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Ballyvolane House is an authentic historic Georgian House built in 1728. Six luxurious bedrooms with huge comfy beds, crisp linen, fluffy towels and big baths you can stretch out in. Delicious home-cooked country house cuisine served in the grand dining room. Glamping during the summer months. Breakfast served till noon. Free wifi throughout the house. Vast gardens and woods on the estate. Salmon fishing on the river Blackwater. Fly fishing school. Stocked trout lakes on-site. Tennis court. 7-a-side soccer pitch. Croquet. Badminton. Woodland walks. Help feed the farm animals after breakfast - pigs, ducks, hens and pigeons. Dog friendly. Lots to do in the local area and we are always delighted to help plan day trips. Also, Ballyvolane House has a distillery in the farmyard where Bertha's Revenge Gin is distilled.
I booked this hotel as a family break away for 3 nights. I would describe Ballyvolane as a period house (from the 1870's) experience. If you have ever wondered what it would be like to stay in Downtown Abbey this is probably quite a similar experience. The house is decorated as it would have been in the 1870s and this 1870s atmosphere is upheld throughout the house by the staff. True to the 1870s the bathrooms contain only baths with the olden day style ceramic water jugs in the place of a shower head. This can sound off-putting but if fact was really lovely and our kids really enjoyed relaxing and playing in the bath. This holiday will have you moving at a slower pace and spending quality time together which is exactly what we needed. The house has tennis and badminton facilities at no extra cost as well as many other activities. There is plenty of spaces to walk, explore and play. It is driving distance from Foto Island Zoo and many other attractions offered by Cork. Children are encouraged to dine separately to adults at 6pm with babysitters provided to watch the children while parents eat at 8pm after pre- dinner drinks which start at 7pm in the drawingroom. Our children ate with us each night but it is a lovely option to have. Most of the food and flowers throughout the house are grown onsite and children (if up early enough) can help collect the eggs in the morning. The food was divine and a true representation of traditional Irish cooking. This stay was completely different to anything we have done before and I would recommend it to anyone looking to experience something different with a change of pace. I would recommend to visit during the summer months to make the most of what the grounds have to offer.
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Date of stay: August 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Bring nice clothes for dinner and outdoor clothes during the day for playing and exploring. Bring...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Green, Owner at Ballyvolane House
Responded Nov 16, 2021
Thank you for staying with us. Thanks too for your wonderful review and I am glad to hear you all had an enjoyable stay. I will share your kind comments with all the team working us with. Many thanks again! Best wishes, Justin
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We had the most wonderful unforgettable summer wedding at Ballyvolane house. We had exclusive hire of the house for 3 days. I will never get over it. From the second we arrived at the house we were treated like royalty. The house is nestled away in the peaceful countryside of north Cork. The surroundings of this stunning unimposing house are vast and tranquil. We were welcomed to the house with roaring fires lit in each room which made them cosy and inviting. All our guests were personally greeted and shown to their rooms/glamping tents. The house is steeped in history, each room a treasure so comfortable and elegant . We had the place to ourselves with our family and we felt so welcome and at home immediately. Our first night we had drinks under the Indian tent in the garden followed by a gorgeous intimate rehearsal dinner. The attention to detail was extraordinary, personalised menus, beautiful flowers from the garden placed all over the table and our personal playlist playing. The ceremony in the woods was such an intimate, romantic experience. Saying our vows surrounded by nature, the huge trees, green leaves and hydrangeas was something very special. Our drinks reception was so chilled with friends in deck chairs in the sun, the band playing on the lawn and the drinks flowing. The canapés were top notch and there was lots of them. The food was outstanding for the entire stay. So much food is grown in their walled garden. It was a winning combination.The chef catered to our guests every dietary need of which there were many!! There was so many lovely touches throughout the three days such as Justin inviting the children to feed the pigs one morning which made their time there magical. The groom and groomsmen were also driven to the ceremony in a Land Rover through the woods which was hilarious and added to a fun atmosphere. Jenny Justin Eva and all the staff were so wonderful in every possible way. From the first email sent to the morning we checked out they were so lovely to deal with. The service was impeccable the whole time. We were so well looked after. Covid made it a very difficult year for the house but staff really went above and beyond to make each our wedding perfect and took all the safe precautions for us and our guests. It was truly the 5 star experience. Ballyvolane house surpassed our expectations in every way and we would highly recommend for anyone to stay here.
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Green, Owner at Ballyvolane House
Responded Oct 1, 2023
Thank you so much for hosting your wedding with us and for your wonderful review. I am delighted you, your family and wedding guests all had a such a great time. I have shared your kind comments with all the team here at BH. We loved having you all here. Thanks again for your valued support. Best wishes, Justin
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Wonderful cosy little family owned country retreat , with elegant bedrooms and set in wonderfully manicured grounds . We had a delightful reception from the team at Ballyvolane House , warm and heart felt , something that just seems to come naturally by all those that work there. The bedrooms have a quirky charm , shabby chic , elegant with original features throughout. The little touches are what stand out like the freshly baked cookies to accompany your coffee so the little bumps and scratches here and there can be overlooked. This is a family home that is lovingly shared with guests , a real haven to escape the madness .
The food was wonderful too . Our party of four joined the other guests in a beautifully dressed dining room. We had a table to ourselves in this instance as there was a larger group dining , however it’s normally communal dining, something I think adds to the whole idea of experiencing Irish warmth en masse.
We only stayed the one night, but would happily have stayed longer . Matilde made the best Rhubarb martinis with their award winning Gin Berthas , so I could have been forgiven had I stayed an extra night or two !
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Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip:We were allocated a room en suite with a wonderful bath, you may need to check to see if they...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Green, Owner at Ballyvolane House
Responded Oct 1, 2023
Thank you very much for staying with us and for your lovely review. I am glad you enjoyed your stay and we have a superb team working with us to ensure our guests are properly looked after. The communal dinners are always a highlight. Thanks again for your support. Best wishes, Justin
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My heart sank when I saw the room decor - lovely view of gardens, but drab furnishings/ wallpaper /curtains etc; Didn’t feel much privacy in our bedroom/ bathroom when people outside or under our window, which we had to keep open much of the time as the weather was quite warm. Bath with handheld shower - had to kneel in bath to use and difficult to regulate temperature; wooden toilet seat! While the main reception rooms downstairs had a few period paintings and many hunting scenes, there was little aesthetic sensibility in the decor of our room - watercolours of little value / interest; kitsch knick nacks;
Staff were all very friendly and competent, but surprising in a house with just 8 bedrooms that the owners never made an appearance over dinner? We were served by very young adults. We just happened to bump in to the owners during daytime;
Positives: very friendly staff; lovely dinner (excellent one night, less so a 2nd night and I think very limited choice in any of the courses? good breakfast); really well kept & interesting gardens; Tennis / 5 a side football pitch/ badminton / lawn croquet all set up and all appeared in good shape;
Negatives: you’d want to be comfortable with children/ or dogs running around (incl while dining); really didn’t expect lots of small children in this type of small country house); very loud lawnmower for most of afternoon on our 1st day when we might have napped!) Heavy duvet on a bed in the middle of Summer?! For a place that produces & sells its own sanitiser, we only noticed 1 member of staff using it before serving us.
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Make the most of the outdoor spaces (including gardens).
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Green, Owner at Ballyvolane House
Responded Sep 24, 2021
Thank you very much for staying with us and for taking the time to review. We appreciate your feedback. I am glad you found the staff to be competent and friendly. We have a great team working here. As owners, we feel it is unwise to crowd the dining room at dinner time during the current Covid-19 pandemic and we do make every effort to meet our guests during the day. I have to take issue with you on your comment about the staff not sanitising. This is completely incorrect. We have hand washing facilities and a hand sanitiser station in the kitchen and these are used by our staff members on every entry and exit. Every member of staff has undergone training on Covid-19 safety protocols and we are fully approved and fully subscribed to the Failte Ireland Covid-19 Safety Charter. This kind of comment can be extremely damaging to our reputation and I feel I have to correct you on this matter. We take our responsibilities in relation to Covid-19 safety very seriously. I am sorry the decor was not to your liking. We have no plans to change this apart from on-going maintenance work. We do put a great deal of energy into the design and ambience of our house. This is something we really enjoy. We place high store in providing all the modern comforts such as extremely comfy mattresses, luxury linens, Voya bathroom products, WiFi, Bluetooth Marshall speakers, Nespresso Machines etc whilst at the same time maintaining an ambience that is in-keeping with an authentic Irish historic country house. Ballyvolane House is also our home and our dogs are very much part of the experience and I do accept this is not for everyone. We have vast lawns (15 acres in total) and it is difficult to find a time to mow the lawns without disturbing our guests. We would never mow the lawns early in the morning and we always wait until the guests are all up and about before we fire-up the mower. Also, we are at the mercy of the Irish weather and we sometimes have a narrow window in which to cut the grass in between heavy rains. The days of using a scythe are long gone I'm afraid. I must pick you up on the point about the duvet, we do place lighter duvets in the bedrooms during the summer months, and heavier ones during the winter. Thanks again for your valuable comments and we hope to welcome you back again someday. Best wishes, Justin
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Our recent stay at Ballyvolane House for our 19th Wedding Anniversary is one for the books. From the moment we arrived, to saying our good-byes, we felt like welcomed friends into the family home.
Our jaws dropped when we were shown to our room (Room 1), apparently the same room that HRH Prince Charles and Camilla had stayed in during their visit in 2018, which was unknown to me at the time of booking. The room is truly fit for a king! I thoroughly enjoyed the deep soaking tub that evening and we had a sound sleep that night on an amazingly comfortable bed.
Do take advantage of having dinner at the house during your stay. Our dinner started with cocktails in the drawing room along with the other guests (there are only six rooms, I believe, so it was a small gathering), before being led into the beautiful dining room for a delicious, home cooked and ultra-locally sourced dinner. It was one of the best meals during our 11-day trip.
Prior to dinner, we spent some time walking the grounds, enjoying the lovely walled garden and venturing into the distillery area, where their Bertha's Revenge Irish Milk Gin is made. We had gin and tonics that evening and I must say, I will be buying a bottle asap back at home!
Thank you to Justin and Jenny for their amazing hospitality. It's obvious that the Ballyvolane House is a passion project. We will cherish the memory of our stay there.
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Date of stay: September 2021
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Room 1, the bridal suite, is a huge corner room with a deep soaking tub
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Green, Owner at Ballyvolane House
Responded Oct 8, 2021
Thank you very much for staying with us and for taking the time to write this wonderful review. I am delighted you enjoyed your stay so much. Ballyvolane House is our passion and we really enjoyed having you here. I will share your kind comments with all the team too. Thanks again for choosing Ballyvolane House as the location in which to celebrate your anniversary. We hope to welcome you back again soon. Best wishes, Justin
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Spent two nights here to just get a change of scenery. Well worth it classic Irish house with old world features. Bedrooms with classic bathrooms. Not all with showers. Makes it authentic. Has glamping and wedding /conference facilities but these do not impinge on the house. Dining normally at a large communal table but with covid separate tables but didn’t detract from the ambience. Jonathan the manager made us feel welcome and gave us a tour of the Bertha’sRevenge distillery which is going from strength to strength. They are even producing a hand sanitizer called herd immunity which shows their entrepreneurial spirit! Grounds are spectacular with ample room for walks. A large walled garden where they grow fruit and veg for the table plus chickens and pigs also used in the kitchen. Junior staff very helpful and friendly as were the ladies at breakfast. Áine & Paul both on summer jobs made us feel at home in the evening especially with the gin cocktails. I have noted some reviews do not seem to get what Ballyvolane is really about. That’s their loss. Thanks for a wonderful Corvid staycation
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Green, Owner at Ballyvolane House
Responded Aug 15, 2020
Thank you very much for staying and for the review. I am delighted you had a good time and I will share you kind comments with Jonathan and the team. We have adapted to Covid-19 and it is satisfying to know that we can still deliver a wonderful authentic country house experience whilst maintaining social distancing and complying with agency guidelines. Thanks again for your support and we hope to welcome you back again soon. Best wishes, Justin
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Ballyvolane House was the venue for a weekends wedding celebration. The family and staff this beautiful country manor house make you feel so at home with their kind attentive thoughtful presence. Nothing is too much trouble and everything you could wish for to enjoy your stay here is thought of. The atmosphere is relaxed and informal with a classy sophistication that makes every guest feel like the lord or lady of the manor. I would love to go back one day. It is an experience i will never forget for all joyous reasons. Thank you !
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Date of stay: September 2022
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:They are all amazing. Some have wonderful romantic free standing baths !
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Green, Owner at Ballyvolane House
Responded Oct 1, 2023
Thank you so much for the wonderful review. I am delighted you all had a great time at the wedding. We have a fantastic team working here and I will share you kind comments with them. We enjoyed hosting the wedding and please come and see again soon. Best wishes, Justin
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This place is a slice of heaven that feeds my soul every time I visit. Justin and Jenny trained with the top hotels of the world and it shows in every special detail of your stay.The house is beautifully decorated and your room is full of luxurious character. Gorgeous beds cuddle you to sleep. Amazing hand crafted cocktails are served before an amazing dinner and it just feels like a house party. Breakfasts are freshly prepared and very generous. The grounds offer lovely walks, croquet and tennis! Lots of room to relax or play and Jenny can offer all sorts of advice to continue your holiday.
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled solo
Room Tip:Use Google maps rather than Apple maps to locate.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Green, Owner at Ballyvolane House
Responded Aug 16, 2023
Thank you very much for staying with us and for the wonderful review. We are delighted you had such a great time and I will share your kind review with all the Ballyvolane House team. Thanks again for your support. Best wishes, Justin
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During my Ireland visit, I wanted to stay in a Manor House. I reserved two nights at Ballyvolane. My best description would be Shabby Chic in a positive way. It is a beautiful property with a lot of history. It is a bit isolated. The first night we had reservations for their 4 course dinner in the communal dining room. All of the guests dine together in a beautiful dining hall with a roaring fire. The menu is preset with no options which was fine with us as the food was very good. We had Salmon Mousse, Bone Marrow, Lamb Chops with Mash Potatoes and Mixed Vegetables finishing with Baked Alaska. I opted for a Cheese and Port to finish the meal.
There are some nice walks to take on the property or sit by the fire in the sitting rooms to read or play cards. It was very relaxing. If you do not eat on property, it is a bit difficult to find dining options nearby. The nearest option available was not open our second evening so we ended up with a bit of a drive to Fermoy to eat the second night. The full Irish Breakfasts at Ballyvolane are outstanding.
My only complaint would be we had a twin room and I was completely OK there was no shower, but there was a footed tub which is fine. But for the price, it seemed there could have been a hand shower attachment to the tub. Instead, there was a metal pitcher to bathe with. As it was photogenic, but not practical to try and deal with personal hygiene and washing hair. (September, 2022)
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Date of stay: April 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Green, Owner at Ballyvolane House
Responded Mar 7, 2024
Thank you very much for staying with us and for your review. I am glad to hear you enjoyed your stay, the ambience in the house, the grounds and the the food. Our location is rural and it is the perfect pit-stop for guests travelling between Dublin and West Cork/Kerry. There are plenty of excellent dining options in the locality and we are always happy to make recommendations and book a table for our guests. Thank you very much for your feedback on the showers. Whilst most of the bedrooms do already have showers and shower attachments, we have two rooms with antique free-standing bath tubs that do not. You will be pleased to hear that we have plans to install showers in these rooms. Thanks again for your support and please come and stay with us again soon. Best wishes, Justin
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Ballyvolane House is a perfect mix of classic ambiance mixed with modern notions of farm to table dining. We stayed one night in mid-March, just before the coronavirus shut down Ireland and the rest of the world. My wife, our 15 year old son, our golden retriever and I were met at the door by the resident terriers, Stormy and Dumpling. Immediately thereafter we were met by Jonathan and welcomed in. The house is filled with antiques but also has a pleasant lived in feel. There were wellies by the door for guests to use to explore the grounds, and interesting books on the shelves that begged to be read by one of the several warm peat fires throughout the ground floor. The rooms were well appointed and the bed was extremely comfortable.
Jonathan and the rest of the staff were warm and friendly and made us feel like old friends and house guests. Jonathan made us the best Gin & Tonics I've ever had, with Bertha's Revenge gin that is made right on the premises. We really enjoyed the cocktail hour in the sitting room before dinner. We got a chance to meet the other guests of the house and we engaged in very interesting conversations. Soon after, we were welcomed into a candle lit dining room and all sat around one long dining room table.
Dinner was brilliant in every respect. A four course dinner with fine artisan Irish cheese at the end. All locally sourced. We had lamb chops that were perfectly cooked. Breakfast the next morning was fantastic as well: fresh baked bread for toast and jam made on the premises. Local meats and cheeses and a wonderful full Irish breakfast.
It was fantastic to talk with Justin and Jenny about the history of the house. They could not have been better hosts. We look forward to visiting again!
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Date of stay: March 2020
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin Green, Owner at Ballyvolane House
Responded Jul 31, 2020
Thank you very much for staying with us and for your review. I am glad you enjoyed your stay and I will share your kind comments with Jonathan and all the team here. Thanks again and we looking forward to welcoming you back again in the not too distant future. Best wishes, Justin
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Thank you very much for your message and I am delighted you are thinking of glamping with us. We have two sizes of tents and the large one would easily accommodate you all. Dogs are most welcome too. Please email us via our website (you will have to google it as Tripadvisor won't allow me to include HTML or website links in this reply) with your dates and we will revert back with our availability and prices. Many thanks again and looking forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Justin
Hello, thank you very much for your enquiry. We have a self-catering cottage available and please email us via the Ballyvolane House website with your dates and I will revert back with prices. Thanks again for your interest in our self-catering accommodation.
Kind regards,
Justin Green
Owner
There are more places to choose from in the Ballyvolane area.
PRICE RANGE
$178 - $391 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
ballyvolane house hotel fermoy, ballyvolane hotel fermoy
LOCATION
IrelandProvince of MunsterCounty CorkBallyvolane
NUMBER OF ROOMS
6
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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