Hi, sorry your were disappointed, most visitors spend 1 hour or 1.5 hours in the gardens as you did doing the self-guided tour, but you do have the option to stay there for as long as you want to enjoy the beautiful gardens, many people come to sit and relax and enjoy the views in this very unique space and the tea/coffee cakes etc. The Self-guided tour does only take an hour but then your time is your own to enjoy the rest. We are set in the old Seaside Town of Tramore and as in many old Irish Towns Parking is on street. We do get alot of compliments on the value for money the gardens offers, especially if you have time to enjoy it. Hopefully you will be able to stay longer if you ever visit again and we hope that you can.