Cute ‘n’ quirky: five downright and different local summer getaways

After the popular Ballinadee Bus was praised for its quirkiness by architect Dermot Bannon, Maeve Kingston checked out some other unusual rental options in the area

Nature on your doorstep

How about a break in a 200-year-old thatch house on Lough Allua? Tir na Spideoga – the country of the robins – lies between the villages of Inchigeelagh and Ballingeary. The cottage is embedded in a huge nature park. Bantry, Garnish Island and Glengarriff are close by. It sleeps four between two bedrooms.

City tranquil-atree

If you want to head for the city, but keep nature near, check out a two-person urban treehouse, fully insulated, 6m off the ground. With views over Cork city it’s in the host’s garden but screened by trees for privacy. It consists of a bedroom with a deck at the top level and a bathroom below.

Seafront stay

Brylands is 3km west of Glengarriff and is a seafront property on four acres of woodland, enclosed by the shoreline on three sides. It looks out over Garnish Island, famous for subtropical trees and plants. With three bedrooms, it can cater for six.

Bayview cabin

This is a wooden chalet overlooking Bantry Bay on Sheep’s Head but just outside Bantry town.

Designed for people craving an idyllic setting to relax in peace, it even has a grass-roofed cabin with a great collection of books about everything Irish. This sleeps five guests between two bedrooms.

Boating in Ballinspittle

In Ballinspittle, Nesbitt is a 37ft one-bedroom boat in its own private garden, overlooked by three donkeys. With electricity, cooking, toilet and showering facilities on board, it’s ideal for a couple or small family (sleeps three).