Unregistered User
(1/9/02 11:02 am)

Itinarary for 1st Time Ireland Traveler

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Michele,

I cannot praise your website enough! It is by far the best source of Irish information available. Thank you for your previous answer to me with respect to daylight hours in February.

I was wondering if you could review my itineary and see if it is doable. Please note I purchased a vaction package which includes prebooked accomodations in Limerick on the 1st night and Adare Manor on the last night. My husband and I fly into Shannon.

February 9th- Arrive in Shannon at 7:30 am. Drive to the Dingle Penninsula. Enjoy a medieval banquest at Bunratty at 5:30 pm. Stay in Limerick Overnight.

February 10th- Wake up early and head to Dublin. I understand their are Pre-Christian ruins on the trip from Limerick to Dublin. Could you please tell me more about them. We then proceed to Malahide to stay the night. (Would you recommend staying in Dun Loaghaire or Malahide? or does it make a difference?) Perhaps take the DART into Dublin and catch dinner and a stroll.

February 11th--Wake up early and spend the day in Dublin City visiting Christ Church, Guiness, etc. Head back to our T & C accomodations.

February 12th--Wake-up early and drive to Waterford. Drive to Kinsale and spend the evening there. If we are lucky we can get to Kinsale in time to see St. James Fort, if not we'll see it on the 12th.

February 13th--Wake-up early and head to St. James Fort if we missed it the previous day. Drive to Blarney and go to Blarney Castle. Then head to Killarney. Drive to Kenmare and spend the night.

February 14th. Drive from Kenmare via the coastline to Glenbeigh and head back to Adare Manor. Since this is Valentine's Day, do you have any recommendations where we could have a special dinner with a great price. Or would this be the better evening to go to Bunratty instead of the 1st day. On the 1st day we could then go to the Cliffs of Moher instead of Bunratty.

February 15th--Wake up early and if it is clear head to the Cliffs of Moher and then the Airport for a 2 O'Clock flight. Perhaps this is too ambitious and we should just spend the day enjoying Adare.

Michele, thank you for taking a look at this. I look forward to your comments and I love your website.

Sincerely,
timmsli

timmsli
Unregistered User
(1/9/02 11:13 am)
Re
Sorry for the Duplication

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Michele,

Sorry for the duplication of my itinerary on your site.

timmsli

wojazz3
Registered User
Posts: 11
(1/9/02 1:47 pm)

Re: Itinarary for 1st Time Ireland Traveler

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It seems like you may be suffering from what I'm accused of all the time....Trying to do too much.

What airline are you flying? It is probably to late to change the reservation without a penalty, but both Continental and Aer Lingus allow you to fly into Shannon and out of Dublin (and vice-versa) for the same price, or even a little less. If they'll let you change, you might want to consider it. It'll save you driving cross country on that second day. BTW, you'll be exhausted on that first day because you'll have gotten only a few scant hours of not very peaceful sleep on the plane.

The days are still fairly short in February. The check sunrise and sunset times for that month go to:
www.onlineweather.com/v4/...index.html

The drive from Dublin to Kinsale is a pretty long one with not a whole lot of daylight to work with. If you stop at Waterford Crystal for the tour, you won't have much daylight left to deal with and there is no reason to drive through Ireland in the dark. That's when you should be in the pubs!!! You definitely won't get to see St James Fort that day.

Generally, it seems pretty ambitious. The biggest thing you will be fighting is daylight. I'll be there in May and my itinerary took me all over the country and everyone is telling me I'm insane (which is true). I'm busily re-working my itinerary now. It really depends on what you want to see. BTW, the Cliffs of Moher can be spectacular in various weather conditions as long as the visibility is decent.

Anyone else?

Bill

Larry W
Unregistered User
(1/9/02 5:57 pm)

Itinarary for 1st Time Ireland Traveler

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I did not have to read the rest of your itinerary after seeing the first day. You will not make it. Seeing Dingle alone should consume most of a day if not more.

I also agree with the limited daylight comments from Bill. You will not have much time to work with to see the sights of Ireland and it is beautiful. If you have not experienced Ireland's roads, they are not very good at best. Very narrow and rough. My wife will verify that I have the courage and insanity to drive through anything. I would not be out driving at night through the country side. The best road you will see is the highway around the Shannon Airport area so do not let the first impression fool you.

I also arrived at Dublin and left from Shannon. Car drop off is free at several rental companies and the airfare is virtually the same. You may want to consider it.

timmsli
Unregistered User
(1/10/02 10:33 am)

No opp to change tickets

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Unfortunately, I do not have the option to change the airline tickets without a cost. Furthermore, the benefit of my package is the opportunity to spend Valentine's Day in Adare Manor. Quite literally, if I change the tickets, the cost incurred would equal 1/3 of the price of the package. The attractive option of my package is that it was inexpensive. (Less than $1400 for two people including airfare, accommodations, rental car, all insurance, taxes, fees, etc.) Therefore I must work with what I have. I absolutely do not want to give-up my stay at Adare!

Irrover
Unregistered User
(1/10/02 11:05 am)

Driving times are not realistic

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The point everyone has been making is that you are attempting to drive to far and see to many things in your six nights. You would be better off staying on the west coast and not making these mad dashes across to dublin and back around. With your short hours of daylight you probably shouldn't be driving longer then 4 hrs so you leave time to see things.

timmsli
Unregistered User
(1/10/02 11:35 am)

Appreciation

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I absolutely appreciate the comments of all. However, Dublin is a must see for my husband and me. I am not certain the opportunity to travel to Ireland will present itself again to us. We are both young and have a strong sense of adventure. It is clear we are being ambitious, perhaps overly so. Nonetheless, some comments with respect to Malahide vs. Dun Laoghaire would be appreciated. Also Dingle vs. Ring of Kerry. I would actually narrow down my trip to say the main must sees for us are:
1)Dublin
2)Ring of Kerry or Dingle
3)Waterford (This may be something I could probably give on)
4)Adare (b/c it is pre-booked and a neat experience)

In between we would like to fit in if possible Kinsale, Blarney, and Killarney...if possible.

Hopefully in the future I will see more smiley faces, as I am excited about my trip. Rather than frowns!

wojazz3
Registered User
Posts: 14
(1/10/02 6:34 pm)

Re: Appreciation

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How's that for a smile. Believe me, we all understand. You go to Ireland and you want to see everything and the best way is to stay at each place for a week and many will consider you insane for not doing so. Then there is the reality issue.....

You'll have a great time, no matter what you do, but you don't want to kill yourself. My suggestions are:

I've never been to either Malahide on Dun Laoghaire, but for whatever reason, I would lean towards Malahide. Malahide is accessed mainly by Motorway as you come into Dublin and I don't that that is true of Dun Laoghaire.

If giving up Waterford is an option, I would do that. Nothing against the town...I thought it was nice when I was there, but it takes you a bit in the wrong direction.

You can make it to Kinsale driving non-stop in about 4 hours (according to viamichelin.com):
www.viamichelin.com/viami...r/HomePage
I would suggest you go to Kenmare and spend one day on the Ring and Killarney Natl park and the other on Dingle. You can hit them both from Kenmare or you can spend one night in Kenmare and one in Dingle. There are conflicting philosophies on whether it's best to pick a place and do day trips or move from place to place. I try to do a bit of both.

If you are really interested in Kinsale, then go there. N7 and N8 move pretty quickly. Stop at the Rock of Cashel on the way. By the way, if Waterford interested you because of the crystal, there is a tiny little crystal shop in Kinsale (don't remember the name) that will abuse you if you compare their work to Waterford. Apparently some of the smaller shops scoff at Waterfords quality. It was beautiful stuff. Kinsale is a neat little town with some great restaurants. You can probably pick up Blarney on the way to Dingle or Kenmare the next day.

So, if I was going to pick the Ring of Kerry or Dingle (and I'm sure I'll get grief for this), I would pick Dingle. To me, pound for pound (or mile for mile) there is more packed into Dingle. I think to really enjoy the Ring of Kerry you need more than 1 day and the views from Dingle to Dunquin are unbelievable. Also, if the weather is good (or perhaps if not) take a ride over Connor Pass. It's only scary for the passenger. I stayed at a very comfortable B

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 339
(1/10/02 9:25 pm)

Re: Itinarary for 1st Time Ireland Traveler

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Hi timmsli,

Of course you are very excited about your trip! Here's a smilie to make up for the frownies And thanks very much for your comments about my site. I do appreciate it. But seriously, everyone is giving you good advice and now is the time to fine-tune your trip so that when you are there you can spend all your time just enjoying your Irish experience.

On Feb. 9th don't even attempt to do Dingle from the Shannon area. It is impossible. Instead enjoy the area. There is so much to see and do but it depends on your tastes and the weather. You could do day trip to the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren. You might visit Bunratty Castle & Folk Park and indulge in some shopping at Bunratty Village Mills. Or you could go into Limerick and visit St. Mary's Cathedral, King John's Castle, the Hunt Museum and then do some shopping at Arthur's Quay. There is no shortage of things to do right where you are staying.

Malahide vs. Dun Laoghaire -- I'd choose Malahide or Swords because of easier road access, many places to stay and good moderately priced restaurants.

Dingle vs. Ring of Kerry -- Definitely Dingle! I wrote a short piece about Dingle in my latest newsletter. If you want it drop an e-mail to updates@irelandyes.com

You will love Adare Manor. Be sure to have a romantic dinner in one of the little nooks overlooking the garden. Or if the price is too much try the Dunraven Arms across the street. Then there is Gallagher's or Muses in Bunratty. Many choices.

So skip the Ring of Kerry, Waterford (you can get the crystal in every shop in Ireland) and Kinsale (James Fort is not worth going that far out of your way for and Charles Fort is closed in Feb).

One question: Are you locked into any overnight stays other than Adare Manor?

Everyone is here to help you re-think your itinerary. But do remember that you will get nowhere fast on Ireland's little roads.

Happy travels,

Michele

Irrover
Unregistered User
(1/10/02 10:05 pm)

No Worries!!!!!

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Sorry about the frownie!!!!!! I was trying to say that it will be sad that you will not have enough time to do all that you want. Since Dublin's a must the only comment I can add about that is if you plan to still hit waterford then staying in Dun Laoghaire might make more sense since it already on the southside (although I prefer the harbour town of Malahide as Michele does) and will give you a headstart in the morning since you won't need to go around the M50 with the toll and lots of traffic.

timmsli
Unregistered User
(1/11/02 12:02 pm)

Thank You

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Everyone,

Thank you for your advice. You have given me a lot of insight. Unfortunately, (I am coming to learn) my first night is prebooked in the Two-Mile Inn in Limerick. This seems nice, but lacks the charm of a B

timmsli
Unregistered User
(1/11/02 2:09 pm)

Ooops

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Somehow my previous message got cut-off. Nonetheless thank you everyone for your insight. You cleared up many of my misconceptions about travel in Ireland. Such as driving at night! Thank you for your help. I have decided to cut-out Kinsale and Waterford.

Day 1--Limerick Area--Cliffs of Moher and Bunratty

Day 2--Dublin

Day 3--Dublin

Day 4--Dublin Drive to Blarney

Day 5--Killarney and Dingle

Day 6--Adare and surrounding area

Thanks for the advice. I think my trip will be much more enjoyable! Before, I would have been disappointed because we would not have accomplished everything we wanted to.

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 342
(1/12/02 1:41 am)

Way to Go!

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Hi timmsli,

Your itinerary looks much saner! You will really enjoy the trip more by driving less - quality over quantity. Enjoy Adare Manor and your romantic dinner. Let us know how it goes. Have an absolutely wonderful trip.

Happy travels,

Michele