Garnish House

The Garnish B&B is a real gem. We have stayed here 3 years in a row on weekends away with my team. It’s very reasonable, the staff are excellent and a good location, beside the University. They serve tea and scones on arrival, which is amazing, these are delicious, rooms and bathrooms are a good standard, and the best breakfast I’ve ever had at a B&B. So many choices and cooked to order. They are constantly offering more tea & coffee and checking that everything is ok. Every hotel manager in the country should stay a night here and this is the definition of Céad Míle Fáilte!!!

This is a great guesthouse that has spacious rooms. Their rooms are more akin to what you’d expect in a hotel. Clean rooms, beds are comfortable and a bathroom with a shower, toilet and sink. They do have two buildings across the street from each other — so you might have to walk outside to get your breakfast. WiFi was fast and worked just fine.
All in all — no real complaints and had a great stay. As an economy tourist, I would come again, but might try to find a place even cheaper.

We were happily greeted by Danielle upon our arrival who offered us afternoon (evening really) tea and treats. Our room was located in an attached building on the second floor, facing the street. It was very spacious with a king size bed. The bath was rather small but comparable to other baths in Europe. Our one complaint was the street noise. The room itself didn’t have much airflow so we kept the windows open to allow a breeze. The traffic was quite noisy until the early hours of the morning. Also a slight negative was parking; we had to park down the street at another B&B two nights.
Breakfast was amazing and offered a large variety of hot meals as well as a fruit, juice, and cereal bar. The scones were homemade and delicious.
The location was perfect to the city of Cork and the university. Both were just seconds away.
We definitely would recommend garnish house to anyone traveling to Cork.

Just came back from an overnight stay in Cork’s Garnish House and had a lovely time. We walked into the establishment very tired after a morning on the train from Dublin and then a cab ride and we were greeted by the lovely host. She whisked us away to a sunny table and brought us tea and a table full of baked goods. It was exactly what we needed. And it was all so delicious. Our room was lovely and very comfortable. We had a great night’s sleep. And breakfast! Everything was awesome.
The Garnish House is ideally located too. Once we settled in, we walked outside, took a right and we were immediately on the University walking path which was lush and breathtaking. It ended very close to city center and we had a lovely time walking around and shopping. The people of Cork are a special kind of people. They have an honesty and love for country that shines through. While it was short, I loved my visit to Cork and our stay at Garnish House was the icing on the cake. Perfect!

We stayed here four years ago and I would go back to cork just to stay here. Johanna was a lovely and most enjoyable proprietress! We, obviously, stayed in the nice house (green and across the street from where she serves breakfast)
The beds were comfortable, rooms were large, bathrooms very nice. Everything was clean and tidy. The food was amazing (that doesn’t even begin to describe the breakfast offered… Porridge, platters of fresh fruit, deli meats, anything you can imagine cooked to order, warm fresh home made scones, great coffee, tea selections) and the entire staff was charming! My advise is just be clear about where you would like to stay!
Thank you Johanna ~ we hope to see you sometime soon!

Out of the three weeks I spent in Ireland my two nights at the Garnish House were by far the least enjoyable of the whole trip. The room I stayed in was on the first floor right next to the laundry room and kitchen. Upon returning late the first evening, about 11pm, I noticed the door diagonal to mine was open — I had thought it was another guest room but it was in fact the laundry room. I was kept awake both nights by the sound of laundry being done throughout the nighttime. Then around 6 am the breakfast ruckus started which included loud chatter and various octaves of pots and pans being banged around.
The room itself was rather small, with a very small TV and small bathroom. I get that most rooms and bathrooms in Europe are small — my stay here was towards the end of my adventure, I had been in several small rooms by this point — however the general smallness of the room, combined with an uncomfortable bed and a terrible window view from a window that I couldn’t open to let in fresh air and that had limited natural lighting as it was facing the laundry and kitchen made the overall stay depressing and uncomfortable.
There was only one wall outlet on the wall opposite side of where the bathroom was so I ended up doing my hair without a mirror so at least I acquired a new skill!
I was also very unimpressed with the morning breakfast. The big ‘thing’ about the Garnish house is the large selection of breakfast items. The selections are not that great and are variations of the same items.
Getting to the Garnish house is a bit tricky as well. The street name the B&B is listed under is deceiving. The street ‘Western road’ actually turns into a different street that becomes a one way. So if you’re using your GPS to try to locate this B & B you dead end into the one way street and have to circle around to get going the right direction to actually find this place! Parking is also extremely limited.
Location is relatively ‘close’ with a 20 or so minute trek into the centre of town. On my way I saw a couple of other places that looked nicer, newer and cleaner. I would recommend staying somewhere else while in Cork.

First time in Cork and the friend accompanying me had stayed here twice before. Lovely staff that upgraded our room and went out of there way for food allergies! Do take advantage of the Tea/​Coffee and scones in the sitting room upon arrival. 10 min walk to all the great pubs and resteraunts. Will definitely stay again!

We entered the Garnish House Bed and Breakfast and a very nice German man met us and directed us to our «welcoming tea,» during which we were served home-​baked (at the B&B) bread, scones, chocolate cake, fruit cake, and choice of coffee or tea while the helpful proprietor introduced us to Cork, illustrated with maps, and provided us with answers to all of our questions, including safety and recommendations for restaurants.
Unfortunately, there are no lifts at the B&B, so the stairs are a bit of a challenge for elderly folk, but we were able to get moved in with minimal effort thanks to the parking on site just outside the B&B entrance.
Slept like a rock while we stayed (I use ear plugs, so no promises on street noise). Got up in the morning to savor was had been foretold as a truly great breakfast. The legends told of pancakes, omelettes, assorted dishes of delectation.
The implementation at Garnish House certainly met these expectations. A veritable smörgåsbord of scones and bread met us at the table, with fresh French press coffee delivered only seconds later. The menu lived up to it’s legend, with a multitude of selections to satisfy any taste. Delicious.
Save room for the pancakes (crepes) served at the end of the meal. If you like poached eggs, go for the smoked salmon and poached eggs. They will also accommodate multiple orders and bring you anything you want. An absolute steal for the 10 euro price when you stay at the hotel.
If I come back to Ireland, I am staying at this location at least two nights. Simply wonderful.
Warning — the GPS will take you through the kitschy and bustling business area on the way. Fear not, it is located in a nice area just outside the university.

Pretty good bread and breakfast in Cork. Great breakfast and pretty good rooms that can fit 4 people nicely. People actually come here to eat the breakfast itself so it must be good.

The host was absolutely lovely and offered us delicious tea, scones, bread and cakes upon arrival. The outdoor garden is absolutely adorable. That is the good part. The bad part follows: They put us up in a building around the corner which reminded us of a hostel, we couldn’t even fully open our suitcase in the room it was so small and could barely turn around in the shower. Plus, the wifi didn’t work well and we could hear everything our neighbors said and did. Make sure to ask if you are staying in the actual place as I imagine from the positive reviews on trip advisor that experience is much better; otherwise, look elsewhere. We found cheaper hotels in the area, but paid more for the B&B experience which we did not receive.

To be honest, I loathe B and B’s. I booked this place because I thought it would show a side of Ireland that I wouldn’t see if I stayed at big name hotels thoughout my 2 week stay. Thank god I only stayed 2 nights. I hate doilies and old fashioned bedspreads. I hate the smell of rose scented soap. I hate mingling with strangers over breakfast playing the «where are you from?» game.
The staff here is top notch. The hospitality is everything that you’ve ever read about how the Irish treat their guests. They really put us Americans to shame. The people are lovely. This is a nice place. It’s kind of like staying at your grandmother’s house when you were a kid.
I just loathe B and B’s. Can’t wait to check in to the Park Hotel Kenmare and the G Hotel in Galway after that. And then, back to the Westin in Dublin. The hospitality has been top notch no matter where I have stayed so far in Ireland.
Gotta go… I smell scones. God, get me out of here.

Beautiful B&B with lots of rooms. They are a bit spread out, but the host, Johanna I believe, was exceedingly pleasant. The rooms were well appointed, the beds very comfortable, and the breakfast that comes with the room was awesome. Both in quantity and quality. I had the full Irish breakfast, but there was much to choose from.
If I go back to Cork, I’ll try to stay here again :-)