Clare

Maybe my favourite B&B in Ireland - Waters Country House

Waters Country House, Ballyvaughan, Co Clare

Sometimes you do a lot of research on where to stay, agonise over reviews, location and amenities before deciding on your accommodation. It wasn't the case when I had the good fortune to discover Waters Country House.

I just needed a place to stay tomorrow and given the rare burst of good weather in Ireland, there weren't many options, thankfully Waters Country House in Ballyvaughan, County Clare had a room and I quickly booked their last room.

Ballyvaughan

I always liked Ballyvaughan on my previous trips to the Burren & Clare. It gets some tourists, but you still feel like you are in an Irish village, which isn't the case in Doolin, the Mecca for overseas tourists.

Skip Doolin and stay here instead. Trust me.

Ballyvaughan is a waterfront village with a few pubs & coffee shops. You could walk through it in 10 minutes or spend the weekend there. There was a festival feel to it on my afternoon there, the sun changes all moods in Ireland. I watched a hurling game with some locals in the pub before going to Waters Country House.

Waters Country House

I drove down one of those narrow Irish country lanes for a few minutes, then saw an Irish flag and a sign for the Waters. I turned in and immediately knew that I was in for a good stay. The country house was partially covered in ivy, and you could sense the character even from the car. I saw a few entrances and knew I had some exploring to do. This is no modern build.

Reception

In the reception area, I rang the bell per the sign and Wolfgang, the Italian owner, came to greet me. He was very welcoming, told me his background and then said "let me give you a tour" and the house needed a tour. You could get lost here.

The Water Well

The first stop was the spring water well! This was inside the house, I'd heard the trickling of the water but didn't expect a full well inside the house. That was the only water I drank for the next 24 hours. Delicious. I filled my water bottles the next morning before departure.

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The holy well at Waters Country House, Ballyvaughan, Co Clare

The Library

We went upstairs the library, a reading room, which later on had a roaring fire to add to the atmosphere. I spent an hour up here reading before bed. I want to come back in October and spend a whole day of bad weather just reading here.

The Living Room

On the other side of house was a living room. It was paint dark red, you could imagine an opening scene to Dracula being filmed here, but it was soothing, not scary. Later in the evening, there were some guests chatting together over a bottle of wine from the honest bar.

As we did the tour, Wolfgang introduced me to the other guests who were exploring the house themselves. It was a lovely social setting.

The Chapel

Chapel at Waters Country House, Ballyvaughan, Co Clare

I'm not sure that I've stayed in a place with its own chapel before. It was billed as the Quiet Room, don't worry, no one is trying to convert anyone here, it's just a quiet space if you want it. It's in the courtyard with a pond. Every time you turned a corner here, there was something else to see.

The Rooms

Bedroom at Waters Country House, Ballyvaughan, Co Clare

I had a standard twin room. It was definitely not a corporate boring hotel room. The design was similar to the rest of the place and was cool on the hottest day of the year. The bathroom was a good size, with a bathtub. All good and this was the smallest room in the place. I didn't see the mountain view suite but may splurge on that for my next visit.

The Grounds

Fountian at Waters Country House, Ballyvaughan, Co Clare

I went for walk around the grounds. Wolfgang was tending the gardens, the birds were chirping in this rural location,

The Breakfast

Breakfast at Waters Country House, Ballyvaughan, Co Clare

I had an early start because I was off to see the Cliffs of Moher three different ways. Breakfast started at 8, I was there at 7:45 and there was already food out. I devoured the warm, freshly baked brown bread. It was some of the best I've had in Ireland. There was lots of fresh fruit, cereals, yoghurts. For a small hotel, it was impressive.

Wolfgang saw me there early and came out to chat. A very cheerful man. I got the full Irish breakfast, which was excellent. It was my first ever candlelit breakfast!

I chatted to the Australian couple beside me. It was a very social place, the owner, the house, the ambience all contributed to this.