We were so pleased we chose to stay here. Carmel is a splendid hostess and her breakfasts are magnificent. We had the very comfortable little self contained cottage but took breakfast in the house. The bed linens are sumptuous. It was too far to walk into town for evening meals, particularly in the rain. The best bet for eating seemed to be the Connemara, there's not much else.
Unfortunately Oughterard has little to offer the tourist apart from Lough Corrib.The boat trips are recommended.

Actually, our stay in this bed and breakfast was in 2002. The place was so good, however, that I feel I should comment on it. They have expanded to include a separate cabin, especially useful for families. The location is a bit out-of-the-way, but not far from the Shannon airport. When we arrived on Easter Sunday, we phoned the lodge to let them know we were "in country". The owner pointed out that most restaurants would be closed, but she suggested we drive in a direction away from the lodge to a tourist-friendly cafeteria that would be open that day. A useful service. When we arrived, she had tea and scones ready for us to sit around a warm, peat fire. We used the lodge as a base for exploring the Connemara for a couple days. A most pleasant stay.

Only good things to say about Railway Lodge. Carmel was so easy to work with via email prior to our stay and the wonderful graciousness and welcome extended thruout our stay. We were only there 1 night (myself and my 9 year old daughter) and I so wish we could have stayed longer. (We were on the move with lots of Ireland to see.)
Loved its hidden location behind the town - very quiet pastoral setting. Arrived around 6:30 pm or so and received a wonderful welcome. Carmel's husband (Joe?) brought in our luggage and got us situated - this was the only B&B that we stayed in Ireland that helped us with our luggage. Although I'm very capable, it was much appreciated. He served us a beautiful tray of scones and tea while we rested in the conservatory. Their B&B seemed different and refreshing from all the others that we stayed in that it was just the most comfortable and homey. We felt so welcomed and comfortable almost instantly. Beautiful antiques thruout the B&B and well furnished with something interesting in every corner and on every wall. I thought they had a very large selection of books on Ireland to read in the conservatory, the sitting room and even on both nightstand tables in our room. Our room was wonderful - wood floors, beautifully decorated, very spacious bathroom. Breakfast was served to us privately in the conservatory and Carmel was very attentive. She is a wonderful chef and she works very hard to please her guests. We enjoyed the family dogs also. Again, we had help with our luggage upon departure - it was very hard to leave. :(
There is not much restaurant selection in town (although Oughterard is a beautiful quaint town). We did have dinner at Breathnachs Bar - one of Carmel's suggestions and had a delicious dinner. The Irish stew I had there was very good and the service was excellent.

We spent 4 nights in the self-catering cottage at Railway Lodge. We were greeted with tea and scones in the common room of the main lodge which gave us time to unwind before settling into the cottage. The rooms were comfortable and decorated beautifully -- like living in Beatrix Potter's world. The kitchen is small but well equipped. Carmel provided home-made bread, fruit, yogurt and other treats. The view from the living room was stunning and the sunset over the mountains breathtaking. The bathroom was spacious and the shower always hot. The bed was the most comfortable one of our 4 weeks in Ireland. The bedroom has two skylights and on several nights the sky was clear and the stars were magnificent. Due to hurricane winds and rain, we stayed in one day and enjoyed several of the choice films available in the extensive DVD collection. Such a comfortable way to escape the storm. The location is ideal for touring Connemara and Galway. We'd return in a minute!