Hi, I am traveling to Ireland in a group of 4 in March and I wanted to know if I needed reservations for B&Bs. We plan on renting a car and being spontaneous so I don't want to make reservations for every day. Can we do this is will we not likely find places to stay?
You should be fine in March just finding places along the way -- we have done that during that time without any problem. The only change to that thought would be to make sure and have reservations if you are travelling during St. Patrick's weekend, as things do get booked quickly then. Other than that, have fun milling around and letting the road take you wherever it leads -- a great way to travel for sure.
Traveling with a group of four, You would be best off to make some reservations ahead of time, especially if you will be in the more heavily traveled areas such as Dingle, Dublin, Cork City, Killarney, Galway, etc.
You also have to take a look at any Bank Holiday weekends which might occur during your travel dates, as that will mean less availability in the coastal towns especially. Also, if you are traveling during St. Patrick's week, you will definitely need reservations.
If you really don't want to book your rooms, then you can always stop at the Tourist information Centre when you find a town in which you want to stop. Some will have a desk to assist you in finding a B&B.
Let us know your dates of travel and what you are interested in and we will do our best to help.
Another idea is call either the evening before you arrive, or in the morning when you leave for your destination. B&B booklets (like Town and Country) are available from the tourist office and have descriptions, pictures and phone numbers of B&B's. You only have to plan 1 day in advance that way.
We used Andi's booking method in Oct 2007. We booked the initial stay--first and second nights, then the last night before departing Old Erin; the rest we called the night before. It was nice having the flexibility; after all, we're supposed to be on vacation. WC
Welcome to my forum! As long as you are not going to be in Ireland around St. Patrick's Day you should be okay winging it. Dublin is a good place to always make reservations. As Bit said weekends in popular areas can sometimes be a problem. But as long as you don't leave looking for your accommodations too late in the day you will generally be fine.
Good idea to reserve your first and last nights. Or at the very least, your last. You will know where you need to be for that night anyway.
If you stay at a nice place that you like ask your hosts for a recommendation for your next stop. Generally, it will be nice too. And if you travel with my book you will have lots of different accommodations to choose from.