Ennis

Date: 6:19 PM, 02/03/11

Ennis

Michele Erdvig · Host

Rachel,

Welcome to my forum. Ennis is fine for your last night in Ireland. It is not as close as Bunratty is to the airport. What time is your flight?

Michele

Date: 9:29 PM, 02/03/11

We are debating between flying out at 9am or 1pm. We plan on buying our airplane tickets here in a couple weeks.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Rachel,

My advice as to where to stay will depend on your flight time. Let me know what you decide and I will be happy to help.

Michele

tony2phones · Guru

2 alternative flight times leads my thinking towards a European destination so Ennis would fit either time. Shannon is very user friendly and 1 hour before departure allows enough time for EU flight departures, this means leaving Ennis just after 7am. No problem unless your having the craic in any one of a dozen bars the night before. Bunratty wouldn't be to my taste either but lots do like the show. For a trans Atlantic Flight at 9.00 am I would opt for the Oakwood arms in Shannon or even the Park Inn at the Airport itself.

Roy · Guru

I have stayed at the Oakwood Arms- it's a decent enough place.

Date: 9:37 PM, 02/04/11

We will be flying over to the statesand probable stay in Shannon for the convenience factor. I have to remind myself how tired we will probably be by then. A Ed will probably sound better than a pub.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Rachel,

For an early flight I like Bunratty because it is only about 10 minutes to Shannon Airport. My favorite B&Bs there are Bunratty Lodge and Headley Court. It is a straight shot to the airport from both. I've inspected the Oakwood Arms and it looks nice. Bunratty Castle Hotel is very nice. Since it is a flight to the States you will need a minimum of two hours for check in. You also need time to return your car and do your VAT forms. Clearing immigration and customs takes time too.

Michele

Green Dragon · Guru

If the banquet isn't to your liking, check out the Ceili in the Corn Barn at Bunratty - a little more fun, a little less pomp :)

EngagingKate · Senior Member

Just in case you want more choices from the Bunratty area, on one of our trips, we stayed our last night at Bunratty Meadows B&B, which is a few minutes from the airport. http://www.bunrattymeadows.com/

It is a purpose-built B&B, but it is in a beautiful location. I have attached a couple of photos of the view from our bedroom window. When you go to the site at the above URL, the yellow bedroom shown on the left on the first page is the room we had. We found it to be a peaceful and serene last evening in Ireland.

And the owners of the B&B, Dariena and Barry, are a lovely young couple who were so welcoming and accommodating. And it was really nice that we could get breakfast at 7:30, since we had a 10 a.m. flight out of Shannon.

Date: 11:15 AM, 02/27/11

Thanks for the advice! The B and B looks great.