What would be a couple of good castles, if there is such a thing, to stay overnight in the Southwest to West area. I've noticed some are pretty pricey!!

What country? I am guessing maybe Ireland but you give no hint . . . . . .

Yes, in Ireland. I thought if it was posted in the Ireland section . . . .

Carol - I can't answer your question, but just to help on posting:

When you select a country for your post, it will then come up if people do a search by country (from the middle box at the top of this screen).

However, all of Europe shows up when you look in the left-hand column of posts when you first come to this board, and there is no pre-selected sort by country. And as most people on this board travel a lot, we generally read from the whole list.

So, always put the area you are asking about in the title and in the text! Makes it easier for others to figure out what you are asking without opening the post.

Good luck and have fun in Ireland!
Karen

A very inexpensive "castle" in southwest Ireland is Carrigeen Castle B&B in Cahir. It's not luxurious or large but it does look like a castle (it was actually a jail for much of its history). But for 55 euro a night double including full Irish breakfast it serves the purpose of staying somewhre "castle-like" for those of us who can't afford several hundred euro a night. It's a five minute walk from Cahir Castle, one of the best castles in Ireland. Searches on both Carrigeen and Cahir castles on both this site and google will bring up lots of info.

Unfortunately, Carrigreen is booked for the time we will be there.

Have a look here.
http://www.celticcastles.com/

If price is not a factor then Dromoland Castle which is a few miles from Shannon Airport is excellent.See details on www.dromoland.ie.Look for special offers mid-week.

I posted this last night but it went into the great unknown.

You could try Cregg Castle near Galway and Markee Castle near Sligo

Carol,

I can tell you one castle to NOT stay at and that would be Ross Castle in Co Cavan. Your searches may turn this up so I figured "just in case".

I went to Ireland and thought, like you, that a castle stay without breaking the bank would be fun. Found Ross Castle and made reservations for 2 couples, 2 months in advance. I should have known something was up when they wanted payment in full up front. Upon arrival we found that 1 of the only 2 tower rooms I had reserved had been given to other guests! We had called them around 11am that morning to let them know we were on the way so being late or them figuring us as "no shows" doesn't factor in. They wanted to give us rooms in the main house area but neither were ensuite (private bathrooms) as we had paid for and both were extremely dirty. Now, I'm no neat freak but garbage on the floor and 100's of dead bugs on the window sills did nothing to convince us we should stay.

We didn't.

Had to argue our case with the credit card company and I'm not sure if the cc company just honored our request or if they acually did not pay those jerks. I hope they didn't pay them especially as they were unapologetic about giving our room away and really seemed to not care whether we stayed or not.

This was back in 2001 but unless the place is under new management I'd steer clear.

Wendy

Hello Carol. Well, I am presently planning a trip to Ireland also and hav e been researching castles to stay in. My travel agent is currently making arrangements for us to spend a night in Cregg Castle. It certainly sounds like what I am looking for. So many of the castles seem to be so "hotelly", NOT what I want....check Cregg Castle out. I guess I shouldn't really be recommending a castle when I haven't been there but .... You never said when your trip to Ireland is?

topping for laredol

We stayed one night at Cregg Castle this past June and loved it. It is not fancy but the hosts are friendly and talented musicians who put on a "show" in front of a cozy fireplace. Another guest brought along his guitar and we were up late enjoying conversation and music. I would recommend to a friend...especially if you enjoy traditional music.

Look into Killian Castle outside of Wexford. It is in the SE but you may find it worth a detour. Prices are VERY reasonable!

We rented a castle in Kilkenny through the Irish Landmark Trust. It was great..very moderately priced and a wonderful location.
They have a number of properties throughout Ireland.
June