I have seen several sites that offer coupon books for B&B's and I was wondering what peoples take are on these. I have noticed a lot of people on here are more "fly by the seat of your pants" and say that B&B's are abundant and not to worry about booking accomodations. We want a laid back vacation taking our time to see things and not watch a clock. We are planning on going in September of this year. Would you try and pre plan and book accomodations? Buy a coupon book or just go and stop each day and find a place?
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
Vouchers can be a really good deal, but I no longer use them. When you buy vouchers they also send you a directory of B&Bs that take them, and it really is easy to book as you go along. On my most recent trip I didn't book a single B&B ahead of time, I just checked my directory when I decided I was ready to stop for the night. The vouchers are not place-specific and you don't have to book ahead to use them. I never had a problem with the use of them.
The reason that I no longer use them is that it can take a long time for the B&B owner to be reimbursed for your expenses by the voucher company, but they have your expenses NOW. They feel that they have to take the vouchers because that's where they get bulk of their business during the off-season. I have found that I usually get a discount for using cash, so that's what I do. It's fine with me, and it's easier for them.
Posted by
Milwaukee
194 posts
Hi Michelle,
My husband and I used vouchers on our Ireland trip a few years ago. They worked well, but I'm not sure I'd go that route again.
It was nice to essentially have the B&Bs paid for by the time we got there, and using the book was handy for finding places. We booked B&Bs one day before we arrived in that city. We were usually able to use the last B&B's phone or use a pay phone. Only once did we run into a problem--something was going on in Limerick when we stayed there and it took a while to find a place.
The downside we found to doing it this way was that we didn't really know how far the B&Bs were from the city centers, restaurants and pubs. At the end of the day we really just wanted to be able to walk to dinner and pubs, but sometimes, we couldn't do that.
If I did it again, I'd probably just stop at places as we arrive in the cities, or, at least look up places on Google Maps before we leave to get a sense of where we want to stay.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
To speak to Nicole's issue with not knowing what part of town/how far out they were staying, you could consider finding a B&B in the area you want (by driving around and spotting it, or googling it ahead) and THEN check to see if it a B&B that takes vouchers. Particularly in the shoulder season, you shouldn't need to book a day ahead, and then you know where you will be.
Posted by
Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
253 posts
I have been to Ireland many times in Sept. You will have no trouble getting a B&B anywhere, but you just may find that your first or second choice is booked. This is the way to go if you are not watching a clock and having to be somewhere because you prebooked. You won't need coupon books. I plan to have a cell phone this year and just call ahead.