“It’s a crazy, beautiful place…”
Perched on the wild and rugged south-west coast of Donegal in Glencolumbkille, Aras BnB sits in one of Ireland’s most dramatic landscapes, where towering cliffs, hidden beaches and winding coastal roads meet.
“It’s beautiful here,” says owner Leon. “There’s so much to see here. It’s a crazy, beautiful place – literally a slice of heaven.”
Since joining freetobook in January 2026, Aras BnB has transformed how it runs day-to-day operations, freeing up time to focus on guests, not admin.
Aras BnB doesn’t fit neatly into one box, and that’s exactly its appeal.
Originally a hostel, Leon has reshaped the property into something more flexible:
“It’s somewhere between a bed & breakfast, self-catering, and a hostel.”
With 19 rooms (16 ensuite), a large, shared kitchen, and continental breakfast available, it attracts a mix of independent travellers looking for freedom, flexibility, and connection.
And the location does the rest.
Aras is situated on the Wild Atlantic Way, just behind Slieve League cliffs and minutes from Silver Strand beach (Malin Beg), often described as one of the most beautiful beaches in Ireland. Guests are surrounded by unforgettable scenery.
“We recently had someone stay 10 days… and on the last day they said, ‘Now what?’” So, Leon directed them to experience yet another unforgettable day.
Leon makes sure there’s always an answer; he has created his own local guides with maps, which can be downloaded onto your phone using QR codes, for guests to explore the area with ease.
Before switching systems, running the property was far from simple.
“When I bought the place, it was being run off a spreadsheet… There were duplicate bookings and a lot of effort involved.”
Even after moving to Semper, another PMS, they encountered new problems:
“The online booking engine was very basic, pictures were small and low resolution, and there was no payment integration. I had to phone guests to get their card details. That was a disaster.”
Updates weren’t real-time, the interface was outdated, and managing bookings became a constant worry.
Leon didn’t switch lightly; he looked at multiple systems and sat through several demos.
“What I found was that a lot of them didn’t want to give you a trial. They just wanted to lock you in.”
Freetobook stood out for a different reason.
“I was set up with a test environment so I could actually try everything. That’s what sold it to me.”
The switch was surprisingly easy.
“When I added photos and room descriptions to the system, it was dead easy. I did it all in an hour or two,” Leon says.
Even with a large property and mixed room types, onboarding was quick, intuitive, and stress-free.
The diary user interface was so different from what he was using before that it took a little getting used to at first but quickly became a favourite feature.
“There’s a lot of information available at a glance in the diary, a bit overwhelming at first, but I love that now.”
1. Payments that just work
For Leon, one feature has transformed daily operations more than anything else.
“The whole payment process has been the best feature.”
With Stripe fully integrated with freetobook, payments are now flawless:
“I just click a button to charge guests if I need to.”
No chasing, no phone calls, and no more manual card handling, which occasionally led to errors.
“Before, I had to call guests to get card details, which carried PCI Compliance risks… Now it’s effortless and safe.”
2. A website experience that converts
Another standout is freetobook’s bloom booking pages.
“I absolutely love the booking pages. I have big, beautiful pictures on there. Guests still think they’re on my website.”
Support has also played a big role in Leon’s decision and continues to stand out.
“You’ve got a gem in Heather,” he says. “And whenever I contact support, they answer quickly. It’s very good.”
For anyone considering a switch, Leon keeps it simple:
“Try it out. Once you start using it, you’ll see how easy it is and how well it works.”
From spreadsheets and duplicate bookings to a fully streamlined system, Aras BnB now spends less time managing admin and more time doing what they do best: welcoming travellers to one of Ireland’s most breathtaking coastal regions.
Or as Leon puts it best:
“I can’t think of a single thing that says I shouldn’t have chosen this product.”
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