Ireland hotels and BB

Ireland may be a small country, but you really need to narrow it down a little and give us some idea of where you want to go, how long your trip will be, what your budget is for lodging, etc. It doesn't make sense for us to suggest places in areas of the country that you don't intend to visit, or to suggest a $$$ place if you only plan to spend $.

Right now we are still in the basic planning stages of the honeymoon. We bought the plane tickets and we plan on staying in Ireland 10 days. We haven't planned on where in Ireland we plan on going. We are still looking at many different areas so i thought i would get some recommendations that could hopefully steer us closer to making a decision. As far as price since it is the early planning phase i would welcome any suggestions as far as price. Granted would couldn't stay in 5 star hotels every night but a few nights in a fancy hotel wouldn't break our budget. I hope this information helps.

Jordan, I'm going to suggest that you start with a couple of guidebooks. There is so much to see in Ireland, and we have no idea of what your interests are. List out some things that look interesting - history, nature, shopping, horseback riding, golf? Then you will see what areas you are tending toward. We will be happy to help with specifics once you narrow down some general areas. We can't guess what you would enjoy doing, and I don't think you would want to settle on an area based on someone's "great B&B" they stayed at.

If you go to Doolin for the trad music, which is wonderful by the way, and have a car, look into booking Emohruo B and B. See: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g214506-d502833-Reviews-Emohruo_Farmhouse_Bed_and_Breakfast-Doolin_The_Burren_County_Clare.html

If you go to Killarney, Friar's Glen is a beautiful B&B near Muckross and the national park. Absolutely lovely setting, and lovely hosts.
Enjoy and congrats!

Jordan. I am getting married and we are going next month... I will let you know how we make out, but here is our Itinerary Dublin 3 nights at The Clarence Kinsale 2 nights at The Carlton Kinsale Killarney 2 nights at The Killarney Park Hotel Ashford Castle 2 nights (Mayo) Dromoland Castle 2 nights Back to Dublin 1 night fly home.
So we are starting in Dublin and Spending at least 2 nights in each place so that gives us a home base to work from at each destination.. I chose to do Casltes and hotels. THis Blog has helped me greatly and the people on here are super with ideas. I am still whiddling down our itinerary but the above is pretty final. We are also doing Amsterdam and London before we even start in Ireland. Congrats by the way. Reid

Ten days doesn't do Ireland justice. I don't think you said if you were limited to public transportation or would be renting a car. Things I would suggest you consider seeing would be: Dublin (3 nights/2 full days) preferably at the end of your trip. Glendalough on the way to Kilkenny (1 night) Rock of Cashell on the way to Killarney (2 nights) Dingle (2 nights) Galway (1 night) I think that chews up all your time. These are only my suggestions for you to look at. It may be too much traveling for you and really can only be done with a car. My public transportation suggestions would be significantly different.

First of all, thank you all for your responses. Your suggestions are really helping guide us in our planning.
To answer some of the questions asked about our trip. At this moment we are planning on renting a car. I do wish we could have more than 10 days but our jobs will only allow so many away from work. Thank you all once again for your suggestions. Jordan

If you're starting out from Dublin, the Anchor Guesthouse is a good place to stay. It's in the heart of the city, just north of the river and east of O'Connell street. You're close enough to one trad music venue that it will keep you up at night.

I think the route that Gail is referring to is via the Killimer-Tarbert ferry across the River Shannon. It does save you going around through Limerick and its traffic. Take the coast road to Killimer (or Tarbert - whichever is on the north side of the Shannon). The crossing takes about 20 minutes, but you will most likely have to wait a bit before the ferry gets there and unloads before you can board.

I would suggest staying in Dublin at start of trip to get over jet lag and then rent your car to start your tour, no need for car in Dublin. Hopefully Nancy who posts here a lot will be able to tell you how to get from Dingle to Doolin the quickest way as that can save you half the travel time. Doolin is by the Cliffs of Moher and worth one night. If you are courageous, suggest driving over Conner Pass to Dingle, especially if weather is good. Well worth it. Also suggest getting automatic car and must get the CDW. Driving on left is not that hard. Good luck you will not be disappointed.

Hey Jordan. I'm just back from 10 days in Ireland. (Best trip, ever.) I have to say, we LOVED the Antrim Coast in Northern Ireland and our favorite B&B was in Derry (Londonderry). The Merchant's House, run by a couple who also run a few other B&Bs in the area, one of them being The Sadler's House. Peter, the proprietor, was so welcoming and gave so many great recommendations on restaurants and pubs. Peader O'Donnell's pub was were we had a blast. So if your 10 days allows, consider a short stint in N. Ireland. Also, because we had so many places we wanted to go, we did just two nights and one day in Dublin. Cities are cities, and while there's a bunch of great stuff to see there, I'm glad we spent more time in smaller cities and towns. Next time, we'll probably do the same and cross a few more things off the Dublin list. (You'll fall in love with Ireland and vow that there will be many more "next times".) Probably our (or at least my) favorite "ruins" was the Rock of Cashel. The Cliffs of Moher are also amazing...well, if you hop the fence at the end of the park's path. Best rule breaking we (and thousands of others, it seems) have ever done. Finally, we had a fantastic time in Galway. Rick says something in his guidebook along the lines of "what Galway lacks in history, it makes up for in street charm". We concur. We stayed at the Jurys Inn which was prime location, and was cheaper than the B&Bs we looked at. There's a GREAT coffee shop just across the street. So that was our experience. I hope you and your fiancee have a wonderful adventure!

Reid if you decide to spend a night or two in Cashel, you can't go past the Cashel Palace Hotel. Obviously looking at your itinerary, accommodation cost is not a factor. The hotel is right next to the Rock of Cashel. Our room overlooked the Rock. First class accommodation and service.