trip is soon- concerned about B&B availability

KCJohn · Member

trip is soon- concerned about B&B availability

Michele Erdvig · Host

KC,

Welcome to my forum! We will try to be gentle with you. wink

Ireland has been pretty slow this year so far especially on weekdays. The bad exchange rate is keeping some people at home. Weekends in popular places like Kilkenny, Kinsale, Galway, Dingle, etc. might call for reservations. You might want to just send off a few exploratory reservation requests to see if there is anything special going on in areas of interest. Things like horse races, festivals and weddings can book up a town. If you know in advance then you can go elsewhere or reserve in advance.

There is no problem with May 24-26. The next Bank Holiday weekend is May 30 - June 2.

You say you already have reservations for Dublin? Most people with limited time stay in the city center. I prefer the burbs for quieter nights and generally like Malahide village.

I think you should choose between the SW and NW. With limited time you will short-change both if you try to do too much.

For your last night in Ireland you could choose Ennis, Bunratty or areas within about an hour. Adare is cute however Limerick traffic can be slow around rush hours.

Let me know if you have other questions.

Michele

KCJohn · Member

Michele Erdvig wrote:

KC,

Welcome to my forum! We will try to be gentle with you.

Ireland has been pretty slow this year so far especially on weekdays. The bad exchange rate is keeping some people at home. Weekends in popular places like Kilkenny, Kinsale, Galway, Dingle, etc. might call for reservations. You might want to just send off a few exploratory reservation requests to see if there is anything special going on in areas of interest. Things like horse races, festivals and weddings can book up a town. If you know in advance then you can go elsewhere or reserve in advance.

There is no problem with May 24-26. The next Bank Holiday weekend is May 30 - June 2.

You say you already have reservations for Dublin? Most people with limited time stay in the city center. I prefer the burbs for quieter nights and generally like Malahide village.

I think you should choose between the SW and NW. With limited time you will short-change both if you try to do too much.

For your last night in Ireland you could choose Ennis, Bunratty or areas within about an hour. Adare is cute however Limerick traffic can be slow around rush hours.

Let me know if you have other questions.

Michele

Michele

thanks for the quick reply.

I think we must have been looking at the UK holiday schedule-their bank holiday is the same weekend as the US Memorial Day. Thanks for clearing that up.

We have one night in Dublin on May 26 (Mon) but are looking at staying in Dun Laoghaire near the DART for a night or two prior.

Since we're committed to staying in Clifden on 5-20 (Tues) I'm leaning toward staying in the NW then down to Dublin. Any thoughts on Mayo/Sligo/Donegal?
I'm also looking to spend some time near my family's home area near Boyle and Carrick-on-Shannon.

thanks again

Michele Erdvig · Host

KC,

Dun Laoghaire will work for Dublin if you want to do day trips in on DART. I find it much busier than Malahide so be prepared for traffic.

Mayo, Sligo and Donegal all get a "thumbs up" from me. They are less touristed and equally as beautiful as the SW. Westport is a good town for Mayo and I am very fond of Achill Island. Achill and Donegal both claim to have Europe's highest sea cliffs. Donegal is a very large county with a wonderful coastline. Glenveagh Castle, Gardens and National Park are well worth a visit.

Boyle and Carrick are both nice places. You will enjoy them.

Take a look at my "Lodgings" page for good places to stay.

Michele

YaYa · Guru

Michele,

Will KC have a problem using vouchers that time of year? The one time I used them they were for hotels and I could find something. I wanted to stay in a nicer hotel in Adare and they took my voucher and I paid extra.

KC, any place that Michele recommends will be good, we don't call her Goldie Locks for nothing.

Have a wonderful trip.

Joan

KCJohn · Member

YaYa wrote:

Michele,

Will KC have a problem using vouchers that time of year? The one time I used them they were for hotels and I could find something. I wanted to stay in a nicer hotel in Adare and they took my voucher and I paid extra.

KC, any place that Michele recommends will be good, we don't call her Goldie Locks for nothing.

Have a wonderful trip.

Joan

I'm getting concerned about this voucher issue as well. I've been trying to book accomodations online. I'm getting a lot of no replies, so I've stopped telling them that I'm using vouchers. I don't see the incentive for an owner to take a reservation from someone using a voucher when they can book the same room for full price. And it seems that a lot of places are booked already, so the owners can be pretty choosy.

Michele Erdvig · Host

KC,

Getting an instant reply via email from Ireland can be a problem. I communicate with people and friends in Ireland all the time and I can't tell you how many of my emails go astray and never reach the recipients. And vice versa. Don't ask me why, because I don't know.

Keep trying. Send second and third email. Include your phone number because if there is a communication problem and the message reaches Ireland (but their email is not going to you) they may be able to call you. For an instant answer pick up the phone and call.

Have you checked your junk mail folder? Do you have spam filters? All those things can hamper email.

Michele

KCJohn · Member

Michele Erdvig wrote:

KC,

Getting an instant reply via email from Ireland can be a problem. I communicate with people and friends in Ireland all the time and I can't tell you how many of my emails go astray and never reach the recipients. And vice versa. Don't ask me why, because I don't know.

Keep trying. Send second and third email. Include your phone number because if there is a communication problem and the message reaches Ireland (but their email is not going to you) they may be able to call you. For an instant answer pick up the phone and call.

Have you checked your junk mail folder? Do you have spam filters? All those things can hamper email.

Michele

Nothing in the spam folder. Some of the inquiries (or enquiries as they say) were submitted using the reply forms on their websites rather than a direct email. I might follow up on a few to see if their sites are having issues.

I have had several replies, but seem to get one or two replies for every 5 or 6 inquiries. It's a little frustrating, but I'll keep trying.

Michele, I took your advice on Adare as a last night stopover before departing Shannon. I've been able to book at the Riverwood House just outside Adare. Christina there has been very accomodating. I'll post a review when we return.