Stayed here for one night with English friends during August. John, a most affable host , met us in Kinsale and led us up to the property which had rooms with great views overlooking the pool.Too cool to swim and the pool needed a clean anyway.
Rooms clean and bathrooms large and well fitted out. We arrived back after dinner to find his wife asleep on the couch in the living room- a little disconcerting as we had to walk past her to get to our rooms.Breakfast was also sloppily done in a room that needed a clean and on a tablecloth that needed a wash! John was charming, telling us we could have anything for breakfast but only had 3 mushrooms for the 4 of us! We had no ill effects but felt we were overcharged for the service offered.Maybe they had just a had a bad day.

We arrived in Kinsale without reservations and were feeling quite discouraged after being turned away from 4 B & B's. At the 4th one, the proprietor told us to go down the street and check with his neighbor who often rented out rooms. "Just look for the trailer and the old dog in front." In my mind I envisioned a toothless old man in a run-down hut renting out dusty, moldy old rooms to desperate tourists. But it was after 9 p.m. and we had nowhere else to go so...we found the trailer and the old dog. John opened the door and told us that he could put us up for the two nights we needed. Well, as he led us to our rooms, our jaws dropped. We entered a beautiful home with amazing views of Kinsale and the harbour. My friend and her boyfriend were led out back to the poolside rooms. Their room was spacious, en suite, and literally opened up right to the pool and the views. John led me back into his home and took me to my room which was on the main floor. It was a lovely twin bedroom, also en suite. We kept pinching ourselves at our great good fortune.
Throughout our stay John was gracious, friendly, and quite helpful with every detail about our stay in Kinsale, our visit to Cobh, and our trip onward to Kerry. Our breakfasts were made to order and we really felt like we were visiting family, something we enjoyed very much. We were in Ireland to experience life there and we felt like we got a little slice of that staying with John. Cindy , the dog, did indeed wait for us in front of the house at night.
I could go on about how wonderful our experience was here. John is outgoing and friendly and a great host. Our stay here was one of the the highlights of our trip. If you go to Kinsale, or even Cork, please do stay here. you won't be sorry. Thank you John and Gina!!!!!

Adequate B&B located in a quiet residential neighborhood above the village of Kinsale. B&B has a pool, but we couldn't figure out when it's actually warm enough to swim, given the typically cool Irish temperatures. Friendly host, John, and dog, Cindy. We only had cereal for breakfast, but John offerred eggs, bacon, etc. Most expensive B&B we stayed at in Ireland at 100 Euro for 2 adults and a child.

I would highly recommend Serenaville..great location - a 10 minute walk from the centre of town, overlooking the harbour with fabulous views, lovely clean pool and very clean guestrooms..I rarely feel like I can walk across the carpets of any guesthouse or hotel but felt like this room was well hoovered and spotlessly clean - even with a cream carpet! Bathroom large and very clean...didn't feel like we were staying in someone's home as all bedrooms overlook the pool and have their own front door...John was very friendly and chatty but not in your face and gives great advice on places to eat and things to see...the pool and deck area is great for relaxing in the evening.
I am most guesthouse owners worst nightmare as I wear fake tan and embarrassingly I stained the sheets and towels bronze during my stay..of course I mentioned this on departure with advice on how to remove "fake bake" (min 60degree wash with plenty persil - oh the price of beauty!) and John was actually very very nice about it...I'm still very sorry though....;(
All in all a great base for exploring Kinsale and highly recommended.
PS: Le Bistro is an excellent place to eat