Is it best to stay at hotel in cities or stick to B&Bs outside the area and go in to explore? Any great places to stay or eat? Planning on 2 days in each of the cities, the rest is in the countryside.
Posted by
wichita, kansas
484 posts
Staying in a B&B would probably be less expensive but as which is best,B&B or hotel,depends on individual tastes.It is a six of one,half dozen of the other situation.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
At least with Dublin, it's probably better to stay somewhere in the city. One of the consequences of the Celtic Tiger economic growth was that the boundaries of the city expanded more rapidly than the transit network (both rail and road). So, it's not as easy to get in and out of Dublin as many other comparable cities in Europe. That being said, the DART system does efficiently connect Howth and Dun Laoghaire to the center of Dublin. Each of these is a charming alternative to the city. The pleasant Ballsbridge section of town sits within walking distance of downtown (well, a long walk), has a DART connection, and it's much quieter and cheaper.
Posted by
Riverside, CA, USA
5 posts
What my wife and I did was rent a house outside of Dublin in the Wicklow countryside town of Rathdrum. It was less expensive than having a hotel room and he had an entire house to ourselves. We stayed here for a week while we explored Ireland from Wicklow to Blarney and for our last 4 days we stayed in Dublin City Center to check out all of the sites there.
Posted by
Ocean Shores, Wa, USA
124 posts
The dilema for us, is also to stay downtown or out in the suburbs. How much time will be wasted on busses or Dart, going back and forth vrs. staying downtown where it might be easy walking distance, but noisy? I have used earplugs to filter out snoring, but will they be effective to block out noise from traffic, or people leaving the Pubs and getting back to their adjacent rooms making lots of noise? Also, how important is it to be close to your lodging, in case some in your group want to stay a little later, and some want to turn in early? Or if some want to return mid afternoon to nap or freshen up? How late at night does the city transit system run, if you happen to find good Trad music and wish to stay till it's over? Maybe some who have tried it both ways could fill us in? DM
Posted by
New York, NY
319 posts
My wife and I stayed in Dun Loaghaire last year and really enjoyed it. It's only a 15 minute train ride from the city center, and the trains run reasonably late (I believe the last train was around midnight or 12:30AM). There are lots of great B&Bs there; we stayed at Ophira House and loved it.