I realize I’ve been writing about Ireland for many days now, but I promised some people in the local Facebook group that I would post a review of our stay at The Water’s Edge, a self catering cottage in County Sligo, Ireland.

I found The Water’s Edge on Booking.com about a month ago, when I was searching for a place to stay in County Donegal.  As it turns out, The Water’s Edge is in Sligo, but I decided to book it because it’s literally yards away from the Atlantic Ocean.  I was also very impressed by the price of the cottage, which was 440 euros for five nights (plus heating and electricity).

Besides being in a prime location, The Water’s Edge is right next to The Beach Bar, which is a great place to have a pint as well as learn how to surf!  At this time of year, The Beach Bar only offers food three nights a week.  We were also told that the bar will be closing for about six months while extensive renovations are done.  We feel fortunate that we were able to check it out when we were visiting.  It’s a really neat little place.

Once I booked the cottage, I got an email from Helen, the proprietor.  She was great to work with and very friendly and welcoming.  Indeed, when we arrived at the cottage, we found that Helen had it all ready for us and had even left us a couple of bottles of wine and some chocolates.  She remembered that I’d mentioned we were celebrating our anniversary and left us a lovely note along with the welcome gift.

The Water’s Edge has a well equipped kitchen, with a dishwasher, oven, stove, and microwave.  There’s a generously sized table that faces a wood stove, where you can burn peat to keep the cottage toasty warm.  Electricity is provided on a meter that you must drop two euro coins into.  We don’t know how long two euros keeps the lights going, but if you choose to book, be sure to have some two euro coins available.  We also paid about 70 euros or so for heating.

There are three bedrooms and six people can be comfortably accommodated.  There are two bathrooms, one of which is equipped with facilities for disabled patrons.  There’s plenty of parking, too.

The sitting room offers a television with satellite service, as well as a stereo that will connect with an MP3 player.  It was great to light a fire, open some wine, and listen to music while we watched the surf from the half door facing the ocean.  WiFi is free and it works very well!

One night, we went into town for our anniversary dinner.  Our waiter knew Helen!  I have a feeling she is well-known in the Sligo area, since she has two properties to rent!  We noticed an article hung on the wall about her family, which is well known for farming as well as Irish dancing and music!

The only complaint I had about The Water’s Edge is that the double beds were indeed double beds, rather than queen sized.  While we were able to sleep fine, it was a bit cozier than we’re used to.  But really, this cottage had everything we needed.  We even managed to do a little bit of laundry, which was a real blessing that spared me from having to do a whole lot when we got home last night.

I would have liked to have seen more of Sligo, but it was such a pleasure to have such a nice place to stay in during the inclement weather.  If nothing else, we could watch the ever changing sea and enjoy each other’s company.  Pets are not allowed at this property.

There is a grocery store in nearby Ballysadare, maybe twenty or thirty minutes away.  Ballysadare also has a couple of bars and restaurants, though we didn’t have a chance to visit them.

I would not hesitate to recommend The Water’s Edge to anyone looking for a great beach cottage in western Ireland.  It really is a gem and Helen is a delight to work with!  Below are some pictures of the property!

A nice welcome!

Master bedroom.  It has its own bathroom with a shower.

Sitting room.  Loved the reclining chairs.

Kitchen.

Second guest room.

Second bathroom.

Third guest room.

Coin operated meter for electricity.

The Beach Bar!

View from the half door in the kitchen!