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Author Archive for Mark Grace

Why Direct Booking is the Real Deal

Posted by Mark Grace 
· 2024-02-18 
· No Comments
The safest and best way to book with us is via our own website. The same goes for any other genuine accommodation provider.
Our genuine listings on tourist accommodation sites are referrals that redirect you to our website. These are Five Star, Discover Ireland, Failte Ireland, PureCork, and the local Clonakilty business website.
When your accommodation is listed on website sites data is often copied to potential scam/bogus sites claiming there are deals to be had and that you can book through their system(s). A quick search of Google finds many who claim this. Of course, you know that you can never do better if you are looking for deals, to deal with the accommodation provider directly. The use of poor quality screen captures  and  fake calendars empty of bookings should be a warning flag that they are not the real deal. Strangely, even Booking.com falsely claims to have us as “Hotel Ballynoe” even though we are not listed with them!
There are sites in various countries who gather tourist information and provide the link to our site (and these are appreciated). The others are not. A site called lodging-world.com has obviously copied our drone image and then added some unrelated interior images from elsewhere. Other sites to avoid include lastminute.deals and trip.com.  There are too many to list here.
Why book direct? It’s really simple.
We prefer that 100% of the money you pay us for your stay goes into the local economy. Otherwise, a sizeable chunk goes into the pockets of the owners of monopolistic high commission TPAs such AirBnB and Booking,com (and their many affiliates on the first page of Google). They extract millions a year from local economies all over the world. Even big hotels will thank you and may give you a better deal or upgrade for booking direct!
In these cost conscious and economically difficult times, a little more consideration of how to book can benefit us all. Thank you for booking direct.
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About Us

Ballynoe House has three luxury self-catering guesthouses situated just 10 minutes from Clonakilty, the multi-award-winning West Cork tourist destination, and within a short walk of several beaches; an ideal location for your holiday on this part of the Wild Atlantic Way. Our blog posts cover events and opportunities for activities in West Cork as well as Ballynoe House which has a Resident Genealogist and Resident Artist.

Press Coverage:
West Cork People (July 2018)
Irish Independent Travel Feature (December 2018)

From Our Blog

  • Why Direct Booking is the Real Deal
  • You Win Some and You Lose Some as a Genetic Genealogist
  • Assistance from the Resident Family Historian & Genetic Genealogist
  • Top Tips to Maximise Your Online DNA & Genealogical Profile
  • Why Guests Stay at Ballynoe House, West Cork
  • One of the Best Autism-Friendly Holiday Locations in Ireland
  • West Cork Garden Trail
  • Travelling the Seven C’s – An Approach to Genetic Genealogy (Part 2)
  • Travelling the Seven C’s – An Approach to Genetic Genealogy (Part 1)
  • atDNA Goes Pop!
  • Kevin the Rescue Jackdaw
  • The Folds Beneath Your Feet in West Cork
  • Heads Up on Dandelions
  • Miniature Rock Gardens
  • Autism-Friendly Accommodation & Environment
  • Clonakilty Festivals
  • Forty Years of Family History Research in 2019
  • Sandscove – Our Secret Beach
  • What Use is Sibling DNA for Family History?
  • Sharing Your atDNA Test Results
  • Surf’s Up in West Cork
  • Clonakilty – Ireland’s Place of the Year for 2017
  • Children’s Activities at Ballynoe House
  • Flexible Family Accommodation
  • Self-Catering Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Cooking Yourself
  • Attending a Wedding or Event at a Clonakilty-area Hotel?
  • Partnering with FiveStar International
  • A Tour of Ballynoe Mews (Holiday Lets)
  • Ballynoe House Holiday Lets
  • Having a Whale of a Time
  • Ballynoe House Presents The Barn House
  • The Constant West Cork Gardener
  • DNA Solves a 170-Year-Old Family Mystery
  • DNA in Family History Research
  • Old Postcards of Clonakilty
  • A Family Member Who Sank with the SS Titanic
  • The Documented Extinction of a Family Name
  • The Rewards of Family History
  • The O’NEILL Families of Clonakilty
  • Ballynoe House Woodland Trail
  • How the LOWNEY Family Came to Clonakilty
  • Fairy Doors at Ballynoe House
  • A Novel Holiday Destination
  • A History of Accommodation
  • Galley Head Lighthouse
  • Sub-Townlands of Dunowen, Ardfield
  • Arts & Crafts, West Cork
  • Walking West Cork
  • Wildflower Meadows at Ballynoe House
  • Why Visit West Cork?
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