Shannonside House Bed and Breakfast

We had room two, with two very comfortable double beds and a compact en-suite bathroom. The accommodation was very clean and comfortable, and close to the centre of Athlone. Linda and Mark are friendly, helpful hosts and a great team. They also make a lovely full Irish breakfast. We paid £164 for one night's B&B for two, including breakfast.

It's a quick walk into town, and parking is easy. The rooms are lovely, and breakfast was delicious. Mark and Linda are wonderful to talk with, and happy to help with restaurant suggestions and the area's history.

The full Irish breakfast was delicious, with both black and white pudding, and there was also a spread of juice, yogurt, cereal, and fresh fruit. Mark served fresh, hot tea and coffee. We stayed at Shannonside House in Athlone as a stop on our way to County Claire. Two lovely dogs greeted us at the gate, passing their ball through to the private garden, then Linda showed us around the house and to our beautiful en-suite room. She pointed us to Gerrty Brown’s for dinner. My wife asked about a nail bar, and Linda suggested Tropical, where the owner Monica was able to fit her in. We'd definitely recommend staying here. Thank you, Linda and Mark.

We came for one night after a nearby festival. Check-in was fine, but we got up early to head back to Dublin and found there was no hot water in either the sink or shower. As we were leaving, we mentioned it to the owner, who said it was related to their solar power system. I emailed after getting home and received a pretty unempathetic reply saying it would have been fine if we'd waited another 20 minutes. They hadn't mentioned that as we were walking out, and we couldn't have delayed anyway. Hot water is a basic expectation, so paying €137 just for a bed wasn't acceptable, whatever the cause. I wouldn't recommend staying here.