Stay in Portmagee when doing Skellig ?

Portmagee is a wonderful very small town with a couple excellent pubs/restaurants and places to stay. We always enjoy the food at The Moorings. The incredibly beautiful Cliffs of Kerry are just outside of town - almost within walking distance and Valentia Island is right there as well with more options. Portmagee is obviously a great spot for picking up the landing and Eco tours for Skellig Michael but is also wonderfully located near a truly incredible array of stuff. Within half an hour drive there is the above mentioned plus the gorgeous Skellig Ring, the castle and Abbey ruins on Ballinskellig Beach, the Glen, the staggering views above Caherdaniel, Waterville, Skellig Chocolates, ring forts at Cahersiveen, being in an Irish speaking area and in a UN dark sky preserve....and much more.

All that being said Portmagee itself is small, a bakery, a shop or two, a couple pubs/restaurants and a tiny grocery. If you are looking for a small REAL Irish town it is a Fantastic, pretty location perfectly situated for exploring this insanely rich area....it's perfect. If your looking for a town with a night life, multiple shops etc. it wouldn't be the best. There are larger towns fairly nearby......like Waterville...which is still small Ireland but with more options in town.

Another option would be to stay a little further up the road in the vicinity of Glenbeigh or Castlemaine, either of which could also be used as a base for exploring the Dingle peninsula as well as the ROK, thus allowing you to stay in one spot for a few days rather than moving every other night. It would be a relatively short drive over to Portmagee for the Skellig boat trip, and either would be a bit more central for day trips to explore Killarney, the Gap of Dunloe, and the National Park.
Know that the boat trip out to the Skelligs is dependent on sea state - if it's too rough they won't go, and they can't confirm until the morning of your trip. Then again, a cancellation would just mean that you could more thoroughly explore the Skellig Ring Road with all of its associated attractions, which are made even more pleasant thanks to the fact that the tour buses don't go out there.

I agree with ewewoolknit.

I’m glad I spend two nights just outside Portmagee for my Skillig Michael trip. There is much to enjoy and explore in the area; there are several excellent restaurants for dining, and it’s quiet. Also, it’s great to only have to travel a few minutes to be on time for the boat departure.

I agree with ewewoolknit.

Portmagee is wonderful. I spent a couple nights there when I went to Skellig Michael in 2016. Moorings is good-- I had a hearty meal after my Skellig trip.

I also liked Fisherman's Bar-- it was a good place to get a bite to eat the previous evening.

I was pretty tired and had to get up early the next morning to take the rental car back to Dublin Airport so it wasn't as if I did a lot of social things in Portmagee but what I did was very memorable.