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How's this for a West coast trip?

Posted by (Los Angeles, CA, USA) on

Hello my fellow RS travelers! So this will be my 4th trip to Ireland and my 3rd trip for my husband. We LOVE Ireland and look forward to returning this August. We have already visited much of the Republic and NI. Just so you know what we like, our favorite places are Dingle Peninsula, Donegal County including the beautiful north, Dublin, Antrim Coast, and Valencia Island.

We still have never been south of Dublin, such as Powerscourt, Waterford, Kilkenny or North with the tombs, etc. Also never have been to Connemara/County Mayo or Sligo. We don't like to rush rush rush. We enjoy just taking it easy, eating and drinking with the locals, listening to lots of trad music (both of us are musicians) walking and driving around seeing gorgeous countrysides and cute animals. We're not super sporty nor huge hikers. We don't love crowds and so love the idea of returning to the beautiful West.

We will have a total of 12 nights. In and out of Dublin (coming from Los Angeles). Originally I planned on visiting Powerscourt and 2 nights in Kilkenny on way to Galway but have now decided there's not enough time if we really want to see the West more. Thoughts? Too much wilderness with 7 nights in Connemara and Sligo? We're not fans of a bunch of 1-2 night visits. We prefer to settle in and do day trips.

Any favorite hotel/BBs recs, always appreciated too!

Night 1: Dublin (free stay with points)
Train it to Galway
3 nts Galway (husband never been) with one day visiting Aran Island, depending on rain. (originally thought of sleeping one night...)
Last day pick up rental car.
3 nts Clifdon (allowing lots of time to explore around)
1 nt Westport? (seems too cool to not stay one night)
3 nts Sligo area (hopefully not Sligo town...looking for something special outside of town) (explore all around area including tombs)
Return car in Sligo. Train it back to Dublin
Final night Dublin

THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP! I don't know what I'd do without my RS fam! : )

Posted by
509 posts

Westport: We were very pleased with Willow Lodge. http://www.willowlodgewestport.com/ ("Lodge" is a bit misleading. It's a 4 room B&B [all en suite]) Short walk into town. Clean, comfortable, excellent breakfast; off-street parking; a great value we thought. Angela is a topnotch hostess; provided tips on pubs and made a dinner reservation for us at Torrino's, a great Italian/seafood restaurant.

TripAdvisor reviews on Willow Lodge: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-s1-g186627-d7743979-Reviews-Willow_Lodge-Westport_County_Mayo_Western_Ireland.html

BTW, we stayed in Westport because lodging at Ashford Castle was not in the budget (about 45 minutes drive). We did, however, greatly enjoy the Hawk Walk at Ashford. If not familiar, put "Hawk Walk + Ashford" in the Search field above. Not sure if the hawks qualify as "cute animals" but the experience was amazing.

Posted by
42 posts

Hi there.
I can't comment on some of your itinerary but we loved Clifden and stayed at the Quay House (RS recommendation I believe). It is a beautiful spot and a quick walk into town and the owners were lovely. Our rooms were HUGE! The breakfasts were the best we had during our 2 week trip and we had a lot of good breakfasts. I would go back in a heartbeat! We also had a great meal at Restaurant Darcy Twelve and highly recommend it. Lots of lovely little drives nearby and a pretty little beach area too.

Posted by
7937 posts

On our trip last September, we stayed at the Buttermilk Lodge B&B, also a great location a 5minute walk from central Clifden, and with outstanding breakfasts.

We were in Galway just after their annual oyster festival, and you might be there just before it. Not sure if it gets mobbed then, or if prices go up on rooms, but I’m guessing it’s a rollicking time.

Along the N59, 20 miles south of Westport, take the Killary fjord boat tour, west of the town of Leenaun. We really enjoyed the short cruise, plus had mussels onboard that had been harvested from those waters.

And if you do the Hawk Walk at Ashford Castle, opt for the Extended Walk, where you get to meet their huge Eagle Owl, who is cute. They said he’s really dumb, though, as his eyes are so big that there’s not much room left in the skull for a brain. The whole experience, with the owl and our own Harris Hawk for the time, was outstanding.

A few miles outside of Sligo, to the northwest, along remote country lanes, we stayed at the Serenity B&B. I’m not sure if it’s got the “special” you’re looking for, but the price, room, and breakfasts were all good, and it offered relatively convenient access to fabulous coastal drives, once we got back onto more major roads. For dinner, we drove into nearby Drumcliff, so it was all a bit off the heavily-beaten path.

Posted by
88 posts

Thanks everybody! All of our BBs are reserved! Can't wait!

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