What are good towns with reasonable “ bnb “ culture that is not budget breaking ? I know Ireland has plenty of hotels. But I feel like I’ve seen videos or listened to MNT where it talks about him or others staying in Bnbs as part of the “ Irish Experience “.
Wondering if anyone had any ideas ?
We have almost always stayed in B&B places in numerous trips. Consider them a good value What do you consider your budget and what does MNT mean and nor sure who you refer in your post??
MNT means Rick's weekly Monday Night travels programme.
I think you're approaching it backward. Determine where you want to go/what you want to see and do, then determine where is a good area to stay, and look for a B&B there. You can find them on booking.com or similar sites. Especially for smaller towns, I often just use Google Maps and zoom in until I can see the businesses start to populate. I don't know if there is a localized "B&B culture," but they are generally located in places that people want to visit.
I have been to Ireland five times and stayed in a B&B once (due in large part to not wanting to share a bed/room with my travel partner), and it was not an enjoyable or even very memorable part of the trip. We stayed there because it was the only budget-priced accommodation in the town we wanted to stay in. There is a hotel in the town, and we should have paid the extra euros to stay there.
My wife and I (both 71) returned from 13 days in Ireland in June and stayed at BnBs only, except for 1 night in Galway as part of a package and 4 nights with a relative in Dublin. We had wonderful experiences. I agree with a previous response about finding the town you want to go to, and then just search for BnBs on line. I trusted the reviews and had wonderful experiences in every one we stayed in and never paid more than around 160 Euro for both of us per night, including great breakfasts in each place. In Cashel, we stayed at Rockville House; in Kinsale , we stayed at "Room in Kinsale with Pat". (a beautiful bedroom with small bath and a delightful couple as hosts); in Kenmare-AnBruanchan BNB-a little bit out of the city, but on a stream with beautiful grounds and some of the fruits at breakfast came from her gardens. Lovely lady who even swapped a room with a walk-in shower instead of a tub, due to my wife's knee. In Dingle we stayed at Sraid Eoin House right in the heart of the city. We had steps, but it was charming and the hostess was wonderful. Nice, simple breakfast. We spent 2 nights in Doolin at Cois NhABhann. (This might have been our favorite!) Nice hosts, beautiful new addition on their home, cows outside the window, and two great pubs within walking distance. In every place, our bathroom was in our room and beautifully done. So....don't be afraid to try them as our experience was wonderful.
We've been to Éire many times, staying both in BnBs and Hotels. Hotels are fine but we really loved the BnB experience. We chose BnBs with ensuites as we wanted our own space but wanted the "community" feeling of a BnB. One of the best places we've ever stayed was Sheedy's Doolin a BnB in Doolin with great access to Cliffs of Moher and Aran Islands. While I don't remember all the names, we enjoyed staying in the following towns at BnBs: Kilkenny, Cobh, Clonakilty, Kenmare, Dingle, Clifden and Mullingar (not a tourist city but my family lives there so you may have no interest in this one.) Recently, I was in a Letterkenny Hotel wishing I had picked a BnB as there were a number of charming ones in the area. My opinion: hotels are fine (even great) but the BnBs in Ireland are so much more charming. Hope this is helpful!
We've been fives times, 3 weeks each time, and always try to pick B&Bs over hotels. I agree with the other posts, in that your visiting Ireland to see places, people, and things, not see B&Bs. I enjoy the owners, the breakfasts, along with the chats with host and other guests. We always have busy itineraries, so we don't spend any time lounging around the B&B or hotel.
My rough draft for planning starts with picking towns I haven't been to (or towns I really enjoyed), then I look for pubs with trad sessions in each town, then arrange the trip to hit the music nights, then lastly, pick lodging within walking distance of said pubs, always preferring B&Bs. I'm sure that process excludes some very nice countryside B&Bs.
MNT is Sunday afternoon in our area, hence some confusion.
Hello,
I have stayed in BnB's in Europe and the USA but not in Ireland, I do enjoy them because you can meet other travelers and get a more authentic experience.... however the rooms usually are not soundproof, and I am quieter than usual as I don't want to disturb other guests. That is the only downside imo.
Enjoy your trip!
