Wisteria House

What a brilliant little place to stay, away from the big citys and for a quick recharge of your batteries. The house is extremely well maintained and renovated, the bedrooms a large and bright with excellent beds for a good night sleep. Arte and Albert could have not done more for us during our stay (including special requests for breakfast as one of us is celiac, the home made gluten free scones had been one of the best which we had in a long time). The recommendations for dinner / lunch and cliff walks had been spot one. If we should return in to the neighborhood we sure will try to stay with Arte and Albert again.

This is such a wonderful B&B - clean, beautifully styled room, comfortable bed. Exquisite breakfast, particular mention to delicious scrambled egg and smoked salmon. What makes this B&B exceptional is the warmth and hospitality of Arte and Albert. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and chats! Hopefully we will be back for another Ballymaloe Cookery class - your beautiful B&B is perfect for any prospective attendees.

My wife and I attended a family wedding in Ireland in the latter part of August, and it was a true Irish wedding - the festivities began days before the ceremony, and continued well after it was over. We knew that we were going to have to find a place for four nights' stay, and relied on Trip Advisor's ratings to guide our selection. We focused on Wisteria House, in part because it was near the site where all the festivities were to take place, and in part because of the very positive ratings given Wisteria House by Trip Advisor reviewers. I assumed the rave reviews I read were a little overdone, so I was inclined to take them with a grain of salt. Little did I know that the reviews had understated the quality of our stay in Cloyne. First, the village (and it is that) is a charming, old place, steeped in history. There are still structures there that date back at least 1,000 years. But it is small - if you are looking for funky nightlife, you might need to stay in a big city. But if you are looking to explore off the beaten track a bit, then Cloyne is a wonderful hub for those adventures. Wisteria House is located on Rock Street, one of the main streets in the village. The front of the inn blends in with the surroundings, and except for the understated sign, you would not know it's there. We parked on the street the whole time we were there - there is no other on-site parking - but never had a moment's problem, and were able to come and go as we wished. The entrance door is locked, but there is a doorbell to alert the hosts that we were there. We were greeted at the door by one of them, and rarely have been met with more genuine warmth. The guest rooms are accessed by a curved stairway, and there are motion sensors on the overhead lights to assure that the hallways are lit when you need them. Each room is eclectic - all have different layouts, each is furnished with varying styles, but each has its own charm. Ours had a large bedroom, with a sitting area, and then a spacious dressing area separated from the bedroom, with a bathroom featuring one of the world's greatest showers. We completely unpacked for our stay, and were glad we did. This is not the kind of place you need to live out of a suitcase. The room had many pleasant touches - a hot water pot, with china cups and saucers and a selection of coffee or teas, a water bottle and glasses, wifi, a flat screen tv, etc., but everything meshes with the decor. We found the whole room to be absolutely comfortable, and slept like logs every night in a very comfortable bed. We were given a set of keys - one for our room and one for the front door, so we could come and go as we pleased - but we rarely locked our room, and our trust was never violated. The place is very, very quiet - the only time we realized other people were there was at breakfast. And breakfast was a revelation that we looked forward to it every day. Most of it is homemade, and there is a note in the brochure that, whenever possible, the ingredients are locally sourced and organic. There were variations on a theme on the sideboard - local brown bread (fantastic), homemade scones (the best I ever tasted), yogurt (homemade, and incredible), with a wide variety of fruit, either fresh or as a compote, together with a selection of cereals, along with orange juice, and tea or coffee that is brought to the table. The star of the show, though, is the hot choice that follows - a variety of egg dishes that are selected from a menu, and each of which is of gormet quality. I did the spinach and feta cheese omelet, my wife chose the scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, and they were melt-in-your-mouth good. We ate so heartily that we never needed lunch. The chef - our hostess - includes herbs from her own garden behind the inn, and made a pot of mint tea for my wife ... with real, fresh-picked mint. It's true that there are limited dining options in Cloyne. It is a village, after all, but there are a couple of perfectly serviceable restaurants in town, and Midleton, about five miles away, has first rate restaurants. One thing's for certain, though, you're not going to leave Wisteria House hungry in the morning. This is a family-run business, and the hosts are lovely people - warm, friendly, extraordinarily helpful, and generous. One tip: Never, under any circumstances, turn down Albert's offer of directions when you leave to visit the neighboring sites. Our GPS took us on a roundabout route, with many turns on narrow, twisting country lanes that nearly wore us out. Albert gave us concise, clear directions for a much more direct route that allowed us to actually enjoy the drive. All in all, if you plan spend a few days in the Cork Ring - and you should - then do yourself a favor and stay at Wisteria House. You will not regret it. We're already anticipating a return visit. …

We spent 14 nights for our first visit to Ireland. Travelling from Rosslare and following the Wild Atlantic Trail, to Northern Ireland before heading down the east coast, we spent our first night at Wisteria House. We were given a warm welcome and shown to 'The Blue Room' which was lovely with great view at the front overlooking the street but with view of hills above the properties opposite. The bed was definitely the most comfortable one of our trip with lovely crisp bedding and really deep mattress. Breakfast the next morning also topped the others with good selection on the buffet table, delicious cooked breakfast and scones straight from the oven. Highly recommended!

We stayed for one night on a trip to east Cork.I haven't stayed in too many B&Bs but this was by far the best I have. The welcome was warm and check in very friendly. The room was fresh, clean and up to date. Breakfast was fresh and cooked to order.