Rowandale cottage on the Wild Atlantic Way

Entire cottage in Kenmare, Ireland

  1. 2 guests
  2. 1 bedroom
  3. 1 bed
  4. 1 bath
Hosted by Jan
  1. Superhost
  2. 5 years hosting

Listing highlights

Top 1% of homes

This home is one of the highest ranked based on ratings, reviews, and reliability.

Exceptional check-in experience

Recent guests gave the check-in process a 5-star rating.

Peace and quiet

Guests say this home is in a quiet area.
Rowandale Cottage is uniquely placed on the Wild Atlantic Way where the Kerry Way and Beara Way meet, just outside the bustling town of Kenmare. The surrounding area is filled with diverse hiking routes, forests and white sandy beaches. The cottage was recently built, with a fully fitted kitchen, adjacent to a comfortable seating area and a small, yet fully fitted bathroom. On the first floor is a cosy living room and bedroom with a stunning view down the valley.

The space
Rowandale Cottage has its own private patio, parking space and entrance which creates private space to enjoy the peaceful surroundings.

Rowandale Cottage and Rowandale House (where Jan and Shirley live) share a large courtyard. In the courtyard there is a little sun-trap where the bbq and another seating area has been set up to enjoy.

If you enjoy a fresh fish bbq it is highly recommend to get a fresh Salmon or Monkfish at the local fish stall on Wednesdays or Fridays, perfect for bbq'ing if the weather turns out well. Also don't miss Kenmare's well known Wednesday Market with fresh local vegetable, food and craft stalls.

A small part of the Cottage is private and has been devoted to Shirley's natural skincare products for her mother-daughter run business called Lanolia.

You will see many medicinal herbs, vegetables and bee-pollinator flowers growing around in the garden-farm surrounding Rowandale Cottage, as Jan is an avid horticulturist and teaches Organic Horticulture as well.

Guest access
You will need a car or bicycle to visit Rowandale Cottage and enjoy the surrounding areas.

It takes around 10 minutes by car to reach Rowandale Cottage from the nearest town, Kenmare. Ballygriffin, the road on which Rowandale garden-farm is located, is narrow and steep, so you will need to take your time. Only 1 car can pass at a time, so you may need to reverse to the closest lay-by.

You can park beside Rowandale Cottage. A large courtyard which sits between Rowandale Cottage and Rowandale House gives plentiful parking.

Other things to note
Rowandale Cottage and Rowandale House are located on a peaceful mountainside garden-farm, 5km from Kenmare and half way up a cul-de-sac road called Ballygriffin. This road ends in a horseshoe shaped valley.

The Ballygriffin road is only used by our neighbours, and the occasional tourist, it is a small, single lane road that curves up the valley and provides a lovely walking opportunity on your very doorstep.

Even though you will need a car or bicycle to get around the area, you can walk all the way down into Kenmare town from Rowandale, the majority of the walk is either our quiet road, or a footpath as you enter the town. There is only a short 100m stretch of main road that you have to walk without a footpath.
Walking back up to the cottage can be strenuous as it is rather steep at the beginning, so it is more suited to those who enjoy a good hike.

Kenmare town is situated 10mins drive from Rowandale, it a quaint and bustling town in the summer months. It is well known for its high quality restaurants, vibrant street market, colourful houses, as well as the nature in the region.

When the sun shines, it is absolute paradise. When it rains (and that it does often) there are some lovely sheltered gardens and forests to walk through.

Where you’ll sleep

What this place offers

Valley view
Mountain view
Kitchen
Wifi
Free parking on premises
Unavailable: Carbon monoxide alarm

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Rated 4.99 out of 5 from 67 reviews.

Guest favorite
This home is in the top 1% of eligible listings based on ratings, reviews, and reliability

Overall rating

  1. 5 stars, 99% of reviews
  2. 4 stars, 1% of reviews
  3. 3 stars, 0% of reviews
  4. 2 stars, 0% of reviews
  5. 1 stars, 0% of reviews

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for cleanliness

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for accuracy

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for check-in

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for communication

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for location

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for value

Guest reviews mention

Where you’ll be

Kenmare, County Kerry, Ireland

Rowandale Cottage and Rowandale House are located on a peaceful mountainside garden-farm, 5km from Kenmare and half way up a cul-de-sac road called Ballygriffin. This road ends in a horseshoe shaped valley.

The Ballygriffin road is only used by our neighbours, and the occasional tourist, it is a small, single lane road that curves up the valley and provides a lovely walking opportunity on your very doorstep.

Kenmare town is a quaint and bustling town in the summer months. It is well known for its quality restaurants and colourful streets, as well as the nature in the region.

Kenmare is uniquely placed in landscape, the town sits at the head of Kenmare Bay, where the river Roughty meets the sea. The name Kenmare is the anglicised form of Ceann Mara, meaning "head of the sea", referring to the head of Kenmare Bay.
The town is nestled into the surrounding hillsides that lead up to the McGillicuddy Reeks. Kenmare is called Neidín in Irish, meaning "little nest".

Kenmare is almost on the very south-west tip of Ireland, on a crossroads, where the Ring of Kerry/Kerry Way meets the Beara Way. Both of these peninsulas are on the scenic Wild Atlantic Way, which is one of the longest coastal routes in the world.

This unique location of Rowandale Cottage on both the Kerry Way and the Beara Way gives you direct access to some of the most spectacular hiking trails and off-trail mountain hikes in Ireland. Both the Iveragh and Beara peninsulas both have spectacular micro-climates, giving you a wide choice of beaches, forests, mountains, lakes and more.

Meet your host

Superhost
67 reviews
4.99 out of 5 average rating
5 years of hosting
Born in the 50s
My work: Photographer, Organic Horticulturist, Hiking Tour Guide
I am a hiking guide, organic horticulture teacher and photography enthusiast. I can't wait to show you the amazing place we have built for you. Rowandale House and Cottage are located just outside Kenmare on the very west tip of Ireland on a crossroads on the Wild Atlantic Way, where the Ring of Kerry meets the Beara peninsula giving us direct access to some of the most spectacular hiking trails and off-trail mountain hikes in Ireland. I have a long history of hiking in the Kerry mountains. Once upon a time I was part of the mountain rescue in Kerry. Saving lost souls in the endless hills. I am an official hiking guide, and run our hiking business Wild Atlantic Walking Tours – wawt.ie What I enjoy most these days, is taking hikers out to some of my favourite photography spots to be able to give hikers a memory of a lifetime. Beside photography and hiking I am an Organic Horticulture Teacher at secondary school level. These last few years I have initiated many projects in bee-pollinator flower growing to encourage kids and adults to take more care of the delicate biodiversity ecosystems around them. If you are interested in seeing our gardens, or my wife and daughter's skincare business Lanolia we can't wait to give you a tour around our gardens.

Jan is a Superhost

Superhosts are experienced, highly rated hosts who are committed to providing great stays for guests.

Co-hosts

  • Karin
  • Shirley

Host details

Response rate: 100%
Responds within an hour
To help protect your payment, always use Airbnb to send money and communicate with hosts.

Things to know

Cancellation policy
House rules
Check-in after 3:00 PM
Checkout before 10:00 AM
2 guests maximum
Safety & property
Carbon monoxide detector not required
Smoke alarm
Not suitable for children and infants