Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork

Advantages: Maryborough House Hotel & Spa
Disadvantages: Not much to do, disc parking schemes

...We had a 4 night break based around Cork, the good point was the hotel in Douglas (Maryborough Hotel and Spa) which was very good with excellent facilities and very friendly staff (probably because most were eastern european rather than Irish). Not a cheap option though. Overall though we found Cork disappointing, the countryside is OK, nothing spectacular though, and many areas appear shabby. One thing we did note was the apparent aversion to tourists in terms of lack of parking spaces - Cork City and most towns - even small ones have "disc parking" i.e. if you are local it's easy to park, if not then virtually impossible or you pay often over 2 euros per hour - and worse many parking bays have a 2 hour maximum stay. The City itself was also disappointing, it seems to be undergoing a major refurb in the centre at the moment... Read review

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Advantages: fantastic area to visit
Disadvantages: none

.... It was interesting to see trees with bands of bark cut from all around the tree. We noticed many trees with bands of cork cut. We also saw trees with a small square cut in the bark , I guess this was a tester area to check the thickness of the bark. In one are we saw rolls of the cork bark lying on the floor awaiting collection. Apparently the cork can be harvested like this every 9 years. It does not harm the tree and the tree regroups more bark. We did not see this but apparently pigs are turned out into the forests in the autumn and they eat the acorns. Wild pigs can also be found here. These woods are good for birds providing nesting areas The Park Nacional de donate especially good. Then there's the Acornocales Natural Park, as you can guess from the name it's called after the acorn .Another natural park area I have visited is the Sierra de... Read review

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Advantages: Attractive and compact city, eclectic and diverse yet still traditional, lots to do
Disadvantages: Eating out not cheap; some may find it too hilly

...walk: although the centre is compact, there are a few hills. It takes a little while to get your bearings in Cork; the city started life as an island in the swampy River Lee and today the river flows in two channels through the centre of the city. As a result you find that you are constantly crossing bridges and some of the main streets are even built over smaller sub-channels. On the north side, the streets start to climb the hill and if you are in bed and breakfast accommodation, you may find yourself climbing up several times a day as most of these establishments are in Victorian townhouses. The more affluent visitors will be pleased to know that the higher end hotels tend to be in the city centre which is flat. Two distinctive churches make good reference points if you are struggling to get your bearings – and are also worth visiting... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful