FAQ
What is included in the rental?
Westcove House: Electricity, gas, bedding, towels, fuel for wood-burning stove and open fire, light housework 3 times a week, and WiFi.
For more information for visitors renting Westcove House (and The Stables and/or Garden Cottage when rented by the same group) please see Information for Visitors
The Stables: Electricity, gas, bedding, towels, starter pack of fuel for open fire and WiFi.
Garden Cottage: Electricity (including underfloor heating), bedding, towels, starter pack of fuel for wood-burning stove and WiFi.
Pier Cottage – West End: Electricity, bedding, towels, starter pack of fuel for wood-burning stove and WiFi.
Pier Cottage – East End: Electricity, bedding, towels, starter pack of fuel for open fire, and WiFi.
The following are provided in all properties:- Hairdryers in all bedrooms, Toilet rolls, soap and ‘hair and body gel’ in all bathrooms. In the kitchens:- household cleaning materials – dishcloths, kitchen rolls, washing up liquid and dishwasher tablets. Guests will also find cooking oil, salt and pepper and a starter supply of coffee, tea and sugar.
Where is the nearest shop?
Brendan O’Leary’s in Castlecove is 1.5k (5 minutes drive away). Brendan is open from 9am-8pm, Monday to Saturday and 9.30-6.30 on Sundays. He is well stocked with basic provisions. There are good food shops in Sneem (15k east) and Waterville (15k west), a choice of supermarkets in Kenmare and Caherciveen, each 45 minutes drive away and 2 very large Tescos, just over an hour’s drive away in Killarney. There are also branches of Lidl and Aldi in Kenmare and Killarney. Details of food shops you will pass ‘en route’ are included with the Direction Information you will be sent on receipt of your balance payment. Unfortunately none of them yet deliver to Westcove but Katherine will always stock up before your arrival (See Catering. There are a few gifts/clothes shops in Sneem and Waterville but Kenmare is renowned for its excellent shopping facilities and a very good street market on Wednesdays.
Where is the nearest pub?
There is a small, very traditional Irish pub in Castlecove 1.5k, known as the ‘Black Shop’, however, there is an excellent pub in Caherdaniel, about 4k west – “The Blind Piper” which is especially recommended for its tasty selection of home-cooked food, and its live music sessions on Thursday evenings. There are many other pubs and restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets, See Eating Out. You will also find a current list of these, with sample menus, on your arrival.
Where is the nearest bank?
There are branches of Bank of Ireland and Allied Irish Bank in Kenmare and Caherciveen – both 45 minutes drive from Westcove. Most shops, pubs, restaurants and petrol stations accept Visa/Mastercard, although not always American Express. It is advisable to have a reasonable amount of Euros with you in cash, as although there are ATMs (cash machines) situated in Waterville and Sneem – 20 minutes drive away, they all have a maximum withdrawal limit of only €120 per transaction (although you can do more than one transaction per visit) A visitor once wrote in our Guest Book, ”Do advise your tenants that in Kerry Cash is King”!
Where is a good place to buy wine and spirits?
We do not stock any alcohol on the premises, as we are not licensed to do so. However, there is quite a good selection of wine available in local stores. If you are a large group taking advantage of our Catering Options we suggest you contact Alain Bras, the co-proprietor of AC Wine Merchants and Shop on Henry Street in Kenmare, Co. Kerry. Alain Bras is a Multi-Award Winning Sommelier (Wine Captain), Wine Importer and Lecturer. If you have any questions about your Wine/Champagne requirements please just ask Alain! Alain is always adding to his stock so he will have additional wines available as well as what is on the website. Delivery to Westcove House can be arranged. You can contact them on: +353 (0) 64 664 0694, info@acwine.ie, or visit their website www.acwine.ie. With regard to spirits, prices in Ireland are quite high so we suggest you bring your own if possible, or pick up from duty-free en route.
What transport is available?
There is virtually no public transport in the area. The nearest train station is in Killarney, over an hour’s drive away. In the summer there are occasional buses from Cork and Killarney to Kenmare, but you really do need to hire a car, readily available from all airports, to enjoy this scenic but fairly remote area and its many attractions. There are however, local taxis and minibuses to take you anywhere – to and from local pubs/restaurants, golf courses or indeed on sightseeing day trips all around the Ring of Kerry. See Tour Guides.
Taxi rates vary but here follows approximate costs in 2022 for airport runs: from Kerry airport is around €125, one from Cork is about €190, and one from Shannon would be approximately €300. Katherine Casey can advise you if you need any of these services. There is a taxi service based in Sneem, Berty and Margaret Christian on +353 (0) 64 6645116 or +353 (0) 86 3506397.
Is there internet access?
Yes. Wifi is now available in all the properties, it is included in the rental and no passwords are needed. The standard speeds are 6MBs download and 1MBs upload. If for some business reason you wish to have greater bandwidth for a week or longer, this can be done for a small fee depending on requirement. For the extra bandwidth please email tsweeney@gmail.com at least 48 hrs in advance, specifying date of arrival and in which property/ properties you would like the increased bandwidth. The additional cost can be paid via bank or credit cards.
If you experience a problem with the WiFi please send a text message to +353 (0) 870629897 indicating what the problem is and also providing the name of the property.
Can you recommend a good tour guide for the area?
Kerry Experience Tours, run by a charming Dutchman, Gerrit, based locally in Sneem, has been highly recommended by recent tenants as being a very knowledgeable guide, great company and an excellent driver. He can take any number from 2–6 in a car and up to 16 in his minibus. Gerrit has many options for different sightseeing trips in the area including a full day Ring of Kerry tour. Please take a look at his Tours Brochure, and his Brochure for Westcove Visitors. Click here to see the Trip Advisor reviews.
web: www.kerryexperiencetours.ie
email: info@kerryexperiencetours.ie
phone: +353 (0) 862554098
Sean O’Shea is based locally in Caherdaniel and is proving to be a very popular tour guide, especially with our American visitors. ‘Seano’ – as he likes to be called – also offers taxi and minibus services – to and from airports, golf courses etc.
web: www.seanosbus.com
email: sheilaseano2@hotmail.com
phone: +353 (0) 872069471
Are dogs welcome?
Yes, usually we are happy to welcome 1 or 2 well behaved (!) dogs, especially at Pier Cottage and Westcove House… but please be aware that if we have agreed to have dogs in one end of Pier Cottage, we will regrettably have to refuse a later request to bring dogs to the other end during the same period. The same applies to The Stables and Garden Cottage, if someone has already ‘booked a dog’ into Westcove House. We would be grateful if owners could keep their dogs off the furniture and out of the bedrooms. There are wonderful dog walks nearby, especially on the dunes at Derrynane. On hill walks, please keep your dogs well under control as there are lots of sheep around – and of course lambs in spring.
How are the houses heated?
Westcove House, and The Stables have zoned gas central heating operated by time switches. Garden Cottage has underfloor (electric) heating in the living areas and electric wall heaters in the bedrooms. Both ends of Pier Cottage have electric wall heaters in all rooms.
In addition all properties have electric ‘storage heaters’, and there is an electric heated towel rail in every bath/shower room.
Electricity – and gas – is included in the rental of all properties.
In addition to the above, there is either an open fire, or a wood burning stove in every property – not needed so much for extra ‘heat’, as for extra ‘atmosphere’!
Fuel for the above is all included in the rental of Westcove House, The Stables, and/or Garden Cottage, when rented together by the same group. However, for tenants of both ends of Pier Cottage, and for those staying at The Stables, and Garden Cottage, when let separately, only a ‘starter pack’ of fuel is supplied, but additional packs of turf briquettes are readily available locally.
Are there cots/cribs available for all the properties?
Yes – please discuss with Katherine as some bedrooms have more space than others. High chairs and toddler toys are also available on request.
Do you have any special advice for visitors from the US?
Yes. (please click here)