Description: Newpark House is a 300+-year-old house near Ennis, Co. Clare, that offers B&B accommodations. It is located in a quiet park not far from the town (though too far for walking). Because the house is so old, the floorboards are creaking, everything is crooked, and it smells a bit musty. That said, it is equipped with all modern comforts, beautifully decorated, and has a grand breakfast room. The Barrons, the hosts, are courteous and helpful. Because we stayed four nights, we got a discount, which nobody mentioned until it was time to check out, so that was a nice surprise, though I still feel that the price/quality ratio was a bit lopsided.
We did have one somewhat funny experience with the shower. Generally, if there is a shower problem, it's that there is no hot water. Here, the water was boiling hot, but there was no cold water! The next morning, when we complained, the hostess offered to move us to another room, but first showed us we needed to wiggle the tap a bit. A summer of strangers using the tap had turned it a bit rickety, and Mrs. Barron told us that, as soon as the house closed for the season, they would replace all the piping.
Now that we had learned how to get the cold water running, we decided to stay in our room (which offered a balcony) and had a pleasant time at Newpark House.
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