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zoofer


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Starting to pre-plan trip #2
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Hi Forum Friends,

Well, it has only been 7 years since our first trip to Ireland and a lot has happened since then, the most important being that my wonderful wife survived and is now totally free of breast cancer. And I've retired from my 23 year career as an air traffic controller, went back to school and got my degree (finally), and started a second career in the IT field. Now we're ready to return to one of the most beautiful places on Earth, concentrating on the West and Southwest of Ireland.

Our first trip was in early December of 2009 when the days were very, very, very short. We rented a thatched cottage a little north of Youghal in the town of Aglish, Co. Waterford, and made day trips out and back to the places we wanted to see. Unfortunately that made for some very long days, often returning to the cottage around midnight completely exhausted. It certainly was considerably less expensive renting the cottage for a week vs. paying for accommodations on a daily basis, but frankly I would rather have paid five times what we did and not be so tired that I missed most of what I was seeing.

The 'plan' for our next visit will be to start in Shannon, drive to the areas we want to visit, then stop at a B&B for the evening. That combined with much longer days (we will be going in late spring this trip) should limit our daily driving time to a maximum of an hour or two, giving us much more time to actually enjoy Ireland (and the liquid refreshment and craic in the pubs along the way). Then we pack up and move on to our next destination the next morning. Or not and stay another day. No plans, no reservations - with the exception of our first night in Ireland and our last night in Shannon prior to departing.

My initial question is, given that we will be visiting the first couple of weeks in May, should we be too concerned about obtaining last-minute lodging at B&Bs? And although there is a wealth of information online, can anyone recommend an actual paper guidebook to B&Bs in Ireland? Or maybe we should just ask the locals about a nice place to spend the night in their lovely little town? I kinda like that last option myself.

We are both so incredibly excited about returning to Ireland we can hardly stand it. Just a few more short months...

It's great to be back. More questions later.

Mary and Kevin, Cedar Falls, Iowa

 

 



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Itallian Chauffeur


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Welcome Back!  Glad to hear you are (now) doing well and planning another trip.   biggrin  biggrin

Other than Michele's premier picks :  http://www.irelandyes.com/lodgings.html

Here are some other sources:

http://www.irishbnb.com/  They also offer a paper copy:  http://www.bandbireland.com/pages/brochure

http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/ireland.html

In May, finding a B&B shouldn't be too hard -- but, finding a 'Good' one -- location, comfort and cleanliness -- can be 'iffy' in the popular destinations -- because, naturally, those will fill up first.  Any Irish Tourist Information Office (in the bigger towns) can help you find a room if you are having difficulty.  Were it ME, I would want to have a place secured by 1 or 2 PM -- by then, you should know where you expect to end up.

Many B&B operators DO keep an informal network of places that are usually comparable.  When a place I've called has no vacancy, I always ask if they can recommend some place else. 



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Bob

Help Us to Help You.  The more you tell us about your plans (dates, interests, budget), the better we can tailor our advice to suit!
Michele Erdvig


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We are glad to hear back and that you and your wife are doing well now. Congrats on your retirement and your wife's good health. May is my favorite month in Ireland so you are in for a treat. Be sure to include some of those wonderful Irish gardens in your itinerary (one of my favorite things to do there).

The first Monday in May is a Bank Holiday. That means Fri/Sat/Sun lodgings fill up. Good idea to have reservations for those nights especially in popular areas. On other weekends it can be busy too. Otherwise, I think you are fine with winging it. But keep in mind that it takes time away from your sightseeing if you have to search for a place to stay each night (especially if you are "fussy" like me!). I have loads of nice places to stay in my book: http://www.irelanddreamtrip.com/ Also, call Tourism Ireland and have them send you the B&B Ireland book (it's free). 

There are certain areas of Ireland where it makes sense to base for 2 or 3 nights rather than pack up and move on every day. That can get tiring.

Let the planning begin! We are here to help.



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"Ireland Expert"  Michele Erdvig

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