Therese
Unregistered User
(8/12/03 12:32 pm)

Which town? Clifden, Westport, Cong, or Roundstone

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Hi,

Which town would be the most charming and entertaining for a base in which to explore the connemara region? All of the towns referenced in the subject header look nice.

Thanks.
Therese

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 1715
(8/12/03 11:35 pm)

Re: Which town? Clifden, Westport, Cong, or Roundstone

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Hi Therese,

It depends on the time of year. In the off-season Westport would have the most going on and has by far the most restaurants and pubs. Cong is a very small village set on a peninsula between Lough Mask & Lough Corrib. Roundstone is quite tiny with a scenic harbor and wonderful views. Clifden is called "the capital of Connemara" and is larger than Cong and Roundstone but smaller than Westport. It is currently going through a building boom. I like them all for different reasons. What a dilemma!

Michele

Wren
Unregistered User
(8/16/03 10:22 pm)

Roundstone Experience

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We stayed just outside Roundstone at Errisbeg Lodge this summer and used it as a convenient base to explore Connemara. We loved the location, (two nearby beaches) the B&B (lovely hosts) and the Connemara countryside (absolutely phenomenal!!!!). I posted a trip report on the "I'm Back" board, if you'd like more details, or I'll check back here if you have other questions.

CathyL
Unregistered User
(8/19/03 9:02 am)

Which town?

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Having just visited each of these towns just last week I thought I might be of help. My thoughts are if you want to stay in a town then Clifden is probably best. It gets a bit touristy in the afternoon with tour buses but everything you need is right there. However if you want a really nice but very small fishing village then Roundstone would be best. Westport was nice but too far away from Connemara to use as a base. However, getting there and back (2 different routes) was some of the most gorgeous scenery I have ever seen. Don't miss it. Cong was truly little and unless you're really into the film "The Quiet Man" I would suggest skipping it or just passing through it like we did. However, maybe there are some other things to see outside of town that we did not know about.

Anyway, we just got back on Sunday and not to bum everyone out but we had the most amazing weather that Ireland has seen in a long time. It was the main topic of conversation the entire 2 weeks we were there.

I will be sure to post my trip report on the "I'm Back" board as soon as I get my notes and my life a little more organized. But just wanted to say what an incredible experience I just had getting to know Ireland.

CathyL

Therese
Unregistered User
(8/19/03 10:26 am)

Thanks

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Thanks Wren and Cathy for your helpful comments. Thanks to Michele too, as always. I still can't decide though, ha, ha. All of the choices sound good!

Therese

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 1744
(8/19/03 10:30 pm)

Decisions

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Hi Therese,

I'll make it easy. Choose either Roundstone or Clifden. Toss a coin and choose whichever one comes up. You really can't go wrong with either.

Michele

Therese
Unregistered User
(8/21/03 9:27 am)

Choice

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Michele,

Ok, I think I'm picking Clifden. Roundstone sounds lovely, but too small. I was looking at AbbeyGlen Castle. Have you been there or heard any feedback? How close is it to the town center of Clifden?

Therese

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 1760
(8/21/03 3:44 pm)

Abbeyglen Castle Hotel

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Hi Therese,

I'm glad you have made a decision. Sometimes that's half the battle. I have heard mixed feedback about Abbeyglen Castle Hotel. I suppose it depends on whether you get a standard room or upgrade to a superior one. It is located on Sky Road so is not right in town, but on the outskirts. If you want to know the exact mileage email them and they can tell you: info@abbeyglen.ie

Michele

CathyL
Unregistered User
(8/21/03 5:35 pm)

Clifden

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When we were there last week we pulled into the parking lot of Abbeyglen Castle cause from a distance it looked kind of cool. But when we got up close it looked kind of cheesy. Didn't go in though. It really isn't very far out of town, just on the very outskirts. I ran across another place the other day and maybe you might want to check it out. It's called Rock Glen Country House and from the pictures it looks great. But it is definitely not in town (but that might be a good thing). Website: www.connemara.net/rockglen-hotel

If you are not married to the idea of staying in town, we stayed at Ballynahinch in Recess. Gorgeous old manor house in amazing setting. Expensive but worth it. Spent my 50th bday there with the most beautiful views of mountains and river. Met my state senator (Chris Dodd-CT) there one night. He owns a vacation home in the area. The place is really a paradise. And kind of right in the middle of Connemara with everything accessible.

Cathy

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 1763
(8/21/03 5:54 pm)

Clifden Lodgings

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Hi Therese,

Thanks to Cathy for her added info. Check out my "Lodgings" page for a review and photos of Byrne's Mal Dua House in Clifden. I highly recommend it. However, I understand that most of September has already been booked up there by a film crew. So it depends on when you are going. Can't hurt to send an email to find out anyway.

Michele

j2spring
Unregistered User
(8/21/03 9:09 pm)

ballynahinch

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I also have been looking at Ballynahinch as a possibility when staying in the Connemara area. Sounds gorgious, however, after reading one guide book it sounds like a hunting-type lodge. (Yet another guide book said it originally was the home of a fellow who was against cruelty to animals, so the philosophies are sort of contradictory.) We are vegetarians and would be uncomfortable in a setting with a heavy hunting ambiance (i.e. animal heads on the walls). I'm hoping it is not that way because the setting sounds perfect. Cathy, how were the bedrooms and bathrooms and would it be possible to get vegetarian meals there? Thank you for all and any advice anyone can pass along.

CathyL
Unregistered User
(8/22/03 8:17 am)

Ballynahinch

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Hi J2Spring,

Not sure you would feel comfortable at Ballynahinch. There are animal heads on the walls. Not tons, but some. Not sure whether it was originally a hunting lodge but these days it is definitely geared towards fishing (angling). Lots of fish on the walls too. It is true that one of the previous owners was the founder of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, but then in the mid 20th century (30's or 40's) it was taken over by a really famous Indian cricket player and I believe he used it as a hunting and fishing lodge.

Some of the rooms are gorgeous but I heard that the rooms in the older section of the hotel are not so great. If you go there, request the newer section. We did change rooms once as they had given us a suite where the bedroom looked out onto the parking lot. We actually downgraded and ended up with my favorite room of the whole trip. Bathrooms were great.

As for food...it was great. And there, as in almost everywhere we ate in Ireland, there was always a vegetarian choice. Some places even had separate vegetarian menus. Hope I helped.

CathyL

Therese
Unregistered User
(8/22/03 10:25 am)

Lodging in Clifden

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Hi,
Thanks for all of the suggestions. Unfortunately, they are all too expensive. I am prepared to splurge for a night in a castle, but otherwise, I need for b&bs to be budget prices more along the lines of 70 euro total per room (not per person). Does anybody have any budget recommendations for the Clifden area?

Thanks.
Therese

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 1768
(8/22/03 3:31 pm)

Budget B&B

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Hi Therese,

I don't have a budget recommendation in Clifden, but try Ivy Rock House in Roundstone. You will enjoy it and the view is breathtaking.

Michele

j2spring
Unregistered User
(8/22/03 9:10 pm)

ballynahinch

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Cathy, Thanks for the heads up on the heads up (on the walls). Sounds like you had a fabulous 50th birthday at Ballynahinch. You said you liked your room in the newer section. Do the rooms have names or just numbers? Anything else remarkable (good or bad) about that property? Did you stay in any other luxury resorts during your stay? Thanks for the help.

CathyL
Unregistered User
(8/24/03 8:45 am)

Places We Stayed....

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Hi J2spring,

We did stay at some other very nice places in Ireland. We started at the Westin in Dublin (where we stayed on miles). It was an incredibly comfortable hotel and located in a great area.

We then went on to Kinsale and stayed at Walton Court. I would not recommend this place for 2 reasons. It is too far outside of Kinsale on really windy narrow roads, and it is far more of a resort where you go to stay for a week at a time rather than just a few nights. Not really geared for the exploring tourists. Very laid back and very British (run by a British woman and almost everyone staying there was British).

We then drove up to Caragh Lake near Killorglin on the north side of the Ring of Kerry and stayed at Ard na Sidhe. A very nice manor house right on the lake. Beautiful gardens, beautiful room (no TV if you're into TV). A nice place for exploring The Ring and Dingle Penninsula.

Next was Gregans Castle Hotel in The Burren. Again, beautiful house, gorgeous room, good food and the Burren was fascinating.

Then on to Ballynahinch. Believe it or not I remember our room #; it was 38. Just in case you opt for it, you can't go wrong with this room.

We spent our last 2 nights at Dromoland Castle. It was quite an experience. Not sure if I would go back, but I'm glad I did it once.

If you'd like more details, feel free to email me at bradtrentphoto@earthlink. net. I'd be glad to go into more detail about the trip and places we stayed. One of these days I'll get around to posting the whole trip on the "I'm Back" board. We did a lot of exploring and covered a lot of ground.

Cathy

j2spring
Unregistered User
(8/25/03 3:38 pm)

dromoland

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Hi Cathy, Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. You mentioned that although you stayed at Dromoland last 2 nights, you might not do it again. We were thinking of doing the same so I'd really appreciate your sharing your thoughts and experiences on that property and I'm sure others on Michele's forum would, too. (That's why I'm asking you via this forum rather than the e-mail address you've forwarded -- although I thank you for that in case I have any further questions.) Was it too expensive, touristy, what???? We all hear so much about places like Dromoland and Ashford -- such a shame when we're disappointed after spending so much. Thank you so much for your help.

CathyL
Unregistered User
(8/25/03 5:16 pm)

Dromoland Castle

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Ahh...how to explain my feelings about Dromoland? Is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? I think so but I'm not totally sure of that.

We arrived after being in Connemara for 3 days and I was still on a high from the beautiful country up north and Ballynahinch which is in a postcard setting. The castle is awesome and upon checking in is everything that you would expect. We were shown to our room which was in the old part (the original castle part) and my first thought was that it was huge but just a tad shabby. And the ceiling was lower than I thought it would be and the windows were small. But all this was OK because it really was a nice room. Until the banging started. Didn't know where it was coming from until later that night we realized we were 2 floors above the kitchen. I think the banging was heavy boxes of things being dropped on the floor because we were also over a delivery area. That was confirmed at 6AM the next morning when delivery trucks were idling outside of our room and the banging started again.

So when we went down for breakfast we asked if there were any other available rooms that we might move to for our final night. They said that they would do what they could and we should pack up our stuff and then go to breakfast. After breakfast we went back out to reception and they said they had found us a room and had moved our bags for us. But they wanted to show us to the new room themselves. We said not to bother since we'd already bothered them enough but we were then led to our new room......The Presidential Suite. I was absolutely speechless while the young woman proceeded to tell us that President Clinton, Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Willis and John Travolta among others had all stayed in this room(s). I don't think I'm exaggerating if I say that these rooms were larger than the downstairs of my house and definitely on a much grander scale. My husband and I laughed hysterically for the first 5 minutes not believing what had just happened to us. So this is part of the reason why I don't think I could go back. Because I will never be able to stay in that room(s) again. It was the most perfect ending to a perfect vacation in Ireland. And we missed the blackout in NYC by one day.

As far as the rest of Dromoland, it really was a fairy tale
place to stay. But possibly because my husband and I had been on the go every day for 2 weeks, we kind of had a hard time relaxing on our last day although the Presidential Suite helped a lot. We had decided not to do anything on that last day so we hung around the castle, went boating on the pond and went skeet shooting (which I didn't like very much). The restaurant there is excellent with some of the best food that we had on the trip. And the service is, as expected, 5-star.

So was it worth it? Yes, for that one amazing experience. But would I do it again? Not sure. Hope this helped you. It was fun to remember it all again.

Cathy

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 1781
(8/25/03 10:21 pm)

Re: Dromoland Castle

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Hi Cathy,

What a great story! I can't wait to hear the full report. So you slept in the same bed as President Clinton? Wonder if Hillary was there? The best I can do is Maureen O'Hara's bed!

Michele

j2spring
Unregistered User
(8/26/03 9:23 am)

dromoland

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Hi Cathy,
Whatever amount you paid for your room at Dromoland was worth it -- you got a really great story out of it! Too bad the first night was in a noisy room that was a "tad shabby." By "shabby" did you mean worn linens, moldy bathroom, worn carpet, not clean? (I'd be disappointed,too, to spend a lot on a luxury resort and find that it was poorly maintained.) Since we are still considering Dromoland for the last night, is there a section that's better than others? Is the "new" section (if there is a new section) the one to ask for? A certain view to ask for?
As for Ballynahinch, I think you suggested the new section there. Does the new section look out to the river or other nice view? Did you have to make reservations for dinner at either property prior to arrival or is it easy to get seated without them. (We'll be there in early October.)
You've been very helpful sharing your experiences. Thanks again. J2Spring

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 1783
(8/26/03 3:51 pm)
 
Dromoland

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Hi j2spring,

I had a tour of the bedrooms in the "new wing" at Dromoland Castle around a year ago. They were lovely, well-kept and clean. Nice luxurious bathrooms. Evidently the ones in the old section were already booked so I couldn't see them. If you are looking for a total experience as opposed to just a room for the night, it might be worth the money. If you are just needing a nice room for the night I would opt for a good B&B or guesthouse. You can always make reservations for dinner at Dromoland no matter where you are staying in the area. I would make dinner reservations in advance so you are not disappointed.

Michele




j2spring
Unregistered User
(8/26/03 8:17 pm)

dromoland

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Hi Michele,
Thanks for your thoughts. I will, indeed, have to try to estimate what time I'd be arriving at Dromoland and what time I'd have to leave to get to the airport the next morning and then decide if the cost would be worthwhile. If it appears that we wouldn't be there long enough to make it worthwhile, are there any special B&B's or hotels nearby that you particularly like? (This is my husband's first trip to Ireland and I want to make the last night memorable so that I can get him back again soon.) I have seen Debby K. repeated recommend Headly House. Do any other names come to mind? (I realize, too, that part of that last night may be spent packing.)Thanks again for everything. J2spring

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 1786
(8/26/03 10:08 pm)

Good Lodgings

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Hi j2spring,

I recommend the following B&Bs:

Bunratty Lodge (queen four-poster room or room in back with private deck)
Headley Court (downstairs room with Jacuzzi)

Guesthouses:

The Courtyard

Hotels:

Bunratty Castle Hotel
Bunratty Manor Hotel
Oakwood Arms Hotel

They all have web sites. Take a look and see what you think.

Michele

j2spring
Unregistered User
(8/27/03 9:26 am)

last night's lodging

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Hi Michele,
Thanks for the recommendations for our last night's stay near Shannon. I will, indeed, take a look at their web sites. (There's so much time, effort, and research involved in planning this trip that I feel like I need a vacation from this vacation. Oh well, I'll do it now and have it for next time, the time after that, and the time after that....Right?)
J2spring

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 1788
(8/27/03 11:58 pm)

Re: last night's lodging

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Hi j2spring,

You are sounding a little stressed at the moment but all the pre-planning will be well worth the effort. Once you are in Ireland you can relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Keep at it. The end result will be a great vacation.

Michele