Stella96

Hi everyone,
I am planning a trip to Ireland first time, actually there will be 6 of us going. We get into Shannon airport around 7AM, first week of Sept. What about a place near the airport where we can do a little sight seeing in the area before evening, hit the sack to take care of the jetlag, then get up early next mornig and head for Dublin, So.& So.west. We are going to be in Ireland from the 10th - 23rd.
Also, is it practical if we rent a cottage in Westport City as our base for venturing out to Belmullet, Sligo, Knock and on down South to Dingle etc.? We've allowed about a week for these areas.
Would appreciate any help you can give us.

McShane

We found a great place near the airport: the Carrygerry Country House. They have wonderful dinners and it's also a beautiful and elegant country inn. Their email is [email protected]. We found that lovely place after staying at a disappointing B&B and then checking out all the pricey hotels near Shannon, chock full of tourists.

We rented cottages when we went and loved it but did find that we couldn't really go very far from our location. It takes a long time to drive anywhere, often an hour to drive 40 km. So keep that in mind when you plan your days! Westport sounds like a great place to stay. We stayed in Kenmare, Co Kerry and then Cruit Island, Co Donegal and managed to find lots to entertain ourselves in each area.

Enjoy your trip!

MaryZ

Westport is a great town and a good base for visits to almost everyplace you mention. It won't be a good base for visiting Dingle, though...those towns are more than 200 miles apart. Maybe you could head south after your time in Westport?

SiobhanP

I have not seen a "cottage" for rent in Westport but there are houses on the outskirts of the village that are for let as Holiday homes. I can't remember the name of the estate but several people we knew rented there this summer and they were fine and quite large. Westport is a beautiful town and area, I go there often for the weekend. Don't miss the spa there with seaweed baths (Its for men too!) you can look at it on www.rossmoney.ie.

Dingle is hours away from Westport and not suitible for a short trip. You would have to stay down there.

Stella96

Thanks alot McShane, MaryZ and Siobhan.All great ideas and advise. We are in the middle of planning and will be asking a lot of questions. This is a great site! We are going to see the places our ancestors came from in the great country of Ireland.

wojazz3

Hi Stella:

I've stayed at the Bunratty Lodge and the Park House in Bunratty. Both are nice, the Park House is one of the closest the village and Mary Browne at the Bunratty Lodge has won awards for her breakfasts. You wouldn't go wrong with either.

Most cottage rentals are Saturday to Saturday, and September is more and more being considered the high season, so shorter breaks may be slightly difficult to find if that is what you had in mind. I'm sure it's possible though.

McShane: I'm guessing that you stayed at the Donegal Thatched Cottages on Cruit. How did you like them? We have considered the possibility ourselves.

Bill

GregC

McShane (or anyone else), do you have any suggestions of cottages for rent in County Kerry (or elsewhere in southwest)? We are going in late July and I would prefer a rental which is in or very close to a town so we can soak up the town life in addition to the scenery.

Many thanks.

Greg C.

McShane

Hi Bill,
Hopefully you'll find this belated reply. Yes, we stayed at the Donegal Thatched Cottages on Cruit Island for a week. We loved our little cottage. While there we did a great deal of walking - of the island, and then across the tide flats to the next town. We spent a day in Derry, and other days hiking or visiting the sites.

The cottages really are nice, reproduction style. There are amazing views and from one side we could see the crashing surf, the other, a lovely beach with the lights of the coastline beyond. They're a little expensive (I think about $700 or $800 for a week), but less than B&B's and it was incredibly relaxing and well worth it. You should know that there are no desireable restaurants within driving distance so it's for people who don't mind cooking.

NEDSIRELAND

Stella96 writes: "... planning a trip to Ireland first time ... 6 of us going. We get into Shannon airport around 7AM, first week of Sept. What about a place near the airport where we can do a little sight seeing in the area before evening, hit the sack to take care of the jetlag, then get up early next mornig and head for Dublin, So.& So.west."

Last year, we had a reservation at a B&B in Ennis. I called from the Ennis Bus Station and the lady had our room ready ... we checked in about 9:30 AM and took a nap until dinnertime. Then we did our walkabout.

Which is it: Dublin? or So. & So.west? Shannon airport's in County Clare near the Shannon estuary (i.e., between Limerick City and Ennis). It's a long haul from there to Dublin.

"We are going to be in Ireland from the 10th - 23rd ... is it practical if we rent a cottage in Westport City as our base for venturing out to Belmullet, Sligo, Knock and on down South to Dingle etc.? We've allowed about a week for these areas."

Not for Dingle! For Belmullet, Knock and Sligo I'd choose Ballina as a base rather than Westport; although you may consider driving from Galway up thru Connemara to Westport.
Crossmolina is another village on the N-59 between Belmullet and Ballina that had self-catering facilities advertised last year. I stayed in Bangor Erris because that's where my mother was from and I had a 106-year-old cousin I had to visit.

I am assuming that you will be flying out of Shannon also. Dingle peninsula is in the southwest (County Kerry). That area might be pretty busy around mid-September because of the Listowel Horse 'meet.'