Bellavista Self Catering Apartments

Bella Vista Hotel & Self Catering Suites, offers superior accommodation in the beautiful harbour town of Cobh, County Cork.

Bella Vista Hotel & Self Catering Suites, offers superior accommodation in the beautiful harbour town of Cobh, County Cork. This Luxury Hotel is an old Victorian-style house and has been completely and sensitively renovated to provide the perfect combination of modern comfort with traditional style and hospitality. Bella Vista Hotel & Self Catering Suites majestically overlooks the picturesque heritage town of Cobh, once called The Queenstown named after Queen after her visit to cobh in 18th century. Here at Bella Vista Cobh, we pride ourselves on offering our guests a sense of homeliness in a refined yet friendly and professional environment.

Each of our 18 en-suite guest rooms and 10 self catering suites are superbly furnished and individually decorated. Each room has its own individual character and décor and boast satellite television and tea- & coffee-making facilities. We also offer a laundry and daily mailing services. The use of fax, copier, printer and internet is totally free for the guests. Most of our rooms are WIFI (wireless internet) enabled. Hotel's most of the rooms offer breathtaking panoramic views of the world's second largest natural harbour, where many cruise liners anchor ship and the ill-fated Titanic docked on its maiden, and final, voyage.

We also have a wonderful Chinese & European restaurant offering quality food at the right price and a bar to get your self spoil in to. Relax and watch television or read a paper in front of an open fire or enjoy a pint of Guinness or a glass of Irish whiskey in our full rustic bar. We are proud of being one of the finest and want you to be judge of that.

We are situated in a quiet area only a 3-minute walk from the picturesque town centre. Cobh and the East Cork region offer a range of activities for every taste - water sports, golfing, angling, walking & hiking trails, museums, theatre, cinema, concerts, Irish 'ceoil & craic' sessions, as well as a range of historical sites and the infamous Fota Wildlife Park. Cobh itself is a mere 20-minute drive from Cork City - Ireland's second largest city and 2005's European Capital of Culture.

We are also only a 40-minute drive from two beautiful sandy Blue-Flag beaches and the well-known family activity centre of Trabolgan. Cobh is also a great portal to the rest of the East Cork region, West Cork, and to the surrounding counties. We are only a 1-hour drive from the breathtaking Mitchelstown Caves, 1-hour drive from the scenic seaside town of Kinsale, 2 hours from the beautiful Killarney region, and only 40 minutes from the infamous Blarney castle.

The quiet and tasteful Bella Vista Cork Hotel is the ideal place for an intimate weekend or relaxing family break in East Cork, with excellent service and quality assured.

This house was built in 1845 and has a colourful history attached to it. Dr. James Roche Verling, a native of Cobh lived here for a number of years. He was personal physician to Napoleon Bonaparte on St. Helena from 1818 to 1820. The eminent doctor died in 1858 and is buried in the Old Cemetery.

The Carbery family, renowned for their relief work during the Great Irish Famine, bought the house and lived there until 1914. In 1916 Bellavista House became the property of the diocese of Cloyne and was officially opened by Bishop Robert Browne as the Sacred Heart Noviciate. The Mercy convents, which had been independent since their foundation in 1850, were thus amalgamated under one Noviciate and one Mother General. Father Browne, a nephew of the Bishop, was a first class passenger on the Titanic from Southampton to Queenstown and frequently stayed at Bellavista. Many of his photographs were used by the international media following the tragic sinking of the Titanic.

Around 1931 the Sisters of Mercy moved out of Bellavista and the house was rented out as a private dwelling and divided into an upper (Northern) and lower (Southern) house. In 1978 the Southern House was sold by the diocese to raise money, and in 1979 the Northern House also came on the market.

Both residences remained separate and private dwellings until they were finally bought by the Ward family in 1998. The two houses were rejoined and extended and the beautiful conservatory which now houses the China Sea Restaurant.

Finally in 2001, Kevin Murphy took over Bellavista and turned it into the hotel we have today!. The result of some more exciting renovation is the new Bellavista Hotel & Self Catering Suites, standing proudly overlooking to the beautiful harbour of cobh.