CHILD FRIENDLY DAISY COTTAGE

Daisy Cottage, being a family home, is a place where children are always welcome.  We strive to make it is easy as possible for parents to holiday in Daisy Cottage with their children from babies up. 


Children are always welcome in Daisy Cottage

We know from our own experience all the paraphernalia that must be taken when going anywhere with babies and toddlers.  Even the shortest journey involves a lot of carrying so a holiday of course requires much more and this is why we try to have most of what parents need for their children already in Daisy Cottage for their arrival and to lessen the load carried by them to holiday with us.

We can offer, on request, a travel cot and a push chair/stroller.  The travel cot fits easily into the master bedroom but can also be put in either of the other two doubles or one of the twin bedded rooms.

Other things we offer in Daisy Cottage, on request and totally free of charge (are the travel cot and stroller), are:

HIGH CHAIR

When choosing the highchair for Daisy Cottage we were very aware of the need for a highchair that was extremely sturdy and easily cleaned and so when we saw the Rubbermaid one with it's wide leg base (making it less likely to topple over), and it's strength and it's easy to keep clean surfaces together with no nooks and crannies where little items of food might get trapped, we had found the perfect highchair for Daisy Cottage.  After each baby guest leaves we scrub it down in the shower in the wet room and leave it to dry in the fresh air outside thereby ensuring it is pristine for our next baby guest.

BABY GATES

Baby gates for the bottom of the stairs ...

... and baby gates for the top of the stairs

Obviously, Daisy Cottage having stairs, baby gates were an absolute necessity and we can fit our baby gates on request.  We can also remove them quickly when people without children with them are staying.  We have a gate for the bottom of the stairs and a gate for the top of the stairs.  At the top there are another few steps on the return but the space between the wall and the banister is too wide for a gate but it has never been a problem as there are just the few steps and there is a landing below them and then the top gates.

BABY SEAT

Comfortable baby seat for tiny guests in Daisy Cottage

Our little baby seat is perfect for your child to relax beside you.  It is slightly padded and fairly large and has a safety belt fitted.  The covering comes off completely, ensuring it is always kept clean for each new baby guest.

BABY/CHILD PLATES, CUPS AND CUTLERY

Colourful little dishes for babies and young children in Daisy Cottage

In Daisy Cottage we have a range of little plates, cups and cutlery for babies and young children.  These are safe and clean for young guests and almost unbreakable.  We also have lots of plastic beakers which are perfect for either drinking juices outdoors in Daisy Cottage ~ or even indoors ~ and great for taking to the beach as the stack easily.

ELECTRIC STEAM STERILISER

Electric steam steriliser

We all know how important it is to keep baby bottles, soothers and dishes as clean and germ free as possible and anyone with a baby knows just how bulky a steriliser can be to pack in for a holiday and so we have one at your disposal in Daisy Cottage.  It is light and quick and easy to use and with ample space inside to steriliser a number of items at one time.

CHANGING MAT

Comfortable changing mat in Daisy Cottage

To make changing nappies somewhat more comfortable for babies, we supply a padded mat.  The mat is vinyl covered and therefore easy to keep clean and safe for your baby.

BABY WALKER

Whizzing about in Daisy Cottage!

Daisy Cottage, with it's spacious and tiled kitchen/diner and hallway is the perfect place for a baby to let off a little steam and get about quickly in the baby walker we supply.  The walker is sturdy, with a very wide base, and easy to fold down when not in use.  The top of the walker has little knobs and buttons to press to keep baby entertained and the padded seat and surround is comfortable and easily cleaned.

PLUG SOCKET COVERS

Keeping little children safe in Daisy Cottage

Every parent knows that little fingers find the most dangerous places to probe ~ electric sockets being one of them.  We supply a box of 12 of them for parents to fit wherever they see fit and yes, they are not heavy nor bulky but we supply them as they are just one more thing our parent guests need not worry about packing.

EVEN A POTTY!

Potty Daisy Cottage!!!

We like to go the extra mile in Daisy Cottage and of course having that ethos meant we just had to have a little potty for our baby guests.  The potty is very sturdy and has a wide base and is easily cleaned.

ENTERTAINING BABIES AND CHILDREN IN DAISY COTTAGE

We supply lots of relaxation and entertainment things for our adult guests (DVDs, CDs, books, board games, a games loft, etc.) so why not for baby/child guests too?  Even on holiday, children get bored and we supply some bits and pieces to alleviate those times when a child wants to be entertained.  For older children we have a wii console and for younger guests we supply:

BUILDING BLOCKS

Colourful building blocks in Daisy Cottage

We know from experience that all children just love colourful building blocks and of course had to have these in Daisy Cottage.  From babies up they seem fascinated with attaching the colourful bricks and trying to build something, often the most bizarre things!  Our building bricks are in a large zipped bag and can be tipped out onto the floor for a child to enjoy and then gathered up and placed back in the bag so they are out of sight once not needed.  The added attraction with these building blocks is that they are easily washable and so can be kept clean for all our baby/child guests.

LITTLE COOKS

Daisy Cottage ... perfect for budding cooks and chefs!

Our little cooks basket holds two pretty red and white polka dot aprons which are easily wiped clean, a cookie making set complete with instructions and lots of different fittings for different shaped cookies, two tiny whisks, heart shaped and star shaped cake dishes, biscuit cutters in all sorts of shapes including letters and animals, colourful tiny jelly moulds, and a little recipe book for cupcakes.  We know previous guest which young children really loved having these items and reported back that their children had just loved having items tiny enough for their hands and we hope future guests with children will make full use of them.

BATS AND BALLS

The enclosed and private walled garden of Daisy Cottage is the perfect place for little guests to enjoy a game with bats and balls and so we leave them there for all our little guests to enjoy.  The village store always has a selection of colourful bats and balls too so you can buy extra should you need the.

CARD GAMES

Card games in Daisy Cottage

On holiday it is a great time to get back to some old fashioned family interaction and what better way than a game of Snap sitting around the large table in the kitchen/diner of Daisy Cottage.  The children will love it and in truth, at least for the first oh, five or six games, most adults will too. 

BOOKS AND DVDs

A selection of the childrens' books and DVDs in Daisy Cottage

Children love a story at bedtime and so we have a number of books in Daisy Cottage for you to read to them.  We also have a selection of some of the most popular childrens' DVDs which can be watched either in the living room or in the kitchen/diner thereby giving the parent the freedom to decide where the children will sit to watch their DVDs.  Maybe while you are cooking you would gather them around the kitchen table and let them watch a DVD to let you get on with whatever you need to do.  On our sky TV we have the Kids Channel which shows all their favourite shows.

BEACH TOYS

Happy beach days in Donegal

There are many sandy beaches near Daisy Cottage and so it is only right that we have a big box of beach toys for our little guests.  The box, which is lidded and can easily be transported from Daisy Cottage to your beach of choice, is filled with buckets, spades, forks, a little tipper truck and other bits and bobs for children to make the very most of our beautiful Donegal beaches.

We supply beach towels in Daisy Cottage to save you carrying them to holiday here and we have now also added a pop up tent.  This can be used for playing in the private, walled garden of Daisy Cottage but more importantly it can be taken to the beach and used as a shaded place for baby out of the sun or to have a quiet, undisturbed snooze.

BABYSITTING

The village bars are child friendly too and welcome little ones during the day and early evening but there may be nights when you want a child-free night out, let us know in advance and we can arrange a local babysitter for you.  The fee for babysitting is between you and the babysitter and we take no % from the babysitter.  The village bars are child friendly too and welcome little ones during the day and early evening

So, that's our child friendly Daisy Cottage!  If there is anything vital missing, we would very much appreciate hearing from you with your suggestions.  You can email us at daisycottagedonegal @gmail.com (don't forget to close the space after daisycottagedonegal and before @gmail.com!).

EATING OUT ~ BASKINS CAFE, DUNKINEELY

In the village of Dunkineely and only a two minute walk from Daisy Cottage is probably one of the busiest little diner/take-aways in Donegal.  The ever popular Baskins Cafe is a family run business which has been feeding the people of the area together with many of the visitors, for many years now.

Baskins Cafe, Dunkineely

The only day Baskins Cafe is quiet is a Sunday, the only day they close.We drive past there at various times of the day and evening coming and going to Daisy Cottage and every time there are customers, which isn't at all bad, especially in the current economy.

Yesterday we were in Daisy Cottage: my husband doing some work, fixing part of the terrace which had been damaged in recent high winds and me taking lots of photographs of all the equipment and extras we have in the house for our baby and child guests.  One of our friends from the village dropped by for a cup of coffee and as we were chatting we got around to chatting about Baskins ~ which planted the seed in my head for later, fish and chips before we headed back home.

So later, work and photography done, we locked up and walked over to Baskins.  For the first time ever, we were lucky enough to arrive and the place not busy which gave me the perfect opportunity to get a shot of the interior without disturbing other diners.

Baskins

As usual the service was quick and friendly ~ it doesn't matter which member of staff you are served by in Baskins, each one is a friendly as the other.  I ordered one fish and chips, one plate of chips and tea, bread and butter for two.  I love this old fashioned style "tea" now and again.  The reason I ordered just one fish and chips and one plate of chips is that the portions are so large that you get two large bits of fish per portion so we shared that. 

The fish they serve is fresh, real fish, none of that frozen pre-prepared stuff here.  Yesterday the fish was haddock but it varies with what is available any day.  And the chips, as you might expect with fresh fish, are real potatoes cup and fried by Baskins in Baskins.  Their fish and chips is obviously one of the reasons the place is so busy.

However, they have another secret weapon I hear spoken of ~ their chicken kebab.  Now neither of us eat kebabs but now and then in pubs in the village you will hear people talking about Baskins chicken kebabs.  I overheard a conversation one night between a group of lads and smiled when I heard one of them, talking about some take-away he had gone into on holiday somewhere.  He said "their chicken kebab was bigger than Baskins!".  Now were I a script writer, at this juncture I would have had the entire bar fall into stunned silence.  I'm not, and it didn't but the guys in the conversation all expressed surprise at this news.  A bigger chicken kebab than Baskins ... somewhere!  Mind you, it is not only locals who speak highly of Baskins.  Sarah Jessica Parker and her husband Matthew Broderick have a holiday home a few miles away and SJP apparently called Baskins the best fish and chip shop in Ireland.   

I notice too in our guest book in Daisy Cottage, Baskins often gets a mention.  Here's a couple of examples: "Pubs in town were great and fish and chips from Baskins were yummy." and: "Macs Bar is an unreal wee pub and Baskins Cafe is so nice, the food is amazing."

Before our food arrived, people started arriving in and by the time it arrived, the place was filling up nicely.  As usual there was a run of people calling to collect pre-ordered food ~ Baskins let you ring in your order which is then ready for collection when you call.

Baskins perfect fish and chips!

Our food arrived and we tucked in.  As usual the batter was crispy and perfect and inside perfectly cooked haddock, steaming hot and super tasty.  For me lashings of vinegar enhanced the already great chips and like two hungry hounds, we polished off the lot, me showing super table manners by mopping up some vinegar left on my plate with a triangle of bread and butter.  The perfect, old fashioned "tea".

DETAILS

For one fish and chips, one plate of chips and tea, bread and butter for two we paid €14.70

Together with fish and chips they also serve burgers (from €2 for a "regular bun burger" to €5.80 for a "double quarter pounder with cheese and bacon", chicken kiev (€3.70).  There are various other chicken dishes too.  There are a choice of "Specials" which includes "Steak Special" (peppered steak served with sauteed onions and peas €9.50), scampi (€4.20), steak and kidney pie (€2.20) and their kebabs (doner or chicken) are €4.70. 

They also do an all day breakfast type dish called a "Fry Special" which consists of 2 slices of bacon, 2 sausages, 2 eggs, sauteed onions, beans and chips and this comes in at €6.90.  I have seen this served on earlier visits and it is HUGE.  We have had the smaller breakfast (without the onions, chips and beans and the extra egg) and it is still plenty, believe me!

OPENING HOURS: Monday ~ Saturday 12 noon until 11.30 pm

CONTACT
Baskins Cafe, Main Street, Dunkineely  TEL: +353-749737340