We are looking to spend two nights in the Cork/Kinsale area. Any suggestions of B&B's or reasonable hotels? We will be coming from two nights at the Greenmount in Dingle and would like a similar place for a base to explore from. My first choice would be Kinsale if driving to Cork isn't too far. Thanks for any help.

After the Greenmount almost anything would be a let down. We have stayed at the Old Presbytery in Kinsale and enjoyed it, but not as much as the Greenmount!

We stayed in Kilcaw House, a B&B just outside of the town of Kinsale, and really liked it. It's a long story, and we didn't stay here, but Pier House (http://www.pierhousekinsale.com/home.htm) was recommended to us by another Kinsale host. It was out of our price range, but it's right in the town, and looked very interesting.

Here are some listing from the lastes Ireland guidebooks by Lonely Planet and Rick Steves. (Note. Stevs has no listings for Cork because he doesn't omits the city from his guidebook.)

CORK (Lonely Planet)

Mid-Range:
1. Garnish House (tel. 427 5111; [email protected]). An outstanding B&B of increasing fame, this place has comfy rooms and charming little touches everywhere. You get welcoming tea and treats on arrival and the breakfasts are delicious. The hallways are enhanced with impressive landscape photographs.

2. Crawford House (tel. 427 9000; [email protected]). Top end B&B'ing with spacious rooms, Jacuzzis, stylish furnishings and a choice of buffet, continental or full Irish breakfast.

3. Auburn House (te. 450 8555; [email protected]). The impeccably kept rooms in this neat B&B are small, but there's a nice welcome and an almost village-like feel to a place that's also very handy for the centre.

4. Acorn House (tel. 450 2474; www.acornhouse-cork.com). A handsome Georgian terrace house, this listed building has attractive rooms with pleasant furnishings.

5. D'Arcy's B&B (tel. 450 4658; [email protected]). This large terraced house still has a sense of spacious living from its heyday as a 19th-century merchant's home. High ceilings and big rooms go with lofty views over the city from the front rooms. There's engaging artwork on the walls and tasty breakfasts.

KINSALE (Lonely Planet)

Mid-range:
1. Olde Bakery (tel. 477 3012; [email protected]). A short walk southwest of the centre is this very friendly little house that was once the British garrison bakery. Rooms are a reasonable size and terrific breakfasts around a big kitchen table get everyone chatting happily.

2. O'Donovan's (tel. 477 2428; [email protected]). Bright, fresh colours, simple, comfy rooms and a nice welcome, plus worthwhile advice on the town make this central place deservedly popular.

3. San Antonio (tel. 477 2341). Another reasonably priced winner in a fine old house a short way up from the harbour. It ahs comfy old-fashioned interiors that add a relaxing bonus to a stay in Kinsale.

Top end:
1. Rocklands House (tel. 477 2609; [email protected]). Treat yourself to this top-of-the-range B&B, or to its self-catering cottage (enquire for terms). It's outside the town and high above the estuary among beautiful hillside gardens. Even the rooms that don't have great views of the estuary are lie-back-and-dream quality, and the service is impeccable.

KINSALE (Rick Steves)

Top end:
1. The Old Presbytery is a fine, quiet house a block outside of the commercial district, with a goofy floor plan and 10 fine rooms. Well-listed in most guidebooks, it has lots of American guests. The breakfasts are a delight, and Noreen McEvoy runs the place with a passion for excellence (www.oldpres.com, [email protected]).

2. Chart House B&B is a luxurious Georgian home renting a tidy little single and three grand, sumptous doubles. It's a block off the harbor at the marina end of the old town. This no-smoking, quiet, and well-run place is top-end in every respect--high ceilings, chandeliers, and a plush living room (www.charthouse-kinsale.com, [email protected]).

Mid-range
1. The Gallery, a bright and funky, five-room place with stylish decor, is run by Tom and Carole O'Hare with a fresh informality--you can have ice cream for breakfast. He's a jazz pianist and she's an artist (www.gallerybnb.com, [email protected])

2. Quayside House is a grand, blocky building overlooking a small park and the bay along Pier Road. Mary Cotter rents six rooms and offers a warm welcome (www.euroka.com/quayside, [email protected]).

Note: Rick Steves also list O'Donovans and the Olde Bakery, but he considers them to be more budget than mid-range.

My wife and I spent our second honeymoon night just outside Kinsale way back in 1991. Mrs. Prior ran a lovely little B & B with a back deck that overlooked a tiny cove off the Atlantic. Great view of the Atlantic, I now realize that, a few miles out, the LUSITANIA has lied on the ocean floor since being sunk by a German submarine in 1915.

I will add my vote for Kilcaw House. Very nice place and good hosts.

Thanks so much for all the great suggestions!

Foyle B&B is just outside of Kinsale, Co. Cork. Joan at the B&B is a very hospital hostess. Their website is foylebb.com. There is a Kinsale Jewelers and Crystal store in town you must go in to. The crystal store is a breakoff from Waterford.
Enjoy Ireland. It is a magical country.