Having read a glowing report of this guest house in another guide I booked it after finding myself in Carlow late yesterday evening. I was delighted to get a single room at such short notice (it was about 7 pm) and arrived there at about 8pm. I quoted a rate of 55 euro inclusive for B&B and told that included everything.

On arrival at this lovley house I was very surprised at the reception from the lady of the house who just said come in , there's your key and what time do you want breakfast ... all in such quick succession that I had to ask her to repeat herself. Whilst standing in the hallway her husband walked past and didn't even greet me. I tried to make polite conversation , remarking on the house etc but no friendly conversation ensued.

I was shown to a lovley room at the top of the house and was given a very quick guide to what was what. All looked fresh and clean with nice touches and lots of towels. However the carpet looked as if it had seen better days and really does need to be replaced. Also there was a very strong smell of detergent from the bed linen . The tea tray consisted of some very basic types of tea and instant coffee, I would have expected better in this type of establishment.

I asked for a recommendation for a good local restaurant and was again given a 'one liner' from lady of the house.

The breakfast room is located in a lovley conservatory off a large sitting room (not sure if this was for guests or not). There was a great selection of fruits/berries yoguarts etc on a buffet and I was asked if I would like a cooked breakfast. I explained I was unable to eat the normal Irish breakfast and that included egg yolk (high colestrol). I asked if I could have a ' white only omelete or scrambled egg' the answer was 'no'. No suggestions , no apologies. They were not exactly overworked, I was last to arrive for breakfast and only 2 other tables with 2 at each occupied.

What I did receive was lovley, home made brown bread and jams all very tasty. However there was an 'uneasy' atmosphere in the room.

On leaving I produced my credit card to pay. I was then told that the rate was 57.50 as I was using card and that the rate I was quoted was for cash only. I was amazed that a place of this reputation could pull that one!!

Of course, I paid up and then asked if I could make a comment and remarked about the very strong smell of detergent from the bed linen. This comment did not go down well and Mr became quite defensive and actually followed me out to my car to assure me the smell was of fresh, clean linen. I am sure it was.. that wasnt my point!

So, in summary, I have to say I felt unwelcome, almost in the way. I wont be returning despite the lovley surroundings.'

Not quite the warm and hospitable atmosphere we expected. It was our 20th day and we had received such warm and helpful atmospheres at all other B&Bs. Randal was not quite the host we expected. Since we were only there for 1 night, he let us know that's why he put us on the 3rd floor (42 steps to climb). When we came in for breakfast there were no indications you could not pick a place to sit so we took a table by the window. As soon as he came in the room he told us we couldn't sit there -- sit over by the wall (I guess it was reserved for people staying longer than 1 night). I ordered pancakes and asked for bacon with it and told I couldn't have that. Bacon was an entree and pancakes was an entree and you couldn't add or mix. We were never showed the Guest Lounge -- it was behind a door marked "private" so one would think you shouldn't go in there. I guess if you stayed longer than 1 night you got to use it.

It was definitely not the stay we expected! Maybe others had a better experience, but Randal certainly did not make us feel at home. Even when we called him for directions to the B&B, he instructed us to go in the local hotel and ask them.

Very surprised by the first review. Myself and my wife are regular visitors to Carlow. We’ve stayed in Barrowville three times in the last two years as my wife’s family is from the area.
The rooms we’ve stayed in were fabulous and overlooked the garden. The house itself is a real sight. Being a fan of antique furniture and art I just love the surrounds in Barrowville.
The house has justly been given numerous awards and that can reassure any wary travellers of the standards that keep my wife and I coming back.

PS I’ve just looked at the prices for Barrowville on the internet and it clearly gives the price of a double room as 47.50 per person, while a single room is 60.

My husband tim and I had been driving for about 6 or 7 hours, with a few stops along the way, and were looking for one night's lodging. We made it to Carlow Town and decided to look there. We had a "Rough Guide to Ireland" book with us and it listed the Barrowville Town House. We thankfully found it and went to check to see if a room was available, as we were both quite tired at that point. It had been a long drive and a rainy day. Mr. Dempsey answered the door and indicated they did have one room for the night. I inquired of the price and checked with my husband to see if he wanted to stay. We took the room and were escorted in to get settled.

We immediately felt unwelcome. My husband and I like to travel casually so perhaps we were not dressed quite to Mr. Dempsey's liking.
The elements had gotten to us a bit after having been out in the rain and mud at Blarney Castle and there was no time to change. I immediately felt as if we were being critiqued on our appearance. Instead of giving us a range of time when breakfast was served we were told that breakfast would be a bit of a problem for a later time as other guests would be eating. He wanted us to eat first off. That was fine seeing as we needed to get an early start to drive to Dingle.

The next morning was when we truly were made to feel as if we were unwanted and that our leaving would be most welcome. My husband and I were a little confused as to where breakfast was being served as when we entered the room that had been pointed out it did not seem as if it was right. We headed downstairs and my husband accidentally discovered the kitchen. Our hosts seemed quite upset that we were down there and hurriedly ushered us off upstairs as if they were worried about us being down there. My husband later tried to be pleasant to Mr. Dempsey by chatting with him, but Mr. Dempsey was quite short with him and seemed to want to get on with getting our breakfast order and getting us out. I can understand if it were busy, but there was only one other couple in the breakfast room that morning and no other guests stirring. We had been to another Bed and Breakfast whose owner took the time to chat with all the guests and still managed to get everyone what they needed.

During breakfast the other couple went to check out and presented their credit card to Mrs. Dempsey who told them that they needn't worry about it now and to get their things together and check out when they were ready. Once through with breakfast, having heard what Mrs. Dempsey had said to the other couple, we did the same. When we went downstairs we rang the bell as instructed to get their attention. I presented my VISA card only to have Mr. Dempsey say to me "no..no..cash please..we can't accept credit cards". Now I had just heard the conversation with the other guests and had clearly seen the sign out front saying that they accepted VISA. I was quite upset by this and mentioned that I saw the VISA sign and that we did not have the 95 euro he quoted for the room in cash. He then said "well I guess we have to take it then". I have never felt so ill treated in my life. I was definitely being judged and deemed to be not trustworthy. My husband and I have good jobs and are hard working people. I felt it extremely demoralizing that he assumed that our credit was not good.

I went online upon our return home and found the Barrowville website. It was then that I found that the highest charge they list on their website is 60 Euro. So then I felt even more upset because it would seem, unless they neglected to change their rates on the website, that we had been overcharged. I have checked in with my credit card company and the charge has not yet come through, but I am anxiously waiting to see what is finally charged to the card as I will most certainly have something to say about it if it is the 95 euro.

My husband and I had been looking forward to our trip to Ireland for quite a while. Aside from this experience we had a wonderful time and were treated most hospitably by everyone else we encountered. In fact we stayed at other Bed and Breakfasts, that while not having the old Georgian house and antiques, were far far better.

I could not let our experience go by unnoticed. I hope that you will take this into consideration and not give this establishment your business.