Kinsale is a good base to explore the southern coastal area of Ireland. It's on the R600 road straight from Cork Airport, probably about a 20 minute drive. The map on the B&B website may look a little confusing but it's entirely accurate if you follow it religiously. Also, don't lose faith when you encounter narrow streets thinking they must be one-way - this is Ireland after all and everyone just good-naturedly takes their turn!
The tradeoff of not being in the middle of town is the spectacular view from the B&B's vantage point above the town. Most bedrooms and the breakfast room have stunning views over the river Brandon and town. Walking into town takes about 10-15 minutes but walking back up the hill takes a bit longer! I would suggest driving and making use of the free carpark just on the edge of town, which Margo and family will direct you to.
What makes the Irish B&B experience special is their own brand of hospitality and the ability to make you feel very welcome in their home. A special mention must go to Jamie who gave us our first taste of this famous Irish hospitality and this continued throughout our stay at Landfall.
Our room was large and comfortable complemented by a clean bathroom. The view from our window was fantastic, overlooking the river. The breakfast menu showed variety and big portions such that we didn't eat lunch.
The other gem is to pick Margo's brains as to what to see in the area. Kinsale itself is quite small and the 2 outstanding visitor attractions are Charles Fort (make sure you catch the tours included in the price of entry to bring the place alive) and the boat tour from the harbour. We also used Landfall as a base for the the coastal drive (Margo will tell you about the hidden locals' gems such as Glandore and Gougane Barra) and to visit Blarney.
Food-wise, Kinsale was a slight disappointment, truth be told. There wasn't much variety on the restaurant menus and a surprising lack of seafood choices. Once again, Margo came to the rescue by suggesting Hoby's, which provided our favourite meal of the week in Ireland. Their seafood was outstanding. I can personally recommend the oysters (the waitress was kind enough to negotiate me a combination of 3 cold and 3 hot oysters as I couldn't decide between them!) and the monkfish wrapped in smoked salmon in a roasted red pepper sauce. Dino's on the waterfront povides outstanding value and tastyt fish and chips.
Landfall House is a great B&B in a great location with great hospitality. read more