The Thatched Cottage B&B

I've lived in Ireland for 43 years and I've never felt more unwelcome in anyone's home, particularly when were paying for it. We were met at 1pm by the owner in a dressinggown, despite her expecting us. We were told that, after our booking direct by email for Euro 130 B&B, someone had used Booking dot com to book the same room but that we could have a family room for Euro 150 B&B if we still wanted to stay. We had been travelling that morning and knew all the hotels in/around Galway were already booked due to race meetings, my travelling companion is elderly and was very tired and I wanted to be able to drop him off at the accommodation and continue exploring, so we had little choice and hoped for the best. When I returned from my explorations the owner was doing some work on the patio and didn't even look up to acknowledge me, despite my friendly greeting. Nor did the mother/mother-in-law (who happened to come out) so much as say hello or smile. There were three lovely dogs, which was really the nicest thing about the overnight stay. The full Irish breakfast, made by the owner's mother, was good. We didn't see the owner until we were checking out at 11.30am and again, she was still in a dressinggown. There are photos of lounge and dining areas in the advertising but we were not invited to use them. You are basically paying for the room only, no living areas, and the atmossphere was definitely frosty if not downright hostile - it seems they want your money but they don't want you there at all. IMHO, the owners' lack of friendliness and any kind of 'welcoming' indicates they are not suited to running a B&B. There is a good pub close by called Peggy's Bar, Lounge & Restaurant that does excellent food and had a friendly and lively atmosphere. We were delighted to be able to escape to it for an evening meal and some respite. I would advise anyone thinking of staying at The Thatched Cottage to read the rather awful replies to any of the negative reviews on Booking (and to take notice of them - I wish we had seen them before booking!). Our experience was so bad that it has put us both off ever staying in a B&B again.

I stayed for 2 nights with Caroline, beautiful home, lovely hosts and super breakfast, quiet location, Caroline made me so welcome, lots of towels, storage space, all the usuals in the spacious room, a quaint property, I loved my stay and am looking forward to my next stay