Shannon Airport

Hello. We had a 9:00 departure and stayed at the Raddison. It was not a great hotel for the price but I would say that the convenience was worth it. We were able to return our car the night before, get up, have breakfast and walk across the street the next morning for our flight which made up for the lack of amenities. (like a pool or bathtub). Shannon does not have much in the way of restaurants but we had a terrific Indian meal at Bollywood Temple. I definitely felt less stress staying that close to the airport.

We stayed in Bunratty two nights before our flight. We stayed at the Bunratty Castle Hotel. We arrived late afternoon the first day, checked into the hotel and relaxed. The next day we spent a few hours at the folk park next door. It was beautiful weather as we meandered the tree- lined paths and explored the cottages, stores etc. We enjoyed a leisurely pint at the working pub. Several good food options steps away from the hotel as well as good food at the hotel. http://www.bunrattycastlehotel.com/. Our morning flight from Shannon was seamless. The hotel called a cab for us. It was 20 Euros. You could return your car ahead of time and get a cab to the hotel. It was the perfect serene and scenic ending to our vacation. The Shannon airport is very small and efficient, including being able to go through US customs there if you are flying directly back to a US airport. There was NO stress getting to the airport and spending that time in idyllic Bunratty was so much better than an airport hotel. As a bonus, there are superb small shops within the folk park selling lovely handmade sweaters, pottery, jewelry etc. There is also an outlet store for woolen mills outside the park.

I would stay in Bunratty, too. It's an easy taxi ride to the airport from there (six miles). There are a number of B&B's along the road behind the castle.

Thank you! We checked out the Bunratty Castle Hotel but it is all booked up. We do plan on spending the day there. Any other suggestions?