Wednesday We agreed the Blooming Wildflower Cottage in Dingle was our favorite B & B. I have to stress it is not fancy or upscale if that is what you are looking for, but homey, clean, roomy (we had the apartment), and a view of Dingle Bay that will stick in our memories I hope forever. Someone on the forum recommended it, so thank you!!!!!!!!!! Our first nap in Dingle was there on the sun porch overlooking the bay. We also enjoyed walking to the SuperValu for simple food to enjoy "at home" instead of eating out for two nights. Thursday Lovely breakfast and then we did the Slea Head Drive. Probably our favorite nap was on a cliff covered with wildflowers high over crashing waves on the rocks below. We crossed two fences and several sheep and lots of sheep droppings to get to this spot. My husband has a knack for finding these good spots. We took our time doing the drive and later back in Dingle did the harbour walk looking for Fungie the dolphin. No sign of Fungie but it would be hard to be disappointed in Dingle. We listened to some good music that night at one of the pubs. Friday We did Conor Pass on our way to the ferry. It was not nearly as scary as I thought it would be, maybe because by now I was used to being in the hedges. It was pretty though, and we probably missed a good nap opportunity there because we wanted to get to Doolin in time for the Cliffs. We checked in to the Dubhlinn House which I think was recommended by Michele. It was perfect. We drove back to the Cliffs which we had passed on the way in. We parked down the road to avoid the parking fee and then enjoyed this awesome sight. We walked pretty far down the path, and when we were way past all the people, you guessed it, we took a great nap right on top of the cliffs. This was our 27th anniversary and it will be hard to beat next year!!! That night we ate our dinner at McDermott's(how could I eat that lamb after all those sheep we saw?) and heard good music there and at O'Connor's. Saturday This was our day to drive back to Dublin, actually Malahide, and stay at the Beechwood Country House that Michele recommended. No problems getting there. We took the coast road to Ballyvaughn which was beautiful and gave us a glimpse of The Burren which I didn't think we were going to have time to see. That was a bonus. We took a spur of the moment detour when we saw the sign for Birr Castle. We enjoyed the grounds there. We didn't take time for a nap but saw others napping so I am glad the idea is catching on. The elderly owner of the Beechwood was delightful. He said you (Michele) had been there recently and I saw your name in the guest book. That was cool since the forum had helped me so much. He asked us how many years for our anniversay and when I said 27, he said "27 years? You don't get that for murder!" That is one of our funny memories. Radiohead was in town for a concert at the Castle so the town was packed. We did not try to fight the crowds at pubs, just ate a late dinner at Mario's and walked back to the Beechwood for our last night of a wonderful trip of a lifetime. Sunday We walked to the castle to get a quick picture before heading to the airport. Mr. O'Reilly gave us detailed directions for an easy trip to the airport and we were determined not to be one of his stories of stupid people who couldn't find it, so we wrote it all down, and made it easily!!!!
Thank you again for providing this forum. It really made a huge difference in the success of our trip. I will recommend it to others. Thanks to all who contribute!! Sincerely, Jill
Welcome back and thanks for taking the time to post your report! Though you managed to pack alot in, it was at a relaxed fast pace. You sure chose some great spots to nap!For the record, I have napped in a jaunting car a time or two. I find the rhythm to be quite hypnotic.
I am also glad that you enjoyed Dingle and the Blooming Wildflower Cottage. It is a gem oft overlooked.
How nice that you enjoyed all the places you visited on your trip. We were all glad to offer our recommendations. I was at Beechwood in May. But next time I won't tell Joe that you called him "elderly"!! He is a character -- in the nicest possible way.