Critique My 10 Day SW Ireland Itinerary / Hotels?
Oct 3rd, 2017, 01:30 PM
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Critique My 10 Day SW Ireland Itinerary / Hotels?
Hi everyone! We have a 10 night Ireland trip planned for June 4-14 next year. We are a family of 4, and our kids are still quite young (4 and 7), so our traveling style tends to be a lot slower than many people would choose, and we just accept that we can't see and do everything that we'd be able to if we were not bringing kids with us. (For example, in Dublin, I'd love to have a pint of Guinness from the storehouse, but that realistically isn't a good idea, even if kids are technically allowed on the tour. My kids would be bored, and that's a recipe for trouble. I'd love to see the Gaol, but definitely not with the kids.) So. With that said, I've worked out a rough itinerary and would love to get some feedback on it. Right now I'm just nailing down our bases and a few rough ideas of what to see from each base. I really don't like moving around every single night, or even every 2 nights.
I also prefer planning only 1 main excursion per day even though I know it'd be possible to squeeze more in depending on jet lag and how the kids are holding up. This will, by its nature, be a driving-intensive trip with lots of time in the car; still, I'd like to be somewhat cognizant that kids would rather not spend all day, every day, in the car, so I've tried to break it up a bit. Please don't suggest that we leave the kids at home. We don't have anyone who could take them for more than a couple of days, and we enjoy traveling as a family. My kids are total pros at traveling in some ways. We've been to France, Costa Rica, Buenos Aires, Hawaii, etc., with them and we just accept the limitations that come with bringing them. They mostly love traveling, but they are still just kids with some normal kid preferences and behaviors
I'm strongly considering not even doing Dublin on this trip. My kids are too young to really enjoy the attractions like Dublinia, Trinity College and the Book of Kells, etc. My current itinerary has us spending a tiny bit of time in Dublin proper at the end of the trip, but if you think any of my other bases could really use an extra night, I could easily be persuaded to cut Dublin this time in favor of spending that night elsewhere.
We *have* to fly in and out of Dublin, however much Shannon would have been preferable. I was able to get frequent flyer seats for only 25,000 miles per roundtrip per person -- for anyone familiar with the mileage world, that's a huge deal, but the deal only worked for Dublin, not Shannon. Since I had 100k miles in this program that were otherwise not getting used, Dublin it is.
June 4: Arrive in DUB, either stay at an airport hotel or get a hotel in Malahide, which is close by enough that if we feel like doing some light exploring of the castle or town, we can. I know from experience that jetlag is a beast for us, so we are really not the type of family that can hit the ground running and drive our first ~2 hour leg on the day of arrival.
June 5: Drive to Kilkenny. Stay at the Newpark Hotel for 2 nights.
June 6: Kilkenny and environs. Maybe try to squeeze in a side trip to the Rock of Cashel from here or just see if we can do it en route to the Killarny?
June 7: Make our way to Killarny (this is a bit of a longer drive than I'd like, but I think it's do-able) Stay at The Brehon for 3 nights.
June 8: Killarny and environs - National Park / Castle
June 9: Ring of Kerry drive
June 10: Drive to Adare. Stay at The Woodlands House for 2 nights. Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
June 11: Drive to the Cliffs of Moher
June 12: Drive back to the Dublin Airport area - 2h40min from Adare area. Turn in rental car and take a taxi into the city.
June 13: 1 day in Dublin
June 14: Taxi back to the airport; Depart for the US.
Thanks in advance for any feedback!!
I also prefer planning only 1 main excursion per day even though I know it'd be possible to squeeze more in depending on jet lag and how the kids are holding up. This will, by its nature, be a driving-intensive trip with lots of time in the car; still, I'd like to be somewhat cognizant that kids would rather not spend all day, every day, in the car, so I've tried to break it up a bit. Please don't suggest that we leave the kids at home. We don't have anyone who could take them for more than a couple of days, and we enjoy traveling as a family. My kids are total pros at traveling in some ways. We've been to France, Costa Rica, Buenos Aires, Hawaii, etc., with them and we just accept the limitations that come with bringing them. They mostly love traveling, but they are still just kids with some normal kid preferences and behaviors
I'm strongly considering not even doing Dublin on this trip. My kids are too young to really enjoy the attractions like Dublinia, Trinity College and the Book of Kells, etc. My current itinerary has us spending a tiny bit of time in Dublin proper at the end of the trip, but if you think any of my other bases could really use an extra night, I could easily be persuaded to cut Dublin this time in favor of spending that night elsewhere.
We *have* to fly in and out of Dublin, however much Shannon would have been preferable. I was able to get frequent flyer seats for only 25,000 miles per roundtrip per person -- for anyone familiar with the mileage world, that's a huge deal, but the deal only worked for Dublin, not Shannon. Since I had 100k miles in this program that were otherwise not getting used, Dublin it is.
June 4: Arrive in DUB, either stay at an airport hotel or get a hotel in Malahide, which is close by enough that if we feel like doing some light exploring of the castle or town, we can. I know from experience that jetlag is a beast for us, so we are really not the type of family that can hit the ground running and drive our first ~2 hour leg on the day of arrival.
June 5: Drive to Kilkenny. Stay at the Newpark Hotel for 2 nights.
June 6: Kilkenny and environs. Maybe try to squeeze in a side trip to the Rock of Cashel from here or just see if we can do it en route to the Killarny?
June 7: Make our way to Killarny (this is a bit of a longer drive than I'd like, but I think it's do-able) Stay at The Brehon for 3 nights.
June 8: Killarny and environs - National Park / Castle
June 9: Ring of Kerry drive
June 10: Drive to Adare. Stay at The Woodlands House for 2 nights. Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
June 11: Drive to the Cliffs of Moher
June 12: Drive back to the Dublin Airport area - 2h40min from Adare area. Turn in rental car and take a taxi into the city.
June 13: 1 day in Dublin
June 14: Taxi back to the airport; Depart for the US.
Thanks in advance for any feedback!!
Oct 3rd, 2017, 08:43 PM
#2
Just a quick note for now: I agree that Dublin really isn't a great match for your family. I'd maybe consider staying that night in/near Athlone, visiting Clonmacniose. Or if you still wanted to drive all the way across the country -- near Newgrange.
Oct 4th, 2017, 05:43 AM
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Generally advise only having Dublin at the departure end of a trip but in this case I might suggest the 2 day in Dublin to start with and a final night near the Airport possibly in a hotel with a shuttle option.
Your hotels are a little out from Central, I don't know the Newpark, don't use the Brehon but do like the Woodlands although I might have been inclined to use Ennis for what is essentially 2 days in Clare. The Burren Nature Sanctuary is a regular call in with the grandkids just outside Kinvara if you have a couple of hours on the Cliffs day.
Yes Cashel is on a natural route from Kilkenny to Killarney. Might also take a little bit of a detour to the Donkey Sanctuary above Mallow. Fethard Walled Town is another option on the run across.
Your hotels are a little out from Central, I don't know the Newpark, don't use the Brehon but do like the Woodlands although I might have been inclined to use Ennis for what is essentially 2 days in Clare. The Burren Nature Sanctuary is a regular call in with the grandkids just outside Kinvara if you have a couple of hours on the Cliffs day.
Yes Cashel is on a natural route from Kilkenny to Killarney. Might also take a little bit of a detour to the Donkey Sanctuary above Mallow. Fethard Walled Town is another option on the run across.
Oct 4th, 2017, 08:20 AM
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janisj: I'll look into Athlone, thank you! Clonmacniose looks wonderful.
Thank you Tony2phones - All of my hotel/base choices are very fluid right now. I'll have a look at Ennis and see if there's a hotel there that looks appealing. My reason for avoiding Dublin at the beginning of the trip was threefold: I am imagining we will all be so jetlagged and tired that we would not be able to appreciate it; it being a biggish city might be stressful and overwhelming when we're so tired; we'd be renting a car from the airport regardless, so it seemed to make more sense to just get off the plane, grab our rental car, and be able to sleep nearby. I guess what I'm really trying to decide is whether to include Dublin at all. Cutting it would give me an extra night to spend in Clare or Kerry.
Thank you Tony2phones - All of my hotel/base choices are very fluid right now. I'll have a look at Ennis and see if there's a hotel there that looks appealing. My reason for avoiding Dublin at the beginning of the trip was threefold: I am imagining we will all be so jetlagged and tired that we would not be able to appreciate it; it being a biggish city might be stressful and overwhelming when we're so tired; we'd be renting a car from the airport regardless, so it seemed to make more sense to just get off the plane, grab our rental car, and be able to sleep nearby. I guess what I'm really trying to decide is whether to include Dublin at all. Cutting it would give me an extra night to spend in Clare or Kerry.
Oct 4th, 2017, 09:32 AM
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Check out Trim....about 25 mi. From Dublin airport.
We easily drove there on one of our trips. Stayed at Highfield House right down the street from the castle. Lots of room for the kids to roam along the river by the castle. Across the street was a field of donkeys that the kids were feeding. Lots of family friendly restaurants close by.
http://highfieldguesthouse.com/
With small kids, I'd skip Dublin. We just recently had a lovely visit in Dublin but it was our 3rd trip to Ireland. The first 2 we stuck to the gorgeous countryside no small towns.
We easily drove there on one of our trips. Stayed at Highfield House right down the street from the castle. Lots of room for the kids to roam along the river by the castle. Across the street was a field of donkeys that the kids were feeding. Lots of family friendly restaurants close by.
http://highfieldguesthouse.com/
With small kids, I'd skip Dublin. We just recently had a lovely visit in Dublin but it was our 3rd trip to Ireland. The first 2 we stuck to the gorgeous countryside no small towns.
Oct 4th, 2017, 06:53 PM
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June 4: Arrive in DUB,drive to Kilkenny. Stay at the Newpark Hotel for 2 nights.Great hotel to spend your 1st afternoon at in Ireland.
June 5: Kilkenny and environs.Castle, Cathedral, walk the old town.
June 6
rive to Killarney. Rock of Cashel and/or Cahir castle en route.Stay at The Brehon for 3 nights.No family size rooms?
June 7: Killarny and environs - Select from National Park, Muckross House, Traditional Farms, Jaunting cart ride, Torc Waterfall,Ladies View, Sheep Farm.
June 8: Ring of Kerry drive. May be too long a car ride for kids. Consider gap of Dunloe instead.
June 9: Drive to Adare. Stay at The Woodlands House for 2 nights. En route, choose from-Dingle Town, Peninsula, Gallarus Oratory,Fungie, Oceanworld.
June 10
unratty Castle and Folk Park. Castle Medieval Banquet at 5:30 PM.
June 11: Drive to Ardrahan. Stay at Hazel Lodge for 2 nights (See Booking.com). En Route visit the Cliffs of Moher.
June 12:The Burren. Poulnabrone Dolmen, Ailliwee Cave and Birds of Prey Center.
June 13: Drive to Malahide. Stay at Evergreen Malahide B&B for one night( http://evergreenmalahide.com/). Option to stop at Clonmacnoise en route.
June 14: Drive 10 min to airport. Turn in car. Fly home to the USA.
June 5: Kilkenny and environs.Castle, Cathedral, walk the old town.
June 6
rive to Killarney. Rock of Cashel and/or Cahir castle en route.Stay at The Brehon for 3 nights.No family size rooms? June 7: Killarny and environs - Select from National Park, Muckross House, Traditional Farms, Jaunting cart ride, Torc Waterfall,Ladies View, Sheep Farm.
June 8: Ring of Kerry drive. May be too long a car ride for kids. Consider gap of Dunloe instead.
June 9: Drive to Adare. Stay at The Woodlands House for 2 nights. En route, choose from-Dingle Town, Peninsula, Gallarus Oratory,Fungie, Oceanworld.
June 10
unratty Castle and Folk Park. Castle Medieval Banquet at 5:30 PM.June 11: Drive to Ardrahan. Stay at Hazel Lodge for 2 nights (See Booking.com). En Route visit the Cliffs of Moher.
June 12:The Burren. Poulnabrone Dolmen, Ailliwee Cave and Birds of Prey Center.
June 13: Drive to Malahide. Stay at Evergreen Malahide B&B for one night( http://evergreenmalahide.com/). Option to stop at Clonmacnoise en route.
June 14: Drive 10 min to airport. Turn in car. Fly home to the USA.
Oct 9th, 2017, 06:25 AM
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I did Ireland for the first time back in March with my now husband. It was certainly a trip of a lifetime. It was my first European trip and I can't wait to go back! (We have a Greek Isles cruise planned next August for our first anniversary!)
Anyways - our favorite city was Killarney! We did an 8 day drive around Ireland and Killarney was the only city we stayed in for 2 nights. We did Horseback Riding in Killarney National Park (not sure if your kids are old enough for that yet.) but we also drove the gap of Dunloe. That was by far one of my favorite parts of the trip. We went in March so the weather also was rainy, foggy, and gloomy but that definitely added to the experiene. The gap of dunloe was breathtakingly beautiful. There is a cottage right before we started the drive. The owners said that most people recommend walking the gap of dunloe because the roads are extremely narrow but that during the off seasons we could get away with driving it. I highly recommend driving (since Nov would be off season, too) if you have time for it! We stopped about 15 times for pictures throughout the course of the drive. I think the kids would enjoy it.
Anyways - our favorite city was Killarney! We did an 8 day drive around Ireland and Killarney was the only city we stayed in for 2 nights. We did Horseback Riding in Killarney National Park (not sure if your kids are old enough for that yet.) but we also drove the gap of Dunloe. That was by far one of my favorite parts of the trip. We went in March so the weather also was rainy, foggy, and gloomy but that definitely added to the experiene. The gap of dunloe was breathtakingly beautiful. There is a cottage right before we started the drive. The owners said that most people recommend walking the gap of dunloe because the roads are extremely narrow but that during the off seasons we could get away with driving it. I highly recommend driving (since Nov would be off season, too) if you have time for it! We stopped about 15 times for pictures throughout the course of the drive. I think the kids would enjoy it.
Oct 9th, 2017, 06:27 AM
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Oh, and we also explored the town Glendalough, about an hour outside Dublin. It was our last stop on our trip on our way back to Dublin the night before leaving (we took a little bit of a different route than you described above though.) it is a cool town, with tons of history that I think the kids would enjoy exploring.
We almost didn't go because we had done a lot of driving the week we were there but we're very happy we stopped.
We almost didn't go because we had done a lot of driving the week we were there but we're very happy we stopped.
Oct 10th, 2017, 02:47 AM
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If jetlag is a "beast" for you, definitely limit driving on the first day. Driving straight to Kilkenny after you land, as suggested above, might be a mistake.
Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny is a very family friendly hotel - I think they might even have a small farm with small animals for the kids to pet! Castlecomer Park, just outside Kilkenny is a fun place for kids to run around - our little guy loved it. There is also a playground in the grounds of Kilkenny Castle.
Malahide also has a castle and a lovely large playground that kids love. You can hire bikes to tour the grounds yourselves.
Yes - we're at the stage where our holidays revolve around playgrounds and entertaining our 4 year old. I think playgrounds could be my specialised subject if I ever appeared on Mastermind!
Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny is a very family friendly hotel - I think they might even have a small farm with small animals for the kids to pet! Castlecomer Park, just outside Kilkenny is a fun place for kids to run around - our little guy loved it. There is also a playground in the grounds of Kilkenny Castle.
Malahide also has a castle and a lovely large playground that kids love. You can hire bikes to tour the grounds yourselves.
Yes - we're at the stage where our holidays revolve around playgrounds and entertaining our 4 year old. I think playgrounds could be my specialised subject if I ever appeared on Mastermind!
