Has anyone stayed overnight in Spiddal recently? From what I've read it's off the beaten path and beautiful. Any B&B or dining recommendations?
We're thinking of staying there for a few nights, for day trips to Inishmore and Connemara National Park.
I would be grateful for any opinions and recommendations on things to do and see (or avoid) in that area.
Thanks,
June
Haven't stayed in Spiddal, but can tell you that all of Connemara is beautiful - you can't really go wrong anywhere you base yourself.
We stayed on the Sky Road just west of Clifden a couple of years ago. The drive around the peninsula is quite scenic, although the road is pretty narrow.
We also caught the local ferry from Cleggan out to the island of Inisbofin which we greatly enjoyed. There's a beautiful coastal walk that circles part of the island that would be a good hike if you're into that sort of thing.
Might suggest adding the village of Cong to your trip up to the National Park. Still looks like the movie set it was back in the early 50's when they filmed "The Quiet Man" there.
Our family rented a house for a week located in Spiddal (An Spideal) years ago. Our children loved the area and made friends with the children of the rental manager. She also had a B & B. We did take a few side trips to the Connemara area from Spiddal but since the weather was unusually warm (in the 80's) our children were happy to spend time at the beach and around Spiddal with their friends.
In 2013 we stayed in Oughterard and used that location as a base. One of the places we visited was Spiddal. We traveled from Oughterard to Galway to Spiddal using a GPS which took us through back roads to include one lane roads. The scenery was gorgeous. We found Spiddal to be a bit tourist-worn and more of a resort town than we remember. I'm not sure I would stay there again, but I'm sure you can find activities to enjoy near Spiddal. There is a lovely family owned business named Standun where they sell Irish goods. They also have a small tea room. If you PM me I can give you the name of the family who has a B&B in Spiddal. I believe the owners are the children of the rental house manager where we stayed years ago. I checked tripadvisor and their B&B received good reviews. Clifton would also be a good place to stay if you want to explore Connemara. We enjoyed our stay there.
Barbara
Thank you, Barbara and Robert.
I did find a place to stay for 3 nights, about 5 miles from Spiddal. I hope we get lucky and have warm enough weather to be at the beach. We are hoping that this part of the trip is relaxed and mellow. We'll be heading to the Dingle Peninsula afterwards, and expect that area will be more crowded.
We will definitely check out the places that you recommended.
I appreciate your taking the time to write!
June
