lisadmonroe

My husband and I have 3 kids - 9, 7 and 2.5. We're going to Ireland end of Aug. 2010. My husband has been. I haven't. I was thinking fly into Dublin (direct from our city), stay one night in a hotel, drive the next day to a villa whereupon we take day trips daily. Where would this villa be? A villa is easier for us b/c we like having 3 bedrooms. We also may take an au pair. Any suggestions of things to do, but especially where to stay would be appreciated! We could also do 1 night dublin, one week villa, 3 nights another hotel somewhere else.

nytraveler

Um, Ireland doesn't have "villas". I think you would be looking for a "cottage". And although it isn;t a large country, staying in just one place will limit your sightseeing significantly - since there are few highways and speeds on most roads are low due to local conditions (including sheep wandering everywhere as soon as you're outside a major town).

Also, finding a vehicle that will hold 6 people, including a car seat, comfortblety will mean that you have to take an oversize mini van - not necessarily wasy to drive on very smalllocal roads.

steady

Hi! Just back from an 11 day trip to Ireland in April. We were 5 - 2 adults and three kids (ages 10, 12, and 14) We stayed 2 nights in Dublin, 1 in Kilkenny, 1 in Kinsale, 2 in Kenmare, 2 in Dingle, 2 in Lahinch. It was a bit crazy though. If you are bringing the au pair, make sure you mention this to the car rental. We booked an automatic mini-van and got "similar" which was small and never would have held 4 people plus the kids.
Have you considered flying into Shannon on the west coast instead? You could fly there and stay in a cottage near Killarney, Kenmare. There is so much to see there. On the other hand, you could stay in Dublin for a few days, then find a cottage in the Wicklow area (south of Dublin) or somewhere a little north (seeing Hill of Tara, Newgrange, etc.) Good luck! We had a wonderful time! The worst part is researching the car rental. It is a fortune!

lisadmonroe

Apologies for using the incorrect terminology. When I wrote "villa" I simply meant small home.

lisadmonroe

Thanks! I actually wanted to avoid a bunch of in and out of hotels. packing, unpacking, etc. I was definitely thinking of Dublin and Wicklow. Part of my family is from Cty. Clare and Cty. Cork. I was thinking of going there as well. Maybe Dublin, Wicklow for a few nights, then Clare or Cork for a few. There are direct flights from our city to Dublin on an airline I have points on.

irishface

There are lots of cottages and houses for rent in Ireland--"self catering" it is called. The Irish tourist office in NYC has a book of self catering places--give them a call and they will send it out to you at no charge. While you will not see all of the country, you can see an area in depth and I can highly recommend staying in a cottage. Several websites list self catering places; google "selfcatering Ireland".

Wicklow is a grand place with Glendalough, Powerscourt gardens, Powerscourt Waterfall, Avoca, and nice beaches.

If you go for County Cork, there is Garinish Island, Blarney (tons of tourists), Fota Wildlife Park (a branch of the Zoological society where animals are in large enclosures with plenty of room to roam and some are close enough to touch), Kinsale and Charles Fort.

In County Clare are the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, Ailwee Caves, Cragganouwen (tower fort, and recreated village built on an island in a lake(actors take the part of people who would have lived there 1000 years ago), wildlife (wild boars) in the woodland walk. The boars are fenced in. Cattle and sheep which have been "downbred" to ancient breeds. Also the Brendan is on exhibit there. The Brendan is the recreated boat which Tim Severin (?) sailed the Atlantic to show that St. Brendan could have done it in the 6th century. You could drive out to the mouth of the Shannon to watch birdlife and take a seal watch.

This is just a few ideas of things that grownups and kids might enjoy in areas that you mentioned interested you.

Go for the self catering option!

lisadmonroe

Thanks so much. So informative. I just looked into it and found out that there are direct flights into Shannon as well, so it seems we can fly into Shannon and then out of Dublin! I will definitely give the tourist office in NYC a call regarding the self catering option. There are also many listings on VRBO.com. My kids would love the cattle and sheep sightings (as we live in a city). I certainly want to visit the Cliffs of Moher as well.

jent103

In addition to the good suggestions above, I would also look at self-catering in County Kerry, perhaps around Kenmare. From there you can see Killarney National Park, the Beara Peninsula, the Ring of Kerry, the Skelligs, and do a day trip to Dingle. Whatever you choose, it sounds like a great trip!

lisadmonroe

I just went on the website discoverireland.com and there are many self catering options. Dingle sounded great to me after reading about it in a guide book. I think we will try to self cater in 3 different places for 3+ days each. I really didn't want the hassle of in and out, but I think it will be ok doing it a few times.

janisj

In your situation, I personally think renting a self catering cottage is <B><u>by far</B></u> the best option. Just no question. Will you see the whole country - no. But you WILL be able to see a lot in day trips w/i about 75 miles of anyplace you select. Plus you will have a ton more space than in any B&Bs or hotels, will not have to pack/un-pack day after day - and will have a kitchen and washer/dryer which are musts when traveling w/ children.

You could spend some long days going even farther than 75 miles out - because you'd have a comfy home to come back to each night.

Which county you choose is up to you -- just about any would make a good base. But a well-placed cottage in a nice village/town would let you see a large part of the west/southwest.

If it was me -- I might forget about Dublin altogether. I'd fly in/out of Shannon and spend the whole time on the west side. A week in a cottage, maybe a couple of nights in a castle hotel. A bit of a splurge but the kids might love it. Then counting one night near Shannon on arrival to get over the jet lag before starting any driving, and one night before flying out and you are up to 11 nights.

janisj

Oh, and meant to add - any rental cottage will cost significantly less than any hotels/B&Bs for six.

lisadmonroe

janisj, thanks so much for the advice. I have looked further into it and my family is originally from county cork and county clare, so i would like to spend the bulk of my time in those 2 places. i still have family from there. i may skip dublin & do just as you say! great idea to spend a few nights in a castle. my kids WILL love that - 2 girls are older. i will self cater a week & do a castle for a few nights. the budget allows us to spend a few nights in a castle, but not the entire trip.

sparky

Check out http://www.irishvacationrental.com or http://www.sandycovbeach.com they have some nice houses in West Cork

Fergal

www.selfcatering-ireland.com is a good website for selfcatering accommodation in ireland.
As for car rental, book early for the best deals. If it is anything like this year there will be a shortage of cars so prices will tend to go up closer to the dates, especially for non standard vehicles like people carriers