Serendipity House B&B — Hotel in Ireland

Rooms are ok. Look lovely on entry but a closer look shows some work needs done/finished.Went into the bar to have a drink before going into town. Stood waiting for 5-10 minutes. Went through to find someone. The owner/cook,said he wasn't opening the bar because he's prepping food.?? Got up for breakfast at 9.40am. was very abruptly told breakfast stopped at 9.30. I went on through to ask the owner/cook if there was anything I could have for breakfast,he walked straight past me,the other lady then said you can have breakfast but you have to pay for it. Which I had already done. I then walked over to the coffee machine and asked if I can at least have a coffee. Again, abruptly told, you can but you have to pay for it. Extremely noisy, was wakened at 7am with the noise of the ladies in the kitchen/dining. Will definitely never be back, rude staff. Owner/chef. Not helpful or accommodating in any way. On leaving the property about 15 minutes after an honest review,the owner (obviously waiting for me) followed me to the door,again abruptly and loudly complaining and trying to challenge me on my review. I told him everything I have wrote is completely true and the pictures tell their own story. I have stayed in 100s of different types of accommodation all over the world and always leave an honest and fair review for each one. Maybe if he took it better and seen it as a way of actually changing a few things and being more friendly,then this place might do a little better. So after seeing the lies that the owner is now saying, 5 days later. I was not politely told anything. When I arrived at this so called hotel, I couldn't have been politely informed anything,as there was noone there to greet us in any way. I went to my room,got ready to go out and As I previously said, I went to the bar to have a drink. Waited, then went around to try find someone. The owner was in the kitchen when he told me the bar is closed as I'm prepping food. As for the 'ladies' in the room the next morning,where I went through to at 9.40am ( not 30 minutes late ) to have breakfast. Again more lies from the owner. I was very rudely told I can't have breakfast. Unless I pay for it. Also,note to the owner. I wouldn't like to think you would ever follow a woman or family out to the door on leaving the way you did with me. As I said to you at the door,check your cameras for the times and what was said. Maybe take some time out to learn some...

Upon our arrival at the Serendipity House, Londonderry B&B, the experience was far from inviting. Parking was a significant issue; we were fortunate to find street parking, which necessitated parking several blocks away from the property.

Despite arriving before 8:00 PM, there was no front desk or anyone on-site to assist with check-in. I attempted to use the provided ring system, but the connection was unreliable and kept cutting in and out. The person on the other end of the line was rather abrupt and seemed annoyed by the conversation, repeatedly stating that they had emailed us information, which I unfortunately never received. Due to the poor connection, the call on the ring system eventually dropped, and I had to resort to calling the direct contact number to obtain instructions for entry and access to our room.

Upon entering the room, we were immediately struck by its condition, which was anything but welcoming. We had to physically move items just to fully open the door, posing a significant fire hazard. The room was oppressively hot, and a strong, musty odor was overwhelmingly present. We noticed four desiccant containers in the room, seemingly intended to absorb humidity, yet the air remained very stale with no discernible circulation. Furthermore, the bedding had visible stains on the covers, the bathroom was missing a transition piece, and there was clear evidence of mold on the flooring and windows. Given the current heatwave in Ireland, the room was truly uninhabitable. The actual room bore no resemblance to the images provided, which led us to decide to leave and secure alternative accommodation.

I contacted the property's number to inform them that we would not be staying. When asked for the reason, I detailed all the issues we had encountered. The individual I spoke with disputed some of my observations, specifically regarding the bedding stains, claiming they were fresh, and justifying the desiccant containers by stating they were for the humidity generated by four adults in the room.

This entire experience has been profoundly disappointing, especially as I had been very much looking forward to what was advertised as a quaint B&B. For a cost of $547, I certainly expected a much higher standard of accommodation, not an experience akin...

We decided to have lunch at Serendipity House (we are from the city so didnt stay atvthe B&B) after a recommendation from a friend and what an absolute surprise. Hidden along Malborough Street near St Eugene's cathedral, access was easy given on street parking in the locale. Staff were extremely friendly and welcoming (Aoife was our server) and were continuously attentive during the course of lunch. As for the food, the food was excellent...we started with the 'small plates' which included the beetroot salad and pork belly in red wine jus. These were extremely tasty and fresh, being prepared with care. Our table facilitated the stunning view over our beautiful city and the restaurant felt snug and welcoming. Our main course consisted of the beef burger salad, oozing smokey grilled freshness. The second main was the open steak sandwich, the steak care to medium rare specification perfectly and the pepper sauce did not render the underlying bread (Felt like a nice piece of sourdough) soggy...a mistake all too often observed elsewhere. John, the chef, treated us to a chocolate orange ganache, complete with a biscuit crumb and macaron accompaniment to round off a superb lunch. As far as lunches go, few in the city area would even come close...an excellent all rounder based on food, service and location. We will be back to enjoy an evening meal and have a few drinks in their snug at night, and also to enjoy some more of their small plates. The small plates are also bariatric friendly. Highest recommendation...big bonuses include food, service and parking. In my opinion...great service and great food are worth every penny...and Serendipity house restaurant has this...