What can we say? Lisdonagh House was just beautiful! The house itself was filled with history and elegance, yet very warm and family friendly. A group of 13 from my family did an exclusive rental week that we will never forget. Finola and John could not have been more welcoming and accommodating, even when we had some “last minute” requests. (Thank you for Kathy’s birthday cakes, Finola). We did self-catering for most of the week, but as a special treat for ourselves did request several meals to be prepared for us. They were delicious and much appreciated after long days of travel or touring the countryside or the grounds of Lisdonagh. The wine was lovely as well! The entire house, including the garden level, had large rooms with lots of sunlight (when it wasn’t raining). The garden level had a very special vibe to it. Romantic. Historic. Very cool. We simply could not have asked for anything more.

John took a couple of us out for horseback riding and he also came on our last evening, at our request, to give us all an overview of the history of the house. After hearing and understanding the history, it made our stay that much more special. Finola and John, you should both be very proud of the incredible restoration you have accomplished to keep this wonderful (and quirky in some ways) piece of history alive. I am sure Valda Palmer would be quite pleased.

We were given total privacy during our stay, except for when we asked for something. When we needed something, all we had to do was call. The staff who we had the pleasure of meeting were all very gracious and helpful.

We had a particularly fun moment on our first day when we decided to walk through the field to the lake, Lough Hackett, and found ourselves accompanied by the most beautiful, magnificent horses coming along for the walk! It was truly a magical moment that won’t be forgotten.

We highly recommend Lisdonagh House for those looking for a wonderful get away, in the most beautiful part of Ireland. Privacy, peace and the most incredible views you can imagine. All of this along with the most welcoming hosts you can wish for. Pinch me! It was a dream come true….. and I miss it already. Many thanks to Finola, John, and the staff at Lisdonagh House! We will certainly be back. The McGuire Family – New York, USA

If you are looking for a complete break from all the stresses of city life then look no further than Lisdonagh House, Galway, Ireland.
The perfect peace of the Irish countryside, beautiful scenery, excellent food and friendly hosts John and Finola Cooke make this the perfect break to re-charge your batteries. The service was exceptional, and they were extremely helpful, courteous and attentive. I am looking forward to going to stay there again next year, I enjoyed it so much.

I had reservations the second I arrived to this place, because despite the lovely advertising, the place was filthy and smelly and clearly unkept. It smelled bad and looked bad and it was freezing cold inside. I almost left then (I wish I did), but the trip was pre-paid (BIG mistake), so I figured I will just ask the owner to clean and put on some heat and things will be fine. WRONG! I was told that the place (we rented the Gate Lodge) would be cleaned the next day, but when the next day I retuned with my daughter, the place was just as dirty and smelly as before, but I could tell someone was inside at one point, and as I soon discovered, MY 2000 DOLLARS FERRAGAMO PURSE WAS GONE! I told the owner that I would leave and requested a refund. I was told that I would not get any money back, then 200 Euros out of the 1000; but then, the owner showed up with only 150, took my credit card info and told me she would refund the rest later. As for the purse, she told me she would "look into the matter". I moved to another hotel, hoping to hear from the woman of the house but she first simply ignored me, then when I tracked her down refused to give me back my money and as for the purse, she simply told me it was not her resposnsibility. She ended up hanging up the phone on me and I never saw the money or the purse again. Please take my advise and stay clear of this place; I suggest Glenlo Abbey instead, beautiful place much nearer to Galway with reasonable prices and and incredible staff.

I stayed in Lisdonagh for two nights in late July with one of my best friends for a weekend getaway and it turned out to be one of the best choices we have ever made. John and Finola came highly recommended by other family members who have stayed there over the past few years and we certainly weren't disappointed. Right from the start, even making the booking was a pleasure, with no fuss and all the flexibility we could have asked for.

We found Lisdonagh easily thanks to the good directions and we immediately fell in love with the whole place. The beautiful house is grand but still on a human scale and Finola made us feel right at home with a warm welcome at the door and, just as soon as we had been shown our bedrooms, afternoon tea in the drawing room with a roaring fire lit for us. We arranged to have dinner both evenings as the food had been particularly recommended and good food is one of our great pleasures. We got to choose what time suited us and made our choices from a delightful selection each day. The food was truly great with generous portions and the setting of the dining room with, once again, the fire lit and candelabra glowing, completed the perfect meals. I have dined in many great restaurants and hotels but I don't think any have beaten the complete experience at Lisdonagh. The breakfasts were also delightful, starting with cereal with fruit and yoghurt accompanied by fresh scones and toast and followed by a full cooked-to-order Irish breakfast all washed down with fresh fruit juice and a big pot of tea. What a great start to any day!

The setting of Lisdonagh is magnificent with the lake to the front, the horses grazing in the field below and totally unspoilt views in all directions. We were offered the pleasures of fishing on the lake or horse riding but, as the weather was a little temperamental, we opted for touring the area including Galway City and some of the most gorgeous scenery to be found. John and Finola were very helpful in suggesting things we might be interested to see or do and we had a grand time exploring. Our stay coincided with the Galway Festival which gave us plenty of choice in entertainment and, if we had stayed a little longer, we could have caught the Galway Races.

The house is almost 300 years old with many original historic features, especially the splendid entrance hall, and it has been sympathetically refurbished to a very high standard without losing any of its' charm and quality. The rooms are large and very tastefully furnished, right throughout the house, including our bedrooms. We felt right at home and were treated as honoured guests the whole time we were there. I really can't wait for the next chance I get to visit Lisdonagh, I hope we'll make it soon.