Ireland then Beach

If you can find a direct flight from Ireland to Lanzarote, I would highly recommend that island.

Look at all Irish Airports, not just Dublin, as all have flights to the sun, mainly on Aer Lingus or, especially, Ryanair-
Cork- Lanzarote, Tenerife, Alicante, Barcelona, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria
Shannon- Alicante, Faro, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Palma de Mallorca
Kerry- Alicante and Faro
Knock/Ireland West- Lanzarote, Tenerife, Alicante and Palma de Mallorca
Dublin- Alicante, Barcelona, Faro, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Funchal, also (seasonally) Palma de Mallorca

(also, further afield resorts in Greece and Turkey)

But also don't forget that Ireland has many fine beaches, although many may be off the typical RS forum tour of Ireland sort of itinerary- https://www.theirishroadtrip.com/best-beaches-in-ireland/

It is also possible to have a beach holiday in Dublin- there are some excellent beaches in the North Dublin suburbs- using the North Suburban rail service to commute into the city of Dublin.
Donegal is the only Irish Airport without flights to the sun

My first thought seeing the subject line was the many beautiful beaches in Ireland, particularly Donegal, but these would NOT be warm enough for swimming (for me anyway) even at the height of summer, and not in September.

September is a great time for Mediterranean beaches- we do a beach holiday there in September every year. Since you're a bit short on time you might want to minimise flight times, in which case I would suggest Mallorca, which is only a few hours away- the Canaries will be a longer flight. We were there two years ago in September and the weather was beautiful, warm, etc. If you had more time I would say anywhere in Greece- I don't think there's a bad option anywhere in the country, tho there are more and less crowded islands (and mainland beaches). Good luck with your planning!

I’m sure you have good reasons to wait another 3 years for your first major travel experience, but that is a very long time. Presumably (hopefully!) both Ireland, and beaches, will be fairly similar then to how they are now, but your interests and circumstances may change, and you cannot rely on any specific travel information today as applicable then, such as which airlines fly from which Irish airports to which resort destinations. But since you can’t book any flights for 2029 now anyway, that doesn’t matter. I generally agree with sticking to Ireland for that short a trip, but would suggest coming back to the forum in about two years when it’s time to actually plan a 2029 trip, and in the meantime there are lots of great beaches right there in New England or elsewhere closer to home. Or — since most of us on the RS forum love travel— I’m sure I’m not alone in urging travel to Ireland, or elsewhere in Europe, sooner than three years from now if that’s at all possible for you.

The OP hasn't asked should they do Ireland then a beach, but rather for suggestions about a beach location.

Yes it does seem a bit of a distinctly unusual combination, but nonetheless that is what has been asked. and the Azores is not especially realistic- it will take a day requiring a connection somewhere. The flip side to that is direct Azores to New York and Boston (Logan) flights.

It does NOT take a day to fly from Dublin to many of the Med. beach locations. Ryanair, in particular, are known for their early morning flights.

I've just been looking at the Dublin to Palma de Mallorca flights, as an example. Ryanair fly there three times a day. Most days the first flight of the day is before 6am. Allowing for the time change that arrives at Palma before 10am. So you will be on the beach by lunchtime.

Yes it means an early start, but if you are "travelling like a local" that is exactly what Europeans do. It is also good to know that Dublin and Shannon airports are not the only airports in Ireland.

The slightly bigger fly in the ointment will be that from any beach location in the med except the resorts near Barcelona, a connection back to the US will be needed, probably via Madrid (or elsewhere).

Stuart - your last point is not correct, assuming the OP will travel in September and that things don't change before 2029. United flies direct from Palma to Newark and Air Canada to Montreal. Both are seasonal and not every day but it should be possible to do an open jaw out to Ireland and back from Palma.

Thanks for the info everyone.

We are waiting 3 years because it will be my wife's 50th bday, our 25th anniversary, and we need to put some money aside for it.

We are looking at Ireland for what I would expect to be all the normal reasons; Castles, Countryside, Guiness. We aren't really city people, and would enjoy driving around checking out the sites.

However, my wife would also like to sit and relax on a beautiful warm beach for a few days.

10 days works as a Friday- second Sunday to maximize our PTO.

How are the beaches in Portugal?

Thanks in advance.

jp_fitness,
Portugal is known for great beaches!

Portugal is a good choice as that will be a relatively short flight, and they are known for nice beaches. I've not done a beach holiday there myself but do know you should be aware the waves are a lot rougher there as their beaches are out on the Atlantic rather than the Mediterranean. If you're looking at flights, you want to fly into Faro as that's the main airport for the Algarve. This is a popular holiday destination for people in Ireland so you should have a lot of flight options.

When looking at trying to get you to the Azores yesterday then at least from Dublin, as well as Ryanair and Aer Lingus TAP Air Portugal have flights. TAP only fly to Lisbon- but several times a day, the earliest of which is around 0430 from Dublin so you can have breakfast in Portugal.

Ryanair also fly to Porto and Faro. Aer Lingus fly to both Porto and Lisbon.

Aer Lingus also fly to Faro from Cork, Kerry and Knock, also seasonally from Shannon- all of which means you don't have to do a Dublin to Dublin trip in Ireland, but a one way trip allowing you to maximise your time in Ireland.

If you were Azores bound there is a late evening flight from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada, so if you took the 0430 from Dublin that gives you a full day in Lisbon before the connection to the Azores (arriving at 2345 so a very long day).

United fly seasonally from Faro to Newark.

“ However, my wife would also like to sit and relax on a beautiful warm beach for a few days.”

Having just returned from a trip to the Azores, I can confirm that their beaches are neither warm nor beautiful in a traditional way. The “beaches” in the Azores are made of concrete poured between vulcanic rocks. The Azores are stunningly beautiful, but they are not a summer beach destination.

Just brainstorming here:

Boston to Shannon,
spend 4-5 days making our way to Dublin
Dublin to Faro or Lisbon
spend 2-3 days in Southern Portugal hitting the beach and driving around
Lisbon back to Boston

Does that make any sense?

Thanks again

jp_fitness, Sounds like a winner to me, and it fits your wishes! We loved Portugal and Ireland, and your flying into Shannon is smart.