Álaind Lodges, Sneem

Second time to stay with Chris and Trish, and highly recommended. Very comfortable bedroom, and a great breakfast. Alaind is in fine location just outside Sneem in a quiet location at the end of a lane yet accessible to the town. Chris and Trish themselves are very friendly and chatty, perfect hosts for a solo traveler. Both times I visited I went out cycling and they were great with tips and hints on my route. Sneem is a lovely little town, with a good selection of pubs, cafes and fish and chips. In February the only place serving food was O’Shea’s, busy, decent home cooking but definitely ask Trish to book ahead!

We stayed at the Alaind Lodge hosted by Trish and Chris for 6 nights while on a 5 day guided hill walking tour of Sneem and the surrounding area with Fergal Harrington owner and mountain guide of Alaind Walking Tours. Trish and Chris have a lovely home and went above and beyond to make us happy and comfortable. We stayed in a large ensuite bedroom with a very comfortable bed and lovely bedding. Our room had a kettle. Each day we started out with a hardy cooked breakfast of our choice along with yogurt, cereal, toast, cheese and fruit; and a packed lunch was generously included on our hill walk along with some candy! Chris helped us each evening to dry out our shoes and outerwear. We were happy to pay a nominal fee to use their washer for some personal items. Chris and Trish made us feel more like friends than guests. The village is a quick 20 minute walk away and Chris gave us many suggestions for an evening meal at the local pubs. Regarding the guided hill walking: We were extremely lucky that Fergal was running a guided hill walking trip during our visit to Ireland. Not only is Fergal a professional mountain guide, he is a polite, kind and friendly man that is easy to communicate with and fun to spend time with . We started out as strangers and left as friends. Fergal picked us up each day with a plan for a 4-5 hour walk based on our fitness and energy level for the day! Hill walking in Ireland in Dec. is very different from hiking anywhere in the United States. While we were equipped with wool socks, Gortex shoes, rain pants and rain jackets we were not totally equipped for the conditions. Fergal was very kind and lent us gaiters since the ground is very, very wet! He helped us to purchase waterproof socks (yes, there is such a thing... and needed in Ireland!). We felt 100% safe under Fergal's guidance. In addition, on our walks we got to visit amazing places that we never would have found on our own. We'll never forget the Bolus Cliff walk with views of the Skelligs, the fabulous beach, meadow and woodland trails of Derrynane, The Kerry Way Coastal trail with breathtaking wild Atlantic views, the Mass Path and discovering Sneem's Lománagh Loop. Fergal made the whole process of organizing our wonderful walking trip so easy. I have been home for a month now and each day I wake us missing the time I spent in Sneem walking with Fergal and staying at my "home away from home" with Chris and Trish. If you are in the area and desire more than a bus tour of the ring of Kerry, get in touch with Fergal he will design walks/hikes that are perfect for you!