The Rusty Mackerel
Top rated by guests





8.5Excellent
(957 Ratings)
"Quirky little room. The food and bar was cosy and the staff were amazing."
Verified guestDon't miss out! Price and availability may change
2 guests · 1 bedroom · 1 bath
Guests love it hereGuests give this property a top rating
Great for petsBring all your friends and family, even the furry ones
High-end valueWell priced for this area
With Slieve League reachable in 1.2 miles, The Rusty Mackerel provides accommodations, a restaurant, a garden, a terrace and a bar. Complimentary WiFi is featured throughout the property.
Free WiFi/internet
Free Parking
Non-smoking
Pets allowed
Heating
Wheelchair accessible
Bar
Balcony/Terrace
WiFi/Internet
Garden
Accessible Parking
Family friendly
Smoking allowed
Toilet with grab rails
Key access
Fire alarm
Fire extinguisher
Cleaning products
Cleaning & other feesWe include all stay related fees in the Cleaning Fee line, which may include cleaning, property manager, resort, tourism and other stay related fees. All Booking.com properties are professionally cleaned after each stay.
Booking feeNo booking fees, easy credit card payments.
Service feeThis helps Booking.com provide a safer and more secure booking experience.
TaxesTaxes on accommodation such as Occupancy Tax, VAT, or GST. May also include tourism fees.
Customer support is handled by our partner Booking.com
$$$$
Top rated by guests
8.5Excellent
(957 Ratings)
"Quirky little room. The food and bar was cosy and the staff were amazing."
Verified guestDon't miss out! Price and availability may change
Ratings and reviews
9.0 / 10.0
Lovely old authentic bar, friendly staff and locals. Perfect location for visiting Slieve League cliffs and surrounding area. Kids enjoyed freshly made pizzas.
Chowder and Mackerel were disappointing. Although it didn’t bother me, kids not happy with no TV in room.
10.0 / 10.0
Quirky little room. The food and bar was cosy and the staff were amazing.
10.0 / 10.0
Great little spot tucked away in a sleepy hollow in Teelin Bay, super little bar and comfortable with dogs allowed, food was great and breakie even better with Doggo also looked after, checked in rooms to rear of bar, room wasn’t ready but was looked after by management which makes it good and attentive, music most nights and good to see Mickey D when he’s not out in Lanza with the Rory G lad 🙂causing havoc ,
Staff were on ball, Dylan good ambassador and looked after us mighty, and to the courtesy bus man a great chat with him also,
A must in my opinion for a trip to the cliffs. Warm and welcoming and hopefully a return trip for a wee Dram 🥃. Well run, and to the owners no leaks in this establishment 😉.
No negatives.
10.0 / 10.0
Great atmosphere and the food was excellent
N/a
10.0 / 10.0
Staff, accommodations, pub, dinner, breakfast, location - everything was amazing!
No changes - everything is perfect. Next time we will be visit on a weekend so we can enjoy the music.
7.0 / 10.0
Clean rooms and the bar staff were great
The food staff were very slow. We waited OVER 20 minutes to be asked what we wanted for dinner. In the morning we were seated for breakfast and left for 10 minutes - waiter disappeared into the kitchen and didn’t even take a drinks order. Although the breakfast was included we just left. Honestly was very disappointed with that side of things.
10.0 / 10.0
Everything
Nothing
10.0 / 10.0
The bar the pod and the food were all the absolute best parts of our trip , the staff were incredible ! Such lovely people always smiling always happy to help too ! The breakfast was amazing and included surprisingly ! So value for money in this place is off the charts the beds were super comfy and we had the most amazing time seeing all the dogs in the bar that night . We are coming back! We can't wait to spend more time here these people were just incredible.
Nothing everything was incredible
10.0 / 10.0
The atmosphere is just what we were hoping for during our stay in Ireland. Welcoming staff, friendly people, lovely accommodations, tasty food, and a refreshing pint…couldn’t have asked for anything better.
Also, the proximity to Sliabh Liag was perfect.
Nothing.
3.0 / 10.0
Staff , they were wroking really hard and seemed maybe under staffed.
Location to various hiking routes, excellent.
Had fish and chips for meal, tasty but cost €5 more than normal for the area.
Rooms were at the back on the pub, motel style in portacabins. Incredibly cramped (3mx3m space), no windows and no sound proofing. Had a roof vent but it wouldn't stay open and unhealthy over use of bleach cleaning products made us feel unwell as there was so much chlorine in the air but we couldn't let freash air in.
Didn't sleep at all because of low level humming ( maybe generator or extractor fans) even while using the ear plugs provided. Everytime someone in an adjoining cabin moved or flicked a switch you can hear it as the cabins are plastic and amplify the sound.
The bar was cute but not comfortable to sit in all evening, only hard back bar stools. This pub is known for music but during our stay had a couple singing covers, not what I'd expect from a "music pub". Breakfast was avarage.
Such a disappointment.
7.0 / 10.0
The bar food, views, atmosphere were amazing . Staff extremely professional and helpful particularly a young student AVA was a wonderful hostess even taking extra time to show our daughter the fish upstairs. Highly recommend the bar and food , the rooms however … very uncomfortable , far too bright at night due to windows in the doors and spotlights outside each ports cabin shining in all night ! Also you can hear every single word from rooms connecting , which I’m guessing explains the lack of tv’s despite the fixtures being there.
Rooms too bright and loud. Also menu pricing in room does not match menu in bar. Charged much more than expected for food.
1.0 / 10.0
Room wasn’t clean and I was assured there would be a cot in the room. They provided us with a broken crib that is dangerous for a baby to sleep in. So our baby had nowhere to sleep safely
10.0 / 10.0
Fabulous location, wonderful food and amazing staff!
Everything fabulous
8.0 / 10.0
Been before but never stayed in the accomodation ,once you include the breakfast to the room for 2, it's exceptional value,staff as usual were lovely food was good ,the band playing that night ,chain and sprocket ,really made our visit memorable ,teelin and the surrounding area a special part of my dad's home county Donegal 💚
No criticism,but would have been nice to have a window in the bedroom ,but realise it's impossible because of location of accomodation
9.0 / 10.0
Very nice people, good conversations and lovely place. Close to the cliffs (3 Minute drive and 15 min walk) and beautiful view.
Everything you’d wish for when staying at a place like this.
Food is really tasty and the drinks are great.
Everything was clean.
10.0 / 10.0
Food was amazing, would recommend. There was a nice warm log fire on arrival in the bar, perfect.
Nothing the place is perfect
9.0 / 10.0
Great location. Lovely food. Rooms were ideal and great value. Music was excellent
10.0 / 10.0
The location, the staff, the food, the rooms, the music, the locals...absolutely fantastic!!
We celebrated a surprise birthday and it was amazing from we arrived until breakfast the next morning ⭐️💯
10.0 / 10.0
The rooms are very clean and comfortable, and the food was excellent
9.0 / 10.0
Location
Staff
Food
Little noisy
9.0 / 10.0
It was very dog friendly ,and in the same breath so clean .the staff are unbelievable soo great
Nothing , just so relaxed and friendly staff
6.0 / 10.0
Close to the cliffs, good breakfast, and good car park!
Cost and quality of food in the pub - feels like a tourist trap restaurant.
10.0 / 10.0
I liked that there was no television in the property or in the sleeping cabins. Cabins were very small but fit for purpose, could have done with a chair in the room.
It had WiFi but no coverage away from it. Staff extremely friendly and nothing was a bother to them all. Will be back soon!
A chair would be welcome in the triple room
4.0 / 10.0
Clean
Entertainment atmosphere
10.0 / 10.0
Excellent rooms located right behind The Rusty Mackerel. Very comfortable and clean. Staff were more than helpful to us all & made our stay unique. We would highly recommend.
Nothing
8.0 / 10.0
The property is in a great location near the Slieve League Cliffs in Donegal. We were drawn to the charm of the old facility in the advertisement as well as the great reviews on the food! We loved the old pub, the fireplace with the burning turf…warm and inviting place to sip our drink and soak up the feel of the place.
While the kitchen was shut down for renovation, they did make arrangements to cover our breakfast at the information centre, which were both delicious and appreciated.
The staff were wonderful!
Unfortunately for us, we arrived just as they began to renovate their kitchen (literally arrived at 6:55PM and construction was beginning) so we did not get to enjoy the type of meal we had hoped for. Also part of the pub was blocked off for the renovation (understandable), so weren’t able to view some of the great old features available (which I’m a huge fan of).
The bedroom was very clean, but tiny, so if you had a large suitcase, you would have a difficult time placing it comfortably.
10.0 / 10.0
All was perfekt
1.0 / 10.0
Staff would not communicate with me when I reached out with a billing issue. Enormous cost for nothing and I had no recourse after the confirmation date. The staff would not work with me or even respond to a message. I would avoid as it seems they to overcharge and once they have your payment, they dont care.
10.0 / 10.0
Music, food, beer, breakfast, being in the heart of the remote landscapes.
Zero phone service, so plan for minimal connectivity. Wifi was ok-ish
9.0 / 10.0
The friendliness of staff, the all round atmosphere of the place and the food
Having to leave
1.0 / 10.0
The location
There was a terrible smell coming from the drains into the bedroom and bathroom.
The smell was getting worse over the few hours from we had checked in. We left as we couldn’t stay in the room. The manager said he was aware of the issue and refunded our money.
7.0 / 10.0
The ambience of the pub, the friendly staff, the food - dinner and breakfast and the music performed by the local people.
The room and bathroom was too small- could not swing a cat in there. Drainage of vanity also poor. No room to put the kettle . No milk. A little basic.
5.0 / 10.0
The nostalgia and Bar area are beautiful- staff are excellent
Shower was ridiculous and small - meals were terrible and over priced
8.0 / 10.0
Lovely suite ,great atmosphere x friendly staff.
Lovely breakfast
Bunk beds,dinner ok
7.0 / 10.0
We loved the beautiful area, locals and the ambience of the bar. Old and eclectic, great to sit and look at the view with a drink... it was what we were looking for. Comfortable and clean new style modular rooms.
The bathroom smelled awful! We were put in the handicapped room and because the shower was open and had no stall or curtain, the water goes everywhere. It must have been leaking into the floor from the start, as the room smelled bad and stunk of mold. We had to keep the door shut at all times.
8.0 / 10.0
Loved the location.
The staff were very efficient and friendly.
Unfortunately the room we were allocated had problems with a bad drain smell which was very unpleasant.
Couldn’t adjust the air conditioning either so the room got too hot despite the temperature outside not being overly warm.
1.0 / 10.0
Location
Terrible sewer smell in the room coming from the bathroom. I have emailed the hotel manager several times about this issue with no reply
We should not be paying for a room that the smell was son bad we could not use the bathroom
5.0 / 10.0
Location good if you need an overnight in sliabh liag. Rooms are clean and modern. Bed is comfortable enough Staff are personable and polite and they did well to notify us when we had left some valuables in the room after checking out.
Rooms are small and the associated restaurant was a bad experience for us. Seemed chaotic and trading on a past reputation. Breakfast was not great. Can’t comment on the dinner as they completely failed to bring our food. They put it down to glitches with their technology bur despite many staff being present and repeated our attempts to get their attention they didn’t realise until they tried to present us with a bill. Less than impressed.
8.0 / 10.0
The room was comfortable but small with no window, except for a skylight. The pub itself was warm and inviting. It was very convenient for walking the Slieve League cliffs.
I thought the nightly rate was expensive for a small room without a window.
There wasn't enough space to put a suitcase on the floor without it being in the way.
8.0 / 10.0
Very close to Sliabh Liag cliffs. Large car park. Good food and breakfast. Live music most nights, including a traditional session on the Sunday night we were there. Room was clean and comfortable, with a great shower.
No TV in the room.
We tried to ring the day before to book for the evening meal and were told a reservation wasn't needed. Then when we arrived they were very busy for food and told us that we should have made a booking!
FAQs
Does this property follow enhanced cleaning procedures?
Yes, this nature lodge has implemented enhanced cleaning procedures and processes to keep you healthy and safe.
Is parking included with this nature lodge?
Parking is not specified as an available amenity at The Rusty Mackerel. For more information, we encourage you to contact the property about where to park.
Is there a pool at this nature lodge?
We didn’t find pool listed as an amenity for this nature lodge. It may be worth double checking if a pool is important for your stay.
Is The Rusty Mackerel pet friendly?
Yes! This nature lodge is pet-friendly. For more information, we recommend contacting the booking provider about animal policies.
What amenities are available at The Rusty Mackerel?
We found 18 amenities for this rental. This includes free wifi/internet, free parking, non-smoking, pets allowed, and heating.
