Tranquil escape beautiful scenery lakeshore mayo

The only reason I gave this rental an "excellent" in every category was because there wasn't a "mind-blowing" or "jaw-dropping" or "completely exceptional in every way" to choose from. The house itself is immaculate, well-maintained, comfortable and inviting. It is fully equipped with everything you might need for your stay and the kitchen set-up is brilliant. The surrounding scenery literally took our breath away on the first morning of our stay in mid-winter. If you're coming from anywhere colder than Ireland in January, this will seem like an early spring for you! Utterly gorgeous! The owners were wonderful. They went above and beyond to make sure that our stay was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and treated us like family. I simply can not say enough about their grace, kindness and thoughtfulness in making our trip so special for a family of ten at Christmas. If you have the chance to travel to Ireland, jump at it and while you're at it, book a stay at Pontoon House in County Mayo. You will not regret it. We planned our entire two week vacation around this house and its location and it's the smartest travel decision we've made in our lives!

From the initial booking,throughout the holiday and until our eventual departure the service we received was exeplorary The house was superbly comfortable and large enough for eleven of us (10 adults plus one teenager) to holiday incomfort. The location was well known to me as I am a fisherman and have fished loughs Cullen and Conn for over 30 yeas staying in a variety of local hotels, rented houses and mobile homes. This was by far the best experience ever. Every minute was enjoyable, whether spent inthe house and its garden, walking down to the lakeshore, or driving around the beutiful lakes and mountains in the area. A drive into Castlebar, Westport, Nephin Beag, Connemara, Lenane - a visit to Clare Island, Achille Island (and its beutiful cliffs and beaches - the options are endless. My wife and I were very aware of the area and love it, but this was an opportunity for us to spend a week with our adult children (and one teenage grandchild). Our children have travelled the world and potentially may not have appreciated the area quite as much as Therese and I, after all I have banged on about it for most of their live and maybe they were purely placating us by joining us for a week? - Wrong! Each and every one of them has been completely converted and want to go back next year as they love the house and the area and quite rightly state that they have only scratched the surface and want to experience more. We will be in contact again soon with Paddy and Emer to arrange next years holiday.

The quietness and peacefulness of the house and surrounding .

Paddy is the most gracious host, the house was clean and well stocked with all the amenities we needed. All the rooms were spacious and the kids loved climbing the rocks in the back. What a view. I should write a terrible review so the house will be available at a cheaper rate next year but I can't. Beautiful house and great local, loved it. Jim G

Pontoon house is a very modern and comfortable home and it provided us with all the amenities we needed for a great stay. The service we received was excellent and the house was in perfect condition when we arrived. Its lakeside location was great with stunning views of the lake and short walks along the road up to the house is a must (little or no traffic). All the best locations to visit are within a relatively short drive, some examples are Foxford, Castlebar, Westport, Croagh Patrick, Newport and Mulranny. Would definately recommend the "Greenway cycle" between Newport and Mulranny (approx 17 kms). The scenery on this cycle is incredible. Many thanks to Paddy and Emer for providing such a detailed pack which provided all details relating to the house, how to get there and things to do during the stay.

My wife and I decided to indulge ourselves by having Pontoon House to ourselves.We stayed here before with family and could not wait to get back. The peaceful and relaxing atmosphere was just what the doctor ordered. Trips into Castlebar and on to Westport were wonderful, and achill was always magical. The mornings were especially nice,sitting outside with Julie the donkey for company.She only managed to outwit me twice and made an escape before the the gates fully closed, she always returned by evening. We be back again. Thanks Paddy & Emer

Once again for the second year in a row we all had a great stay at Pontoon House. Being greeted by your four legged friend every time we returned home made us feel even more welcome. Though we must apologise for not buying her carrots Typically, as men, we didn't think of that until we returned home. Hope to be able to return again next year. Brian, Duncan, Barry & Alan

We really thought about not telling anyone obout Pontoon House it was so good. What a fantastic house in a truely special part of Mayo. The house has everything and more, loads of space, 5 bedrooms,4 bathrooms and more than fully equiped it is even better than the website depicts. The views of Lough Cullin and Nephin Mountains are breath-taking, and the children had a ball in the fabulous garden and up and down the laneway on their bikes and to the lake. You would want to be extreemly fussy to find a single fault with Pontoon House and we will most certainly be back.

Back at pontoon house for our fourth visit, before arriving i did wonder if it would still work as children getting older...but yes it does! Probably our best visit to the house plus paddy arranged for the sun to shine all week. Walked to the lake early one morning...heaven on earth...love it. Will definately return

Pontoon House was all that was detailed on the website and more! With 5 bedrooms, there was plenty of space for both families. The house was exceptional, all mod-cons were provided and the information pack was really useful for suggestions on what to do in the area. What was extra special was the huge garden for the kids to play in with spectacular views of both Lough Cullin and the surronding hills. A great base from which to explore the many fantastic places Mayo has to offer, including Westport, Castlebar and Foxford to mention a few. The peace & quiet afforded by Pontoon House in such a magnificant setting will be hard to beat. There was no downside to this holiday, we will be back!