We are traveling in Ireland in June and plan to find available B&Bs along the way rather than reserve in advance. Are we crazy? Are there any particular destinations which tend to be full? Any problems on weekends?
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
Depends on where you are headed. I have not booked even one night ahead on three of my four trips to Ireland, but I usually go in shoulder season. You can get a directory of B&Bs from the Irish Tourism board, either in advance or at a TI once you get there. But they really are plentiful everywhere. Some are nicer than others, of course, but it's not a huge deal if you get a "bad" one once in awhile. You can always move on if it doesn't suit you.
Posted by
Spring, Texas
635 posts
The age old question asked many times here. A lot of the answer has to do with your personality. If you're like me and carefully plan your trip, you will want to know that you have a nice place to stay when you get where you're going. You give up the spontaneity to just rearrange your itinerary on a whim. It also means you don't have to devote whatever time is required to find a place when you're ready to stop. I would think that finding a place becomes a major event on the days you have to find a new place. You get out the trusty guidebook and start calling or you keep an eye out for a handy B&B sign. There are many people here that go with finding them enroute. I would think that even in June there are enough B&Bs in Ireland that you won't sleep in the car. Just be prepared for the new search to begin right after you leave your last stop. I have always prebooked. It is not uncommon for me to email 2 or 3 different places looking for a vacancy even 4 months out. I'm looking for centrally located B&Bs with good reviews (Rick Steves and/or TripAdvisor)
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1819 posts
All but one of our Europe trips have been in June. We book all of our accommodations in advance so we can take advantage of the longer daylight and not end our en-route sightseeing until 6:30 or so. If we had to find places while traveling, we would need to start looking a lot earlier than that.
Posted by
Pearland, Texas, USA
441 posts
In most of the tourist towns it seems like every other house is a B&B. If you're going to a smaller town(such as Portmagee), I'd feel better booking ahead.
Posted by
Kingsville, Ontario
165 posts
We've done Ireland in July without pre booking. It's very doable. Many times a full up B&B will help you locate a room (very friendly people those Irish). I like to pre book my wife not so much. Remember the later in the evening you start your search the greater the chance you'll have to settle for poorer quality digs.