An Stór Townhouse

We chose to stay in Midleton because we wanted to escape the buzz in Cork. The An Stor was one of our most favorite places during our three week long trip. One of us has ambulatory limitations and when Maria, the hostess and owner, observed her difficulties to climb the stairs, she changed our room from the second to the first floor without us having to ask for it [for Americans reading this, recall that outside of America, the first floor is one level above the “ground” floor]. Very compassionate and attentive. The beds were very comfortable, and there was an electric kettle and a fridge in the room. It was quiet and peaceful, just like Midleton. The breakfast the next morning was probably the best we were offered during all of our stay in Ireland. There was everything that anyone could ever want for a gourmet breakfast. Maria had so much variety in the best possible quality, and also offered eggs and bacon. Maria’s husband is a butcher and they clearly take a lot of pride in providing their guests with the best possible experience. There were incomparably tasty, fresh berries on the table. The avocado was perfect. The salmon was special, as it was Beech-smoked and we’re quite sure, this was the best smoked salmon we had in our life. It was caught locally and smoked locally with a smokehouse built by a friend of Maria’s husband. There was also a microwave in the breakfast room so you could make your own hot chocolate. Since we checked out on a less busy Sunday, Maria let us use our room for an hour longer than the usual checkout time. This was incredibly helpful since we had a lot of time on our hands before our bus was leaving, plus we were exhausted. And before I end, of course, we were lucky enough to meet the border collie Glen, who was well mannered and friendly and just a joy to be around. He is an elderly gent now and retired, but still the rightful chappie of An Stor house. We did not think that he begged or crowded us at the breakfast table but rather asked very politely and did not react offended when we declined offering him any goodies. This is an absolutely perfect place to stay as a home base to visit Cork, if you want some peace and to experience the slower pace of a smaller Irish town. We can’t recommend Maria’s place highly enough. We could not have had a better experience or a better hostess. We would love to return one day. Big thank you to Maria for everything you did for us.