Ireland -- visit Kenmare and stay at The Coachman's

I think that I will take your endorsement and add this to our list for September ....thanks Pat- do you have any opinion on Glendalough?

Glendalough is a definite must-see in my book. I wish I could have spent a lot more time there than I did, but it wasn't possible to hike that day because of the weather. It's definitely going to be a stop on my next trip.

I agree with Nancy. Glendalough is gorgeous. Very special, for the setting and the history.

If you have time for Glendalough and Kenmare you won't regret either.

i second pat's feelings on kenmare and the coachman's. i was there a couple of weeks ago. loved kenmare. quaint little town. stayed at coachmans and it was the fourth hotel i was in on this ireland trip and was my favorite. also, had seen plenty of irish music on previous days/nights of this trip and the guy i saw playing in the restaurant/bar at coachmans in kenmare was by far my absolute favorite! a talented performer, michael o'brien.
recommend kenmare and the coachmans on all accounts!

We are leaving in a couple of weeks and we were thinking
it would not be crowded - we plan to stay in Kenmare
so we will take your recommendation!
Are you saying you would skip the ring of Kerry and
go to Beara?

Hard for me to say about Kerry because I didn't go -- and I didn't miss it. It looks abstolutely stunning, but everything I read and hear is that it is crowded and a hassle, with the buses. We got a taste of how crowded it can be just driving through Killarney en ruote to Kenmare. Buses everywhere. Very crowded.

Beara has the same kind of views snd scenery as Kerry, but is far less crowded. I am a bit prejudiced because my grandmother is from Beara, but I found it manageable, pretty and interesting. And a night of relaxing at the Coachman's with a pint of Guiness while listening to great music is a great way to end the day.

By the way ... the drive from Killarney to Kenmare goes through the Killarney National Park. Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. Spend the time to do it.

Hope this helps.

Linda,

My situation is the opposite of Patrick's. I drove the Ring but not Beara.

I thought that the Ring was magnificent. The scenery was majestic, especially views of the Skellig Islands off the coast. We had lunch at a local pub in Portmagee (I think); as far as I could tell we were the only tourists in the place. We saw two tour buses around 11 AM and that was it for the entire day. We started in Kenmare and followed the route suggested by Rick in his guidebook, including a section of the Ring near the coast where buses are not allowed.

So, it's fairly easy to avoid the crowds and buses if you're smart and leave reasonably early (like 9AM) and drive the Ring clockwise. Killarney is overrun with tours that begin there and drive the Ring counterclockwise. But that doesn't mean you'll see them.

Beara sounds great, and I hope to see it myself someday. But don't fear the Ring. There's a backlash against it on this site, but it's still a wonderful place to visit.

Wow! thanks Patrick. We thought our AMEX card would
cover the CDW and it does, everywhere except Ireland
and Italy! We will definitely do it

Michael and Patrick - thanks for your responses - we
have done several trips and used Rick's books but this
is the first time I have gone to this board and it is
so nice to hear people's ideas and experiences. My
grandpa was from Westport so I have been there a couple
of times but never further south and with a car!
Would you know why the CDW is an issue in Ireland?
Are there alot of car accidents? Thanks!

Regarding CDW ... I got it, but didn't need to. I was lucky I think. I had a cousin who visited with a group of people and they got six cars. Five lost mirrors.

Roads are VERY narrow, and mirrors are always at risk. You hear about hte roads prior to going, but when you get there it's incredible how narrrow some are. This matters not to buses and trucks. They are coming, and you MUST move out of their way

Too, the rental car company (Avis) went over the car with a fine tooth comb when I dropped it off ... to the point that I was nearly liable for some scratches on the car caused by overhanging bushes (narrow roads).

Finally, my State Farm insurance did not apply to Ireland, so if you want any kind of coverage it either has to come from a credit card or CDW.

The woman at the desk when I dropped off the car remarked that it's rare for a car to come back with no damage, and that even though the car I had was in good shape I was still wise to have CDW.

My conclusion: CDW is an expensive but necessary annoyance when renting a car in Ireland.