. Further, the owner - Carmel - recommended us some beautiful shops in the neaby area stocking very tasteful crafts and souvenirs - not a shamrock or leprichaun in sight! It's this insight that can really help!

The bedroom was beautiful - fresh crisp linen, bountiful soft towels, and all very tastefully decorated. And - bliss - there was no TV in the room! The whole guest house was perfect for reading, relaxing, and appreciating the peace and tranquility of Connemara.

Breakfast was delicious and very filling, with Carmel catering for all tastes (as veggies we'd worried about finding any suitable food but there was loads - fruit salad, yoghurt, free-range eggs, breads, veggie sausage...)...

As you can see, I'd a great time there - it was the perfect end to a really fantastic trip. Plus I'm a stingy Scot and rarely bother to review any hotels I stay in, so this really did have to stand out in order to provoke all my typing!

We stayed at the Railway Lodge in Oughterard, Galway for our first visit to the Irish Coast. Carmel is lovely and we delighted in her fine attention to detail within her beautiful country home. Every effort has been taken to ensure a comfortable stay, the beds were firm with new mattresses, there was superb linen (down duvets and fine sheets), even tissue-lined drawers! The bathrooms were modern and immaculate, the living and bedrooms appear to be straight from a country home magazine - truly high standard accommodation. Ougherard is fairly central to the surrounding area whilst being quiet and peaceful. We loved sitting in the conservatory, sipping tea and reading a book. For very accurate pictures, check out their website. All in all, we highly recommend this B&B for those wanting a quiet, warm stay in a lovingly cared for and modern home with fabulous country decorative touches.