How You Can Spend The Night In An Irish Castle For FREE

 

Want to spend the night in an Irish castle? This is me with my crown and goblet sitting in the bathtub in a real Irish castle near Galway, Ireland. And guess what? It was FREE. I'll give you a tour of the castle and describe the experience and then I'll show you how to stay here for FREE. Don't worry, the owner of the castle got paid. 

This castle is Pete's passion project. This British born, Ireland raised former fashion designer told me his lifelong dream was to live in a castle. Really, who doesn't want to live in a castle? 

He found this former castle in ruins back in 2010 and spent the next 5 years renovating and rebuilding the structure himself. Super impressive, in fact, Pete shared the photos of the build with us. 

This castle is truly a labor of love and it shows. 

Pete actually lived in the castle for a few years with his family until a friend urged him to turn it into an Airbnb to provide an income for his family. 

Pete keeps the price reasonable, he says, to attract the type of person who will enjoy this authentic and quirky castle experience. 

Pete greets every guest at the door and gives them a personalized tour of the castle. It takes about an hour and he shares the history of the project, his story and the unique quirks of the home like the bathtub in the floor. He's had more than 3,000 guests from all over the world stay at the castle.

Check out this video as you walk in the front door of the castle and up the steps to the rooms. The first two floors are bedrooms for Pete's children, the top two floors are available for guests. There is a rope to help with the steps, but obviously, this space is not suitable for those who can't manage lots of steps in a small space. The living space (kitchen, bathroom, living room) is on the third floor and the master bedroom and loft is on the fourth floor. There is also roof access and a few quirky surprises up there that I'm not going to share with you. 

The living room 

The master bedroom and loft above

The kitchen 

The bathroom

Pete reminds his guests constantly that this is an old castle so it's dusty and has spiders and he is right. But it is quirky and unique and so fun! Pete provides electric blankets so it's warm and cozy. There are two double beds plus the couch which my son said was very comfortable. Pete also has air mattresses available if you need them. 

The bathtub is in the living room so keep that in mind. Pete says young kids and couples love it. Families with teens, not so much, except to take photos for Instagram. 

The kitchen is functional. We cooked up dinner at the castle and enjoyed a cozy night of board games. 

One word of warning, Pete told us the toilet seat broke and he decided not to get a new one. The stone on the toilet is what you would expect in a castle - COLD! While at the castle, save some time to explore the grounds. Pete has planted more than 500 trees including a Sequoia and of course, there are cows next door. I won't share most of the surprises Pete has in store for his guests, but he does offer every guest a chance to sculpt their names into the castle. 

Pete's castle is a true treasure and one of a kind experience. On Airbnb, a night in this castle will run you approximately $300. If you decide to go, let Pete know I sent you. 

Now how can you stay at Pete's castle for FREE? Through September 30th 2022, you can use your Chase Ultimate Reward points to erase Airbnb purchases. It's called Pay Yourself Back. 

If you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card, you will get 25% more points value and if you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, you will get 50% more points value. 

So that $300 night in Pete's castle will cost you approximately 21,000 points with your Chase Sapphire Reserve and 25,000 with your Preferred card. 

For more on this program and how you can use it for statement credits, to erase dining, membership fees, click here. 

The great thing about this program is that it is not connected to when you stay at the airbnb, it is connected to when you PAY for the Airbnb. So make your reservation now, pay now and use your points to erase the charge and then stay at the Airbnb next month, next year or whenever. I've already erased several Airbnb reservations for next year. 

That's how we do it at almostfreefamilytravel.com 

If you decide to apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card, it's my favorite, please use my referral link.