Manor House Marine & Cottages

We had a lovely stay at the manor house cottages for the second time. The setting is beautiful and staff were helpful, though our request for a cottage in front of the lake couldn't be met during the busiest week of the year. The pitch and putt and tennis were great, and there's a lovely golf course. The games room is free for residents, but it's basically a garage with a darts board and table tennis. It's a good idea and could be upgraded fairly easily. I'd happily pay a small amount to use it if it were improved. A little shop with basics like milk and bread would help, as would a shuttle to Enniskillen and Irvinestown. Without one, you really need a car. A few improvements could make a nice stay even better.

We came back for a second year because the whole family loved it. The views over the lough are lovely, there's plenty to do on site, and discounted boat hire is easy to arrange. The bungalows are well thought out, with a picnic table, BBQ, ping pong, darts and mini golf. Families can stay self-catering, or those who prefer can book the hotel with its luxury pool. A few practical things to know: there's no coffee pot, the dishwasher needs a fair freeze, and the fridge is on the small side for six. The washing machine takes four 50p coins and is in the ladies' toilets; the dryer costs 50p per 15 minutes. Since swimming is a big attraction, drying clothes indoors in the rain was awful the first year, so this time we bought a decent laundry rack and kept it outside. There can be a lot of washing up on a family holiday if the children are too young to help. Shops are 17 minutes away. Hope this helps you plan your stay, we highly recommend it.

Before you set off, they give you a lesson, which I'd highly recommend. We've hired both a Noble Emperor and a Noble lady, and had a wonderful time each trip. The boats are clean and beautiful, the Lough Erne scenery is stunning, and the staff are so friendly and helpful. Cruising the lough is a great way to get away from modern life if that's what you're after, though you can still find lovely places to eat, history, and plenty to see and do. The best way to see Lough Erne!

We drove all the way there for my partner's birthday to hire a puffin boat, and ended up wasting most of the day. The service was appalling from the start. We called to say road closures would make us 10-15 minutes late, and the woman was rude. When we asked for a toilet key, she seemed annoyed to get it. Then the boat had no power and couldn't be steered. The same unhelpful woman said help was on the way after our first call. On the second, she said she couldn't see us from the window, even though a metal building and boats blocked her view. We were right in front of the marina, drifting with the wind. Calls three and four didn't get us much further. I'm glad there wasn't a real emergency, because who knows how that would've ended. When we finally got back, a man said the woman had mixed up the names and they'd been looking for another boat. They confirmed ours was broken, lifted it out of the water and said it would be fixed within 30 minutes. We weren't impressed that no reimbursement was offered. We'd paid for four hours, and although being 10-15 minutes late was our fault, we spent over an hour drifting dead in the water trying to get help. We were lucky to get 40 minutes on the boat before needing to be back by 5.30. The woman refused a refund, saying we'd been out for over 35 minutes, even though we were just drifting. Thankfully the man who picked us up and brought us ashore agreed to refund us. The senior woman working there came across as rude, condescending and unpleasant, and seemed to find everything a bother. Not a pleasant experience at all, and I wouldn't recommend it.