Ireland pre-trip financial planning

Welcome to the Helpline!It's difficult to make any general statement, that is accurate, about accommodations costs in Europe unless we know where in Europe and what type of accommodation.Rick Steves' book Europe Through The Back Door 2009 gives typical accommodations costs for about 15 European cites, broken down by type of accommodation; that info is presented in a 2-page table in the book and can't be easily summarized in writing in the space or time we have here. 4 people staying for more than 3 or 4 days will often save money renting an apartment, although that usually requires payment in advance for things such as security deposits, that aren't required for booking hotels. Getting one hotel room that will accommodate 4 people will be a challenge, often 4 people in a hotel means two hotel rooms and that doubles your cost per night. The biggest single factor in cost of accommodations in Europe, for those of us paid in dollars, is the exchange rate: the cost in euros must be multiplied by about 1.45 to 1.50 to get the true cost to you in dollars, what your credit card will be charged for a €100/night room is about $145 to $150/night.

Thanks, Kent! I've added "ADDENDUM" to my original question. I am meaning IRELAND only. We may be interested in a day or two in Wales but that is yet to be determined. Thanks again. ~DrToonz.

Even though B&Bs usually charge per person rather than per room, those that have family rooms will probably cost less than two hotel rooms. Besides, how can you pass up a wonderful full Irish breakfast?

A cheaper alternative would be hostels. Besides dorm-style rooms, many have family rooms. Some provide a simple breakfast and the kitchen is yours to use to prepare your own meals.

Thanks, Tim. I'll look into both Hostels and B&B's. Do you think that one would be better in certain areas, like Hostels in Dublin or B&B's in a certain town?

B&Bs are everywhere in Ireland, from the cities to the tiniest towns. In Dublin, Gardiner Street has at least a block of hostels, guesthouses, and small hotels all in a row. Dublin will be more expensive than other places in Ireland. Scroll back through previous topics and you will find lots of examples of prices.

We just returned from Ireland and spent an average of 77 Euro per night for 13 nights. We stayed in B & B's mostly--Kinsale, Kenmare, Dingle, Galway, and Tulla. It seemed like the average B & B was about 35-40 Euro per person. For us, the high was 90 Euro (Galway) and the low was 60 Euro (staying with locals in a small village.) We stayed mostly on the west coast--did not go to Dublin this trip.

Here are some hostel sites:

Independent Hostels Ireland

YHA Ireland

Independent Holiday Hostels of Ireland

Hostel Ireland

Here are websites for two hostels as examples--one we stayed at--Harbour Lodge in Dingle--the location is good and the hosts were friendly--could have been a little cleaner. Their family room is 95-120 Euro.

We walked by Snoozles in Galway--it's brand new and in a great location.

Dingle Harbour Lodge

Snoozles in Galway

This last June our family of four paid anywhere from 35-45 Euros per person at B&Bs for 2 rooms -- Teenagers in one room and adults in another room. For "family" rooms where we all slept in the same room that had 3 beds ( 2 twin and one double ) we paid from 115- 140 euros a night. All this included breakfast. Our best deal was at Abbey Court B&B in Kenmare where we stayed in their 2 bedroom- 2 bath apt/ kitchen and living area --above the garage-- very, very nice for 110 euros a night -- this did NOT include breakfast. Because we had the kitchen we stopped and got some groceries. That really worked out great and was 50 euros cheaper a night.

If you are like us and want to keep moving every couple of nights then B&B's are the way to go. If you want to pick a couple of places to stay for a week at a time then renting a "self catering" would be cheaper.

Since you are planning for 3 weeks you could do a combination of B&Bs and Self catering. I could easily stay a week in the Dingle area -- or Kenmare or County Clare/Burren.

I don't know for sure and maybe someone else will -- but I think that Self catering places usually rent from Sat to Sat. That might help in your planning.

I would highly recommend B&B's. There are a ton of them in Ireland, and they are much nicer than hostels without being that much more expensive. Plus, you get to interact with the locals -- a key part of any "back door" experience.

Once you've narrowed down your itinerary, we can give you recommendations if you're looking for places.

Thanks again for the postings. I am working on an itinerary now and will post a separage question when it comes to "Where do I want to stay?". Thanks!

I do not recommend a B&B for a family. If it were me, I'd opt for Self-Catering accomodations. WHile you may save a few bucks at a B&B, the cost of meals will be your most expensive cost. With a self-catering accomodation, you can come and go when you want, eat what and when you want, and use the place as a base for exploration. In short, flexibility is waht you want when traveling with kids.

Also, in my very humble opinion, there nothing great about a full irish breakfast....wait til you taste the sausage..