Warning: This is going to be very cheesy!

Guest: Ronan (Limerick, Ireland)
Date of Stay: 12/12/11 Review Submitted: 01/03/12

Just as daylight broke over the stunning West Cork seascape, and surrounded by rose petals and candles, I asked my girlfriend of 12 years to marry me in the Long House. Thankfully Jane accepted and I could nearly swear that beautiful, old lighthouse light was winking at me in approval. We spent three days in blissful solitude and then had both our families stay for two nights which was an incredible time that will remain forever in our hearts. If you like howling wind and absolute silence, playing board games which nobody cares about winning, warm open fires and cold pints of Guinness, spending countless hours watching seals, dolphins, seagulls and gannets hunt for their dinner while you are contently full from the delicious seafood served in O’Sullivan’s bar in Crookhaven then this special little place is for you. Crookhaven Lighthouse has illumintaed the rugged West Cork coastline since the early 1800’s but will illuminate your soul for eternity! (I warned you it was cheesy!)

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, pet owners, sightseeing, families with young children.

55+ couple from USA

Guest: kirbyty (Dayton, TN USA)
Date of Stay: 11/18/11 Review Submitted: 11/29/11

My husband and I just returned from a week in the Long House, wow! To begin with the lighthouse was everything the website says and more. It is one of the be equiped VRBO we've every been in. We had Thanksgiving Dinner with our niece and family from Ireland. If you want a relaxing time with beautiful views, peace and quiet this is your spot. There is also an opportunity to go exploring in the surrounding country side. Day trips to Ring of Bera is a must and over Healy Pass (not for the faint of heart) breath taking. Thanks again for a memorable time.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, sightseeing.

Heaven on Earth?

Guest: Tim & Eileen (East Hartland, Connecticut / USA)
Date of Stay: 06/19/11 Review Submitted: 07/13/11

This place is unbelievable. Throughout our week's stay, my wife and I would just look at each other, shake our heads and say, "Is this place real?" It is just so beautiful and peaceful....the building...the grounds...the views. The pictures on the site are exactly what you see when you are there. Immaculately maintained, comfortable, quiet, peaceful. The surrounding towns and countryside are something out of a movie...no, a fairy tale. Mizen Head, Barley Cove, The Crookhaven Inn, Tim McCarthy's Butcher Shop in Goleen, Schull, Balleydehob....all are must-see places. Much to do, but if you decided to do nothing but just sit and look out at the water, the birds, boats, Fastnet Light...you wouldn't be disappointed. Thank you for a wonderful place to have a wonderful vacation. We cannot wait to come back again soon

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, sightseeing, families with young children.

Planning Our Return Already!

Guest: Rob & Linda (Carlsbad, CA)
Date of Stay: 06/06/11 Review Submitted: 06/30/11

My wife and I just celebrated our 25th anniversary in Ireland. Our stay at the Crookhaven Lighthouse was the highlight of our trip. We stayed in the longhouse and the pictures simply don't prepare you for how breathtaking and tranquil the setting. Even the drive to the lighthouse provides a sense of adventure. This is a place that captures your heart, soul, and senses and leaves you making plans for your next visit. While the Lighthouse offers all the remote peace and solitude you can ask for, the nearby village of Crookhaven (only 2 km away) provides a storybook Irish pub (O'Sullivan's) in which you can expect a warm welcome and cold pint of Guiness...I highly recommend the open face crab sandwhich! A few doors down, the Crookhaven Inn served some of the best food we experienced in Ireland. In terms of logistics, Aidan and Angelique were wonderful to work with. They were both helpful as we made our plans and incredibly welcoming and responsive upon our arrival. This was simply a wonderful place to enjoy the best of Ireland. If you are planning to spend time in the Southwest of the Emerald Isle, the Crookhaven Lighthouse is a must...you will not be disappointed.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, sightseeing.

Amazing location

Guest: love to travel (Florida)
Date of Stay: 05/24/11 Review Submitted: 06/04/11

We had a wonderful vacation in the Lighthouse. The location and views are unbelievable. We were looking for peace and quiet and found it in Crookhaven. The narrow road leading to the property is not for the faint of heart but it contributes to the isolation. The roadsides were covered in wildflowers, including the famous fuschia. The long house has 2 small bedrooms and one bathroom. The bathrooms had a lot of mold so beware if you have allergies. I highly recommend this property.

Owner response:Many thanks for the five star review. We were sorry to see the reference to ‘mold’. In fact the comment is misconceived. If our guests had mentioned their concerns to us during their stay we could have reassured them that what they had thought was ‘mold’ was in fact ‘efflorescence’. The ground floor walls of the ‘Longhouse’ are 168 years old. For 165 of those years they supported outhouses of the lighthouse (built in 1843 and still operational). Since we rebuilt the outhouses and added the ‘Longhouse’ the marine salts that had accumulated over the years have been slowly emerging from history. Efflorescence often occurs on masonry construction, particularly brick, when water moving through a wall brings salts to the surface that are not commonly bound as part of the cement stone. As the water evaporates, it leaves the salt behind, which forms a white, fluffy deposit, that can normally be brushed off. The resulting white deposits are referred to as ‘efflorescence’ and have nothing in common with ‘mold’. Following the departure of guests we regularly brush down any traces of salt deposits which may have emerged . Allergy sufferers (and the owner is one) have nothing to fear whatsoever and efflorescence does not have any implications for them.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, age 55+, sightseeing.

An amazing retreat

Guest: hilda (cork, Ireland)
Date of Stay: 10/09/10 Review Submitted: 11/02/10

I was looking for a place with spectacular sea views, instead I was engulfed and mesmerised by the sights, sounds and atmosphere of the sea: the constant breaking of wave on rock below the window; the smell and feel of the sea breeze; now and then at my feet, seals popping their heads up to look about; Gannets kamikaze diving for the fish below; the other regulars (gulls, shags and fishermen’s boats) passing by or stopping to fish; quiet, peaceful, lovely calm; really tremendous sunrises over Cape Clear, from the comfort of a living room armchair! On my last 2 days in the house I also had the pleasure of the sight of about 30-40 dolphins jumping around in my sea view! They came from the direction of Toormore bay right up to the foot of the Longhouse and spent their time circling around from there to the Alderman sound or into Crookhaven or back again into the bay. I went in mid October and was very lucky with the weather, it was sunny and warm! A very relaxing base for a yoga retreat and plenty of walks nearby or a short drive away. The Three Castle Head walk was one of my highlights, though the castles themselves are in ruins the lake beside them makes the whole scene seem magical as if belonging to the faeries in a Yeats poem. There are walks up to the headlands on both sides of the castles, which also have stunning views of the bays on either side. The light kept changing as it does, with every sunrise and every walk over the beautiful rugged west cork coastline and my amateur pocket digital camera (conservatively due to fading battery) managed to take over 250 great photographs in just 5 of the 7 days I was there! Some evenings I enjoyed seeing what seemed like the reflection of the sunset in the eastern skyscape, from Mount Gabriel to Cape Clear, this alone was such a lovely sight that on the last evening I resolved to go to Brow head in the hope of catching the sunset directly. I did and again it was an amazing evening with a beautiful sky as I watched the sun set over the sea with the Mizen in view, trying to squeeze the last few photographs out of my almost exhausted camera (don’t forget your charger like I did!). The house has everything you need for comfort, self-catering, and entertainment systems, DVD’s, books, even an iPod docking station, open fire and umbrellas which thankfully I did not need! The caretakers are very accommodating, the house is well organised with all the info on local amenities, activities an

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guarantee You Won't Be Disappointed!

Guest: Caitríona (Dublin)
Date of Stay: 08/29/10 Review Submitted: 10/13/10

For anyone looking for a break from reality and a slice of West Cork bliss then this is the place. We stayed here for a fabulous week this summer and felt like we had had been on another planet. The peace and quiet is incredible and the outstanding view of the Fastnet Lighthouse from the LongRoom make it feel like being a float a cruiser. There are loads of great suggestions for walks and meals in the housebook and the LongRoom is the perfect space for hanging out day or night.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, families with young children.

Can you keep a secret?

Guest: laniegreen (Leeds)
Date of Stay: 12/23/09 Review Submitted: 05/29/10

I'm awfully tempted to write a terrible review of The Lighthouse, simply so people won't go and we can have it all to ourselves. I'm worried that if I tell you how unbelievably peaceful the area is, or how breathtaking the views are, that the place will get booked up and we won't get another booking slot. But in fact our secret is out, as I haven't shut up about the place since we went last winter. Everyone I know has marveled at our pictures and descriptions but second hand accounts just can't do it justice. Yes, there are dolphins swimming around the house. Yes, the house itself is great - we didn't venture outside for two days, just relaxing and enjoying the scenery from the panoramic windows. Find it on Google earth! The remoteness may not be for everyone but wanted for nothing while we were there. So now you know, let's just keep it between you and me and if anyone asks, tell 'em it's dreadful.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing.

One of the best!

Guest: Kenny01 (Dublin)
Date of Stay: 05/14/10 Review Submitted: 05/17/10

We stayed in the Lighthouse property for a week in August '09.Although we've been coming to the area for about twenty years,and thought we had experienced everything this part of west Cork had to offer,we now know otherwise.The "stunning location" bit gets bandied about a lot but in this case it only hints at the truth.For these views you might put up with less than luxurious accomodation,but guess what,they've got this cracked as well. Stunning location and accommodation. We recommend highly...

Recommended for:Girls getaway, adventure seekers, sightseeing.

A Truly Outstanding Property, I Love It & Would Return Anytime

Guest: Northfield (Aby, Alford, Lincolnshire)
Date of Stay: 01/16/10 Review Submitted: 05/08/10

We have stayed at the Longhouse twice now and thoroughly enjoyed each visit. The location is wonderful, the property very well maintained and clean. Aidan and Angelique could not have been more welcoming or helpful and I would wholeheartedly recommend this as an outstanding holiday property. Those are the facts, the rest comes from the heart. I love this place. We chose to holiday during the late autumn and early winter and on each occasion we found the place to be utterly peaceful, tranquil, beautiful and refreshing for the body and the spirit. The house has all the facilities we have come to expect from really good holiday property, plus lots of very thoughtful extras. Rock Island is splendid, and the view from the Longhouse living room is amazing, ever changing seas and skies and Fastnet on the horizon. We saw seals and dolphins in the waters very close to the house, every day was a delight. Crookhaven village has the most marvellous, welcoming pub - O'Sullivan's where you are always sure of a warm, Irish welcome and delicious bar food. The seafood chowder is especially wonderful and is served with Soda Bread. Right next to the pub is a very handy village store. Goleen is a couple of miles away in the opposite direction and that has a couple of village stores, one of which is also the village post office, a butchers, fruit & vegetable shop, a couple of pubs and a very good restaurant. The local beaches are wonderful. Everyone raves about Barleycove beach, and it is beautiful, but I prefer Galley Cove beach which is much smaller but has the most amazing turquoise rocks which have been sculpted by nature and the tides into fabulous forms. The walk up the hill next to Galley Cove is challenging - but worth it for the views, I promise you won't be disappointed. This corner of Ireland is without doubt one of the nicest places in the world, the people are so friendly, the scenery is magnificent and it is so steeped in history that you will find that you need more than one holiday to really do it justice.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, sightseeing.