With top quality accommodation and a warm Ballygally welcome, Johnny and Dee Mulvenna have been further developing their bed and breakfast and self-catering facilities.
BallyCairn House B & B, The Barn at BallyCairn and BallyCairn Studio offer a range of facilities catering for large family groups, couples and independent travellers.
As well as the quality aspects of the accommodation, as hosts, Johnny and Dee pride themselves that all who arrive as guests will leave as friends.
“We try to put people at ease and take any kind of stress off guests when they arrive,” said Dee.
“It’s a case of being warm and welcoming and helping them to get as much out of their stay as possible.”
Johnny and Dee are both former art teachers who bought and re-built BallyCairn House as their main home in 2009 and subsequently converted an old stone barn before opening their visitor accommodation in 2016.
“From when we first opened the bed and breakfast we have been striving to continually improve and provide the best possible experience,” said Johnny.
Just five miles from Larne town and its port, BallyCairn is on the Causeway Coastal Route within easy reach of all the major attractions including The Gobbins, Glenarm Castle Estate, the Glens of Antrim and the filming locations from Game of Thrones and The Northman. The surroundings are an added bonus for visitors.
“The first thing that strikes them is the garden and the lovely panoramic views that we have of the sea and the Antrim Hills behind us,” Johnny said. “There is a 360-degree view around the house. You can see Ballygally Head, the Scottish coastline and the Irish Sea.
American, Australian, Asian, Dutch, German, Italian, Spanish and French families, as well as locals, have all enjoyed the welcome, the views and the facilities.
BallyCairn Accommodation’s properties are all fitted out with modern conveniences and amenities for a comfortable stay including free Wi-Fi, oil fired central heating throughout and ample off-road parking.
With Johnny and Dee’s background in art, all their accommodation features work by themselves and other artists.
“We’ve been collecting work by local and Northern Ireland artists for many years and we enjoy sharing it with guests,” Dee said. “American guests, in particular, see the art on the walls and are keen to know where they too can purchase similar work.”
“Our artists are from all over Northern Ireland, many places that you couldn’t begin to direct someone to.” so guests appreciate the opportunity to buy original art and craft items at BallyCairn.”
Both Johnny and Dee create handmade craft items. Dee creates block prints, hand-painted wooden figures, brooches and decorations, Johnny makes block prints cards of local scenes, all available to buy.
The latest step on their path to continuing improvement is an in-house shop for their guests.
“We’ve been collecting work by Northern Irish artists for over 30 years,” said Dee. “We are passionate about art. In order to satisfy guests’ regular requests, we have opened a little shop with arts and crafts specifically from Northern Ireland. It’s about promoting the work of local creatives.”
On arrival guests are pampered and provided with homemade cakes, preserves and jams often made from fruits grown in the garden.
A full English/Irish breakfast is provided in the bed and breakfast.
For guests staying three days or longer, both self-catering properties come with a complementary welcome basket.To book your stay at BallyCairn Accommodation, visit https://www.ballycairnhouse.com.
