We read all the complementary reviews and chose the Garden Gates thinking it must be quite nice, but couldn't possibly be so entirely wonderful. But it is. The property is new, spacious, comfortable and immaculately clean. However that's really secondary to the warmth and friendly atmosphere of this B&B. Martina and Brendan have a gift for making others at home. They make it seem simple and effortless, yet in the week we stayed with them we were astonished at the dozens of especially thoughtful and accomodating touches that went into their special brand of hospitality. We were in the area to search for a property and they were encouraging and helpful in every possible way, not just in providing a comfortable base for our search, but with advice and knowledgeable answers to our many questions on selecting and buying a home in that part of the world. We felt it miraculous that we happened to choose their B&B, because without their special qualities as hosts, we never would have found our home in Ireland! We thank them sincerely for their thoughtfulness and look forward to being County Mayo neighbors. Paul Crook and Nancy Warren-Crook

Myself, my partner and my friends stayed in the Garden Gates about 10 days ago. We were touring in the west of Ireland with friends from abroad and we were looking for a place to stay before heading off to Achill Island the next day. I found the Garden Gates on the internet, rang up and booked the rooms. We arrived quite late in the evening but we got a great and warm welcome from the hostess. The rooms (we had 3 rooms) were all beautifully and very tastefully decorated, the quality of the beds was impressive not to mention the warmth of the duvet, we really felt at home! We felt like staying for the week! There was different dishes to choose from for breakfast but we all went for the full Irish which was very tasty and kept us going until the evening! There are very few places in Ireland where you can get value for money and the Garden Gates is definitely the best value for money we had in a long time! Well done, we will be back!

We have just returned from a wonderful visit to Ireland. On September 23rd we drove up to Castlebar (IslandEady) from Dublin and after a long ride we were welcomed into the home of Martina and Brendan with warm coffee and yummy cookies. I am happy that we took the advice of other reviewers on this site and chose the Garden Gates for our stay. The place and our hosts couldn’t have been nicer.

First off the house is a beautiful warm place with wide wooded planked floors and big comfy chairs. The beds will absorb you right in, and the fresh country air gives you a peaceful, restful sleep. Situated conveniently off of route N5 it was easy to find (a joy if you are driving on an unfamiliar side of the road). A stones throw down the road (8km) is the little town of Westport which is great for a bite to eat or a walk around the quaint streets. Martina pointed out the best places to go (thanks!).

My dad was with us on this leg of our trip and our hosts made sure we enjoyed a big proper (full) Irish breakfast while Brendan and dad engaged in long conversation about the O’Boyle family ties that we still had in the area. He even offered to introduce us as they were old friends and it would be absolutely no trouble. (We promise next time) Coco the dog and the horses rounded out the experience. We would most definitely stay again.

Finally I have to give a big thanks to Martina for helping to make sure that my dads watch found its way safely home.

We stayed here for 3 nights at the end of our 2 week vacation. We traveled through all parts of Ireland in the 2 weeks and this B & B was by far the best place we stayed. The hospitality outranked the others and the comfort could not be beat. The shared family room (den) was cozy, we felt right at home watching the world cup matches! The owners here made my kids feel welcome and the breakfast was made to order and to please. If I ever make it back to Ireland, I would definately stay here again. By the way, the foal was a bit bigger now, but still a highlight- came right over to my boys and let them pet her(him?) We had 5 people in one of the "family suites" and we were quite comfortable- very spacious.