bbehegan
Registered User
Posts: 1
(3/21/04 3:50 pm)

April Trip

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Hi Michele and all of you other Helpful Travelers:
We are leaving Baltimore, Maryland on April 1st for our first trip to Ireland and would appreciate your advise on our itinerary and places we are hoping to stay. I have been reading all of your emails and have found them so helpful. Hope my trip will be as good as yours!
April 2 - arrive in Dublin (still don't have a place to stay - all of the voucher B&B's look too far away).
Any suggestions? We would like to tour the city that day and maybe early on the 3rd. I had seen the Airport Hotel recommended - can we easily get into the city from there? Maybe by bus?
April 3 - travel to Ballyshannon. We will be touring Belleek (a must for us collectors) on the 4ths. Looking at staying at Rockville or Cavangarden.
April 4 - tour Belleek, then travel to Galway. I know this is a lot of driving!!
Possible B&B's in Galway are Kilbree house, Achill Lodge(I have seen good recommendation), St. Judes, Ross House.
April 5 - still in Galway.
April 6 - Drive to Killarney, stay at Redwood.
April 7 & 8 - Stay in Blarney to tour Blarney, Cork, Baltimore. Possible lodgings are Ashcoft or White House.
April 9 & 10 - Lismore and Waterford. Possible lodging is Sliabgh Farmhouse or Newtown Farmhouse.
April 11 - drive and stay at Dromoland Castle.
April 12 - leave from Shannon in the afternoon.

Again - would appreciate your advise and hints!
Beth Behegan

Anita
Unregistered User
(3/22/04 12:51 pm)

Easter

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Since Easter is the weekend of the 9th-11th you may run into problems with sites being closed for the holiday, also, I hope you have your reservations for that weekend already. I've also noticed that you want to tour Belleek on Sunday the 4th. It may not be open on Sundays, hopefully someone here knows. Other than that, it looks to my mind like you are trying to cover too much ground. Towards the end of your trip you have a couple of two night stays, but places like Dublin and Galway have too much to see for just one day. Michele will have a lot more suggestion.

Ballykpat
Unregistered User
(3/22/04 3:07 pm)

april trip

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On the plane coming back from my trip (yesterday) I sat nest to a lady who travels freqently (at least 4 times a year to Ireland).
she said coming in to Dublin she always makes reservations at the Gresham because you can get a room a 7AM. They have a 2 night special, bed and breakfast and 1 dinner for 199 euros.
They are building the tramway on O'Connell street, so I was afraid to book there, but after seeing it, the work is going on down the street and the Gresham is fine.

As for the rest of your trip, the most important thing is to try to drive for no more than 3-4 hours a day because otherwise, the driver gets to see very little and nerves can get frayed.

When you go to sites which say that a trip is 2 hours, add an hour to it for the roads and the slower driving you will do. I have driven many miles in Ireland, and I always slow down when the trucks or buses come round the bend. You also have to realize that farm trucks and tractors pull out in front of you, and until you can pass, you are stuck behind them.

BallyKpat

BallyKpat
Unregistered User
(3/22/04 3:09 pm)

April trip

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Sorry, just reread what I wrote and my brain is fried from jet lag--the Gresham is 119 euros 119 euros

Allison
Unregistered User
(3/22/04 5:20 pm)

Gresham

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BallyKpat,
Is that 119E for the room or per person sharing?
Allison

Allison
Unregistered User
(3/22/04 5:24 pm)

Gresham

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Shame on me for posting that question, I just looked it up and that would be the room rate, some good deals!

www.gresham-hotels.com/htm/dublin_i.htm

Allison

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 2333
(3/23/04 2:51 am)

Re: April Trip

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Beth,

Anita is right about Belleek. The tour does not operate on Sundays in April, however the showroom is open and you can buy Belleek there. But with the exchange rate I would buy in the Republic of Ireland instead of Northern Ireland. If it is the tour you want then you should re-do your itinerary to be there on a weekday.

As for the rest of your itinerary, you are covering a lot of territory. Also, you will be in Waterford/Lismore for Good Friday. Everything is closed on that day including pubs, many sightseeing attractions, restaurants, etc. You may want to re-plan to be in a scenic area on that day so you can at least do a drive (the scenery never closes).

You should plan for another day in Killarney. Take it from Waterford. So give your itinerary another go. We will be happy to comment on the new plan.

Michele

bbeheganirelandyestravelforum
Unregistered User
(3/23/04 9:31 am)

Thank you!

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Thanks to everyone for your input and ideas. I so wish I had found this board earlier and been able
to purchase Michele's book before we made our plans.
I am a little discouraged now!
I guess it will all work out and we will just have to make the best of it.
Thanks again for your help!
Beth

Anita
Unregistered User
(3/23/04 1:03 pm)

new itinerary

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If you cut out the tour of Belleek then you can add those days to Dublin and Galway, then continue south to Killarney around the 6th, stopping at the Cliffs of Moher along the way, then you could divide the next few days between Killarney and the Dingle area as this would be a good scenic area to be on the Easter weekend. I would skip Blarney and Cork as any guidebook will tell you Blarney castle is an overrated tourist trap, and if you read any of the comments here about Cork it's not a town worth diverting for on such a short visit. You could still spend your last night in the castle before leaving. Just a suggestion, but you will find your trip a lot easier if you base yourself out of a few spots instead of constantly moving on.

Allison
Unregistered User
(3/23/04 5:20 pm)

new itinerary

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Here's another opinion. We hit Waterford a couple of trips ago, and the only thing we found to recommend was a delicious carvery lunch at the Holy Cross Pub. We went into the Waterford factory but didn't really have any interest in the tour. My husband really likes Cork, and we both love to spend a couple of hours in the English Market. You could spend some time in Kinsale, a beautiful little town on the coast. You can see crystal being made here, albeit on a much less grand scale than Waterford! We went to Blarney Castle one summer and while the castle was interesting, I found the grounds quite lovely, plus the Woolen Mills is right there. (Planning is the hardest part of the trip, there is just so much to see and do! That's why we keep going back.)

You are bound to enjoy yourselves, whatever you decide!

Anita
Unregistered User
(3/23/04 11:38 pm)

Kinsale

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I would second the recommendation about Kinsale. I spent two nights there and it's a lovely little town know for its fabulous restaurants. Stay away from it on the weekend, though, as everyone from Cork goes there to party. I spent some time at both of the forts, James fort and Charles fort, Charles fort being one of the best preserved star forts in Europe. It has in interesting walking tour. I also wanted to go to Waterford to see the crystal factory, but everything I read, including Rick Steves, said that it is the only interesting thing in Waterford, and only if you are interested in crystal to start with. I have heard the grounds around Blarney castle are quite nice, also.

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 2346
(3/24/04 1:05 am)

Re: Kinsale

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Hi Beth,

Don't get discouraged. Sit down now and re-do your itinerary. You have had good input from everyone. Get out your calendar (mark those important dates first), your map, your list of "must sees" and re-route yourself to be in the right places at the right time. It can be done.

Michele

bbehegan
Posts: 2
(3/24/04 12:13 pm)

Many Thanks!

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Thank you so much to everyone for your input and ideas. We are back to the drawing board, but I now feel much better about the entire trip. I know we will have a wonderful time no matter what - so I am just going to try and relax and enjoy! (not really easy for me to do that)
I could not have planned this without your help, and all of the trip reports. I would be glad to post mine upon my return (if anyone is interested).
Again, many thanks. You will all be in my thoughts as we travel!
Beth

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 2352
(3/25/04 1:26 am)

Re: Many Thanks!

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Hi Beth,

Have a wonderful trip. We would indeed love to hear about your trip when you return. If I can help in any other way before you leave just let me know.

Michele