Rebecca,

Welcome to my forum! I am glad you are excited about your trip. Being enthustiastic will only mean you will plan a better trip.

Since this is your first trip to Ireland, I think you should stay at a couple of B&Bs and not just one. That way you can cover a bit more territory, get to know a few different hosts and get a nice mix of different places. How about staying in 3 different places? Your last night in Bunratty nearby the airport and then 2 other places.

If it were my trip what would I choose? Dingle and Kenmare. But it is your trip and you must decide what pleases you most.

Michele

Rebecca,

The Shores is wonderful, Annette is lovely and her food is fabulous. One note about The Shores. You had mentioned that you wanted to be near music venues. The Shores is not nearby Dingle town. It is on the north shore of the Dingle Peninsula in a rural location. Just an FYI for you. If you don't mind a couple of days in the country you will be delighted with The Shores. Annette has a queen room with balcony. If you require a king bed (called super king in Ireland) then I would suggest either staying elsewhere or getting a room with two beds.

In Kenmare my all time favorite is Sallyport House. They have two king rooms (one is a 4-poster bed) and a queen with a sitting area. Lovely views of either the Kenmare River or the orchard. If you don't need a view The Lodge is very nice.

Michele

Rebecca,

Contact Sallyport House, tell them I recommend you stay there and ask how much it will be for a 3-night stay. Sometimes staying 3 nights in one place will mean a discount. It doesn't hurt to try. In this case you get what you pay for. Another nice option is Loch Lein in Killarney (lake views).

You can probably get to Kenmare in 2 1/2 hours. But take the Cork road from Killarney toward Kenmare instead of the N71. It is much faster, wider and better; especially on your first day.

I really do not recommend driving over Connor Pass road at night after pub crawling. There is a nice pub near The Shores but if you want to be in the thick of things consider Dingle town itself.

Michele

Michelle, here's the response I received this morning from Sallyport:

Thank you for your E-mail enquiry regarding accommodation at Sallyport House for 3 nights in April , 2009. Please advise which dates you wish to reserve. At this particular time, we can offer you as follows; 1 room with King-size bed and full en-Suite bathroom (NON-SMOKING). Our rates per night are as follows;130 Euro per room per night which includes full Irish Breakfast.(Including taxes)  If you wish to reserve this accommodation, kindly advise immediately in order to avoid disappointment. We would require a deposit of $100.00 made payable to Sallyport House. We do not accept credit cards but a personal cheque will suffice. A cancellation will incur a charge of 10% from your deposit with 21 days prior notice. If you have any further inquiries in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us.

I have a planning question for you:  if I make all our own lodging arrangements, does it make sense to still use an agency for flight and car rental?  I don't know what their "take" is when doing the planning for you.  We're perfectly capable of booking our own air tickets, but I'm wondering how difficult it is (how easy to screw up!) to make car rental arrangements?  Also, the flight the agent has proposed for us flies into Dublin as a connecting flight to Shannon.  Is that usual?

Hi Rebecca, We go through a travel agent, here in Longview, WA. and she charged us a cheaper price than a travel agent in Ireland, 12travel.com   She got us flight tickets into Shannon (this was in March 2007) and out of Shannon and got us a nice car - one step up from compact, non stick shift. Her fee was under $50. Also, when in Kenmare and you are looking for a place to eat, try Prego near the JAMS restaurant -- JAMS is not as good -- but you can see the large sign better, and Prego is a few doors down. Prego has a nice atmosphere and we liked the food a lot, especially the coffee! for any meal of the day. You will love going to Dingle, such a neat little town.    We were pretty tired when we arrived in Shannon, due to our flight for Oregon to Newark with a 4 hr. layover, so we really enjoyed staying at www.adarecountryhouse.com which was very nice, excellent breakfast and perfect owners! Adare is not far from Shannon. It is not as close as Kenmare, as to getting as far as you want to be the first day, however. We also loved staying at Conneelys B&B, North of The Cliffs of Moher.   Sheila, the hostess, is wonderful. She makes you feel so much at home and the rooms and the breakfast room are very nice. You can write to Sheila for more info. sheilaconneely@kinvara.com, & go to Kinvara.com to check out the little town and other points of interest:  Kinvara.com   http://www.conneelysbedandbreakfast.com/ will actually give you good info about her B&B itself. Her rates were, last year 36 Euros each/per night, including breakfast. (my husband just walked in and he thought we paid 60 Euros for 2--on her site she is showing from 40 Euros & up for ea/per nite, so write her and see, if you are interested.  I guess I should have written sooner, since it is so close to your going!  Anyway, you can use this info for your NEXT trip      Have a Wonderful time and enjoy every minute
Youngka

Rebecca,

As you shop, be sure you have a waterproof windbreaker with a hood. A must in Ireland.

Michele

Rebecca, the place in Doolin sounds like a place we should check into for the monthe of May next year! That gives me another idea -- THANKS! This site has really saved me more than once and everyone is very friendly. Have a great trip and good luck getting a good price on air fare. Let us know what you find out and where you are flying from and to. I think I had you confused with someone else who is leaving in two weeks, oops, as far as my saying you can save my info for next trip. You still have lots of time to fine tune your trip. Have fun!

Rebecca, checked out the site (Atlantic View). This sounds very nice and love viewing all the photos and activities on the site. Thanks again. youngka

That's true. I've checked so many out I get them all confused I put it on my "short list" just in case we do get to Ireland next May.....love their pricesyoungka

Michele, do you have any info on Atlantic View near Doolin and the Cliffs?

Youngka,

Sorry, when I tried to inspect Atlantic View there was no one at home. That often happens during my travels. It can be very frustrating ringing two dozen doorbells at B&Bs only to find no one there. I try to visit at a time when there should be someone there. But it doesn't always work out.

Michele

Dear noshot9:  I'm having the devil's own time deciding between The Shores (while visiting the Dingle area) and Atlantic View.  The Shores comes highly rated for comfort and ambience by Michelle, and their site is truly lovely -- but the Atlantic View is nearer the local traditional music scene, which also interests us.  Michelle hasn't been able to find the Atlantic View proprietors at home, in order to give the place her white-glove and "princess and the pea" inspection, so I'm hesitant to count on what the website has to say about itself!  And I'm a bit obsessive about all this because (1) it's our first trip to Ireland and (2) we want to stay in each location at least two nights or maybe three, so we won't be moving around a lot.  So...are you willing to jump on here and give us the detailed low-down on the the Atlantic View?  Youngka is wondering about it as well.  Thank you SO much!

Many thanks, noshot9! 

Your comment about the frequency of traditional music in the pubs in April may be the deciding factor for me.  I think I'd just as soon stay at the Shores and soak up the ambience (and take day trips as we please).

Michelle's forum has become a daily way of life for me!  I'm so happy to have found so many friendly people willing to share tips.  Thank you, everyone.