Ireland in 7 Days

LindaH · Veteran Member

Ireland in 7 Days

CowboyCraic · Guru

Linda,

Good Morning and welcome to the Forum! Glad to hear that you have Michele's book in hand.

If you read through it,you will find that finding lodging anywhere under 30 euros will be quite a task, indeed. June is the shoulder season for travel, meaning that it will be less expensive than traveling in the months of July & August (high season). The least expensive B&Bs that I have ever come across were in 35- 50 euro range. Even Hostels, which rarely include breakfast, are hard to find under 30 euros.

In 7 days time, you could look to cover three areas, with a two night stay in each and then the last night lodge somewhere near to the airport from which you are departing. My suggestion would be in a counterclockwise from Dublin:

Co. Galway
Dingle
Kilkenny

Spend your first two days in and around Galway or perhaps one of the smaller outlying communities to avoid the big city feel

Enroute to Dingle, you can follow the coast road south, taking in the Cliffs of Moher.

Between Dingle and Kilkenny, you can take in the Rock of Cashel and Cahir Castle.

This would give you a good taste of Ireland in the short amount of time which you have available.

I hope that this gives you a better foot. I am sure that Michele will offer up her advice, as well.

Slan Beo (Take Care), Bit

Dude · Guru

Linda, since you haven't booked your flights from London yet, consider flying into and out of Shannon or into Shannon and out of Dublin. That will cut down on time spent driving. You could follow Bit's excellent advice this way.

We Americans can sympathize with the weak currency.

I can recommend a thatched cottage, An Caladh Gearr, just outside of Galway in Spiddal if you think something like that would be a treat. The Town and Country website shows 32 euros per person but she doesn't have a family room. If you would prefer some place with a triple room for the three of you so you don't pay a single supplement, consider St. Anne's B&B in Milltown for 30 euros per person.

Oops, sorry, I had read "daughters" instead of "daughter" so you won't be concerned with finding a triple room. Never mind.

-- Edited by Dude at 12:45, 2008-04-07

-- Edited by Dude at 12:52, 2008-04-07

Sidz · Guru

I agree with Dude -- if you don't have reservations yet, and you want to get out of Dublin and see the small towns and villages, do yourself a big favor and book your trip in and out of Shannon. You will be close to some of the best sites in the country and well away from the traffic mess in Dublin area.

Have a great trip.

LindaH · Veteran Member

Thank you so much for the wonderful advise. Will definately consider flying into Shannon and maybe out of Dublin. Silly me...didnt think of it. It will definately save time.
Any more ideas will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again
Linda

yesiree · Guru

Glad you've 'discovered" the Shannon plan, it makes things much easier. Ryan Air will likely have cheap flights to Shannon from London...just note that Ryan Air is a discount airline, so they don't fly from Heathrow and be sure to read your ticket's luggage, check-in and other restrictions.

23 euro per person for accommodations will be tough in Ireland. The cheapest B&B I found last year was 25 euro. And I did a happy dance when I found that one...and another happy dance when I found the place was not some scary dump. That was at Iveragh Heights in Cahirsiveen on the Ring of Kerry (it wasn't fancy and was dated, but considering the price, I didn't have any complaints). Also drove by two places last fall in County Clare advertising 25 euro rates, but didn't jot those down (somewhere between Tulla and Ennis).

Plan on staying outside of town...which won't be too big of a deal since you'll have a car. That can save you about 10 euros p/p.

Good Luck.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Linda,

Are you flying back to South Africa from Ireland or will you go through London? If you are not interested in big cities, perhaps you should skip Dublin entirely.

Some other places you might consider flying into are Cork or Kerry airports. Check on Shannon, Cork and Kerry to see which one meshes with your plans better.

As everyone else has said you will have to stretch your budget for B&Bs. We are all feeling the pain of the currency exchange. You can in other ways like cheaper meals, discounts to sightseeing, etc. Sometimes if you stay 2 or more days at a B&B they will give you a little discount. Ask about that.

Also, take a look at my "Tips & Tricks" and "Money" pages.

Let us know if you need more help.

Michele

LindaH · Veteran Member

Hi All,
Thanks once again for great tips. I think I will fly back to London via Cork. Makes such sense actually. I am going back to London for a few days after Ireland as my daughter is going to be staying there for 2 years, so this plan works so well. I am going to re look at all maps and books etc now that I have more of a plan in mind and then going to post it on this site. I will follow all your tips. It seems as though we are going to have to increase our bucget as far as accomodation is concerned. Just cant believe how prices have increased over the years. Was Ireland always this expensive?

Thank you all once again.
Regards
Linda

Michele Erdvig · Host

Linda,

No, Ireland was once one of the cheaper places to visit. In 1973 B&B was 1.50 pounds! I think it got really expensive when they changed over to the euro currency. Of course the strong euro and weaker other currencies don't help.

Michele

LindaH · Veteran Member

Just a quick question.
Would you recommend doing Dingle Peninsula, Loop Head and
ROK, Cliffs of Moher and Burren.
Thanks
Linda

Michele Erdvig · Host

Linda,

They are all very good. I will add the Beara Peninsula too. It is wild and rugged and oh so scenic.

Michele