The West with Children

two counties · Member

The West with Children

Michele Erdvig · Host

two counties,

Welcome to the forum. I'm glad to hear you have been looking at and around my website, for you will find a lot of good info to help plan your trip.

Can I assume you are departing from Shannon? If so, you may want to spend your last night near the airport and do a banquet or the ceili on that night. The other places (with the exception of Ennis) would be too far to go to the banquet.

Ennistymon is a rather grubby town and quite small. If you would like to be on the coast then the Lahinch Golf and Leisure Hotel might suit you. Please note it is in Lahinch not Ennistymon. There is a very nice beach there and lots of golfers who come to play the links. Gregan's Castle Hotel is rather isolated and might not be best for small children.

I have not visited Ashford Court Hotel in Ennis. It is a bustling market town known for its pubs with trad music. It is a real Irish working town.

If you want a beach town probably Lahinch would suit you. If you want to be closer to the Shannon area Ennis would be better.

Michele

two counties · Member

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for the helpful advice. It is good to know what the various towns in that area are like. Based on the fact that we are looking for a contrast from Dublin, it seems as though the hotel in Lahinch might work out the best for us (even though we have no illusions of actually using the beach). The Lahinch Golf and Leisure Hotel has quoted a very good rate for one of their two bedroom suites, which would accomodate all of us. I'm disappointed that it would be too far to attend a banquet or traditional night at Bunratty Castle, but I'm not sure we will want to move to a third location at that point. According to the AA Ireland Route planner that I found online, it is a 55 minute drive from Lahinch to Bunratty Castle. Do you think that would be too much to handle after the earlier seating of the banquet (the traditional night starts on the late side for my boys)? My husband is very comfortable driving over there -- we lived in the UK for five years.

At the very least, we could tour the castle during the day and not do the banquet.

two counties · Member

I forgot to mention that we are flying out of Shannon as you assumed. That seems to be about an hour from Lahinch by car.

CowboyCraic · Guru

Depending on when you are traveling from Lahinch to Shannon, you can count on closer to two hours travel time. That is what I have found to be the case You might consider spending your last night at the Great Southern Shannon, as I suggest to many who are flying out of Shannon. It is across the parking lot from the departure terminal and yet surprisingly quiet. It is especially welcome when traveling with small children, as it is less of a hassle.

You could then turn in your rental vehicle early and catch a taxi to/from Bunratty.

Slan Agus Beannacht,

Bit Devine

two counties · Member

Yikes! We certainly don't want to take a chance on it being a two hour drive to the airport.

Michele Erdvig · Host

two counties,

What time is your flight from Shannon? That will determine where you want to spend your last night. Bit is right that it takes more than an hour to drive from Lahinch to Shannon. My husband can do it in 1 1/2 hours but he is used to Irish driving. Two hours is a more reasonable estimate especially when catching a flight. You always want to leave plenty of time so you don't miss the plane because of traffic or a flat!

Check out Lahinch Seaworld for the kids: http://www.iol.ie/~seaworld/index.html

Michele

two counties · Member

Our flight is at 9am out of Shannon. So if we decide to stay at the hotel in Lahinch, we would definitely take your advice and stay at an airport hotel for the last night. Then we could do one of the banquets at Bunratty Castle that night. I'm so glad I found your forum and got your tip about travel time to Shannon.

Thanks for the Lahinch Seaworld link. I will check it out.

I was leaning toward the hotel in Lahinch because it seems very child friendly -- a two bedroom suite with sitting room and kitchenette, and an indoor pool (which would be a big help if we have a lot of rain). And it seems like Lahinch is centrally located for touring the area. But do you think I would be better off in another town that is both centrally located for touring and is closer to the airport?

Michele Erdvig · Host

two counties,

I think you would enjoy staying in Lahinch. You can have great walks on the beach and if it is warm enough the kids can make sandcastles. You will have easy access to the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren and Loop Head. Just plan on spending your last night near the airport. You could stay at the airport hotel or near the village of Bunratty, which is only about 10 minutes drive to the airport.

Michele

two counties · Member

Thank you so much for all your advice. It has been really helpful.

YaYa · Guru

I think you and the children will enjoy staying in Lahinch. I've stayed at The Great Southern a few times and it is fine. I think tho for the children it would be so much more fun to stay near Bunratty Castle & Park. You could come from Lahinch early enough for the children to explore the Castle & gounds. Michele has very good recommendations for the area. It is only a 10 minute drive to the airport.

two counties · Member

That sounds like a good tip YaYa. Thank you. I know my boys would love to explore the Castle and Park on our last day. I think Michele has suggested The Courtyard in Bunratty to other people who are interested in walking to the Castle. If that hotel is indeed walking distance to the Castle, we could do what Bit suggested earlier, which is to turn in our rental car on Thursday, spend the day exploring Bunratty, and then take a taxi to the airport on Friday morning.

I need to decide whether to do the early seating of the Banquet or the Traditional Irish Night which I believe is one seating at 7pm. Does anyone have an opinion about which would be better for my boys who are ages 5 and 7? It seems like more adults prefer the Traditional Night, but I was wondering if that would apply to young children.

CowboyCraic · Guru

I would definitely choose the Trad Night in the Corn Barn. The dinner will be a better fit for the children. They will definitely enjoy themselves at the Castle. The garden there should just be starting to bloom. It will be a good day today relax and unwind before the long trip home.

You should definitely take a look at the Courtyard, as was suggested. There is also Bunratty Woods, which has a family room (double bed & 2 singles). Maureen & Paddy O'Donovan are just delightful. The inn is built on the old ground sof the Bunratty castle. They are only 6 or 8 miles from Shannon airport. They are a ten minute walk to the folk park.

Slan Agus Beannacht,

Bit Devine

Michele Erdvig · Host

two counties,

I second Bit's suggestion of the ceili in the corn barn. The kids would like that as it is more informal with lots of singing and dancing. At one point audience members join the entertainers on stage to dance with them. Hey, maybe you could ask if your boys could do that when you arrive for the show (that is if they would like doing that).

The Courtyard is a guesthouse not a hotel. If you want a hotel try the Bunraty Castle Hotel, which is across the street from the castle. The boys will have a ball in the castle. Be sure to take them all the way up to the battlements where the flag is flying and you can see for miles. There is also a children's play area with swings, a fortress, etc. at the folk park. Plenty for the kids to do and let off steam. Maybe a short nap before the ceili.

If you return your rental car the night before order a taxi on that night to pick you up at a specified time at your lodgings. You don't want to have to scramble for one in the morning. Or just keep the car and drive yourselves the 10 minutes to the airport. Car rental return is quick and easy at Shannon.

Michele

two counties · Member

It sounds like spending our last day in Bunratty will be great for everyone. I know the boys will love the Castle and Folk Park. And my 5 year old would love to get up on stage and dance -- he is a big ham. Do you know approximately what time the event in the Corn Barn ends? I think it starts at 7pm.

I will look into the hotel across the street from the Castle that you mentioned.

Michele Erdvig · Host

two counties,

The ceili lasts a couple of hours. You have a choice of meals there: Irish stew, salmon or vegetarian lasagne. The salmon was really good.

Michele