The twin towns of Stranorlar and Ballybofey sit facing each other across the River Finn in the middle of Donegal. It’s a curious arrangement that no doubt has its origins in the dim and murky mists of history, but no-one really cares about all that, and the two seem to function well as one unit for all practical purposes. It’s a good double-sided concentration of habitation, occupation and recreation, and a great place to rest up for a couple of days. Of course there’s not a lot to interest the traveller, but a few days allows the stranger to sample three very different institutions, each with its own charm and personality.
JACKSON’S HOTEL: this is not the place to stay, however it has other features to commend it. The staff are an absolute delight, the food quite acceptable (if you are prepared to wait for it) but as a hotel it’s a bit of a chaos, a happy chaos, but chaos all the same, and there’s something of the “Fawlty Towers” about it. When I stopped in Jackson’s recently my expectations were high but, but disappointment soon set in.
At check-in I was allocated a room with one double bed when what I had booked was a room with one double and one single bed. I’m a bit of a claustrophobe so I like to make sure I get a bigger room. Of course I was re-allocated, and to an even bigger room than I had booked, but it was in the attic and beyond the reach of the elevator and had a shower that worked only intermittently.
On the stairs leading to the room lay a cooked sausage which was still there when I was leaving, and each time I passed it I could have sworn it was pointing at me.
The leisure facilities were good - pool and gym - in spite of some odd locker room arrangements. Some of the seats in the lounge outside the swimming pool looked straight into the men’s changing room, and even when a gentleman thought he was discretely changing out of the line of vision of people sitting out side, the position of full length mirrors spared no-one’s blushes. But why were there full length mirrrors in the men’s room anyway? Beats me.
There was a general air on uncertainty and chaos about the place, but its charm and friendliness more than compensated for accusatory sausages and the parade of men’s naked butts just out of the shower. Great pool though.
What Jackson’s scores most points for is its bar. The relaxed, friendly, informal atmosphere late at night, whether busy or quiet, was worth it, and although I’ll not be staying here again any time soon, I’ll certainly be coming back to round off a night out just sitting beside the roaring fire in the reception area with a fine Irish whiskey sliding down my throat.
So it’s Jacksons for the bar and the pool, but for sleeping it has to be KEES HOTEL, a long-established place still run by the most recent generation of the family who successfully ventured into the hotel business many years ago. (www.keeshotel.ie)
The building is rambling and ramshackle, with bits added on here and there over the years and it all fits well together. It exudes a really quaint, old-fashioned atmosphere with red geraniums in boxes on the window sills and touches of luxury everywhere. The bar here is great for very generous snacks throughout the day, and the breakfast is plentiful with a wide range of fruit, cereals and cooked food organised on an eat-all-you-can basis. The dining room staff are decked out in early twentieth century kitchen maid outfits but this is no gimmicky contrivance, it’s genuine, and they, like the staff at Jackson’s, are a delight. I notice this year that all the members of staff are Irish, unlike in previous years when Kee’s was a bit of a “Little Warsaw” - just an observation, not a complaint.
And then we come bang up to date for the evening meal. Villa Rose is well disguised behind a mediocre facade in the main street, but don’t let appearances fool you. (www.villarose.net)
Nondiscript from the outside, this little gem is decadently luxurious and its restaurant is not to be passed by. The accommodation is first class but too modern for my taste, and the restaurant menu offers a good range of local produce spiced up with modern and exciting twists. Excellent wine and, as with Jacksons and Kees, excellent staff. The interior is plush but simple with a few bits of art work by Padraig O’Murchu around the walls which are well worth more than a few moments to contemplate.
So, for a few days in the twin towns it goes like this:
* Stay at Kee’s hotel and wake up to a magnificent breakfast
* Move on to Jackson’s for a while at the gym and pool to work off the breakfast
* Back to Kee’s for a light lunch
* Dinner at Villa Rose
* Back to Jackson’s at the end of the evening to while away an hour or so in the bar.
The perfect week-end in Donegal for those who don’t want to be swept away by wind and rain.
