We were on a 17 day trip through Ireland, UK and Scotland and stayed at 9 different hotels right from castles to quaint B&B's; boutique hotels to luxurious 5 star hotels.
We found Seafort purely because of the ratings on booking.com and TripAdvisor. Being a newer place we had our doubts because though the ratings were extremely high, the number of reviews was relatively low. We decided to take a chance anyway and it was the best decision we could have made.
When we got there, it was a bit hard to find because the signage on the road is small and you have to drive down a long road and then a driveway to get down to sea level and to the property. The moment we parked and got out of our car we were blown away by the setting. The property is located right on the water in a little cove that comes inland from the Atlantic Ocean. We immediately noticed the modern, tasteful design of the house and the property in general. There were ducks and swans swimming right outside when you stood on the patio.
We went in and met Siobhan, who is one half of the amazing husband wife duo who own and run the place. After staying in hotels for a few days, this was completely different. Siobhan was so warm and welcoming that there was immediately a sense of comfort and it felt more like you were being invited into the warmth and care of someone's home rather than staying in a paid establishment. She offered us tea and coffee and asked us to relax after the long day of driving. We got talking while we relaxed and sipped our tea which was really nice and again made us feel very comfortable and more at home. Then we met Sean, her husband, who again was equally welcoming and warm. We found out that he's the one who cooks the great breakfasts that many reviewers have written about. They spoke to us about our dinner plans, and not only did they recommend a great place for us to go to in town, they made the reservation and Sean even drove us into town to drop us off at the restaurant. He gave us the number of a taxi company to call when we were ready to come back and even gave us a back-up number of another company just in case. He even gave us a card to show the taxi driver so that he could find the place easily.
Now getting to the room. They gave us a choice of two rooms in the category that we had booked. One room was larger and had regular windows overlooking the sea. But given the setting of this property, we both agreed that we wanted the smaller room that juts out closer to the ocean and has a much more panoramic view of the water because of the extremely large windows. The room was very comfortable and one of the main things that really blew us away was the level of detail that Sean and Siobhan had thought of to make their guests comfortable. We even spoke to them about how well appointed the room was and they said through their experiences in corporate life (which they both left to move to Bantry to start a B&B) and the extensive business travel that they did, they really tried to learn from that and then think of every single detail that would help make their guests as comfortable as possible. I think they definitely succeeded in doing that. The room had bottled water, tea, coffee, bathrobes, slippers, a safe, face wipes, ear buds, a hair dryer, heated towel racks, and the list goes on. I think every hotel we stayed in, including the more luxurious and expensive ones, we always found something was missing. It was either the bottled water, or a safe, or ear buds, or a hair dryer. This is the one place on the whole trip that had every single thing that we could have possibly thought of and wanted while travelling.
I also want to mention that everything they provide is of the highest quality with no expense spared, right from the soap in the bathroom to the body wash to even the paper roll.
And finally, the breakfast. Sean's an excellent cook and this was probably the single best breakfast that we had on the trip. Every ingredient that they used was chosen carefully, locally sourced and of the highest quality. The eggs, the tomatoes, the bacon, the pudding, the fresh orange juice and even their granola, yoghurt & fruit creation, they explained to us were all made from ingredients that were locally sourced, fresh and completely organic. I have to say that the scrambled eggs, just because of the quality of the eggs used and the passion with which they do things, were some of the best I have ever had anywhere in the world.
Overall this was one of the most memorable places we stayed in on our trip. It wasn’t just the quality of the place, the room, the setting, the breakfast, etc. but a large part of it was Sean and Siobhan themselves. They are extremely warm and welcoming and do whatever it takes to make sure that you are comfortable and taken care of.
My recommendation is book this place without thinking twice. There is no way you will end up having regrets. It’s as close to perfect as you can get!
