My fiance and I just decided we want to go to Ireland for our honeymoon in January (I know it will be freezing, but that's OK!). All we know so far is we want to go to southern Ireland.

Where should I go to begin getting ideas? Any recommendations on who to book through, etc.? We would love something that includes air, car, and accomodations. I know I'm being vague, but I really don't know where to begin. Any advice, information or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
Stephanie

Obviously you know something about where you want to go and I hope what you want to do. Southern/Southwest Ireland is an excellent choice.

Go to a travel agent and get some books on self-drive tours of Ireland. See what they suggest, and go on line and book your own air/rental car.

Call the Irish travel agency and get them to send you info on B&B's and accommodations.

Honeymoon? Find a central location or two to do day trips. On your honeymoon, I wouldn't think you would want to pack/unpack for the entire trip.

Check on some self-catering places.

Ireland is a wonderful place, no matter what time of the year. Do some searches on this forum and you will get lots of ideas.

Ireland is beautiful and very romantic, even in the cold. You didn't say what the price range is, but you can have a great time no matter what the budget. If you can splurge on a night or two there are some great hotels. Dromoland Castle, near Shannon, is highly recommended. In Killarney there is Aghadoe Heights and Sheen Falls Lodge and the Park Kenmare in Kenmare (wonderful small town.) Since it's your honeymoon, don't try to see everything. Limit yourself to southwest and even then don't try to be too ambitious. Zero in on what you like to do (shop, historic sites, pubs) and plan around that. You'll have a great honeymoon.

We made our first trip to Ireland this year and we got lots of info by searching this website. The other site I used was irelandexpert.com Pat Preston has great advice. I picked up the Eye Witness guide to Ireland and found it useful to pick things to see. The pictures in it were great and sometimes when your reading a text only guide it doesnt do what pictures can.
Depending on where you are from you may find Ireland warm in January!
There are lots of places to book through best bet is look in your Sunday paper. Have fun!

One general piece of advice.

Ireland looks small, but driving times are surprisingly long. And lengthy drives can be unpleasant in horizontal rain (just about the only certainty in Ireland, though you can get glorious days in winter as well)

On the other hand, because Ireland's so transparent, it's really nice to be able to change your plans when you're there.
And outside Dublin (a favourite weekend break all year round for Europeans, especially Brits), there's little pressure on accommodation in midwinter.

So it's mistake to think you can see a lot from one or two centres: moving from place to place is quite important.

Looking for a fly-drive package makes sense (though building your own, possibly using the dense network of special offers from the US to London, and from London to Ireland's dozen or so airports, may be cheaper). But personally, I'd avoid a touring package that included accommodation, unless I really, really wanted to stay in just one or two places.

There are some great air fares for January travel to Ireland. Take a look at the Aer Lingus web site at www.aerlingus.com. I think you'll also find good prices for rental cars.
You won't have long hours of daylight in January, but that just means you stop driving earlier and spend more time in the pubs. I think that's a good thing!
I like Ireland at any time of the year, but think it's especially wonderful in the off-season.

I'm with you Mary -- more pub time!!

Oops -- you'll be on your honeymoon -- more "love" time.

We spent our 1989 honeymoon in Ireland. We started at the Yeats Country Inn in Sligo and drove down the west coast to Galway, Kinsale then back up to Dublin. Last month we returned and visited Dingle, Kinsale and Dublin.

It is easy enough to make your own arrangements:

-Aer Lingus
-Dingle: Heaton's Guest House (wonderful if open)
-Kinsale: Acton's Hotel or Kilcaw House.
-Dublin: Harcourt House (in back of hotel, not street-side, as construction going on, or, more expensive Buswell's Hotel.
In Dublin dine at Browne's, in a Georgian town house. Also, take the "Walk of the Rebellion" with Lorcan Collins leaving from the International Bar. The Irish Theater, Abbey or Gaiety are great.

FL Steph,
I think Sheen Falls would be a wonderfully romantic place to stay. Ask for a room overlooking the waterfalls. There's candlelight in every common room in the evenings and two restaurants as well as a spa.

Thank you everyone for your responses! I will research what you have given me and hopefully make a decision soon. I feel a bit better about going in January now, as a lot of people said we were crazy for going that time of year. My only thing now is who to book through. Do you think it's better to book everything individually as opposed to getting a "package" deal? I have heard pros and cons about each. I do like the idea of being able to stay in a few places during our stay rather than having to come back to the same place every night. Thanks again!

Steph

Most packages come with Vouchers for bed and breakfasts that can be used all over the country. You generally wont be booked into one place or limited to one area. Do upgrade and get an automatic transmission in your car though. You will most likely get a better price with a package but not always so do your homework.

FL,

For my money, the best starting point is obtaining a few top-rate guidebooks on Erin. Consider ther following, all of which have their strengths and drawbacks, but are quite worthwhile:

Fodor's
The Rough Guide
Rick Steves (many weaknesses, but is especially strong for first time visits to the marvelous Dingle Peninsula)
Karen Brown (many nice accommodations featured here)
The Hidden Ireland (many romantic 18th and 19th century lodgings, steeped in history; see wwwindigo.ie/hiddenireland/)

Finally, whatever your itinerary or regions of choice, make an effort to seek-out the hidden byways of Ireland, taking time to savor a few regions in a relaxed manner. Too often tourists - even honeymooners - try to see or do too much on their first visit, resulting in a "I need a vacation from my vacation," attitude. Ireland works best in "low speed". Enjoy its unhurried, laid-back sensibility.

Best of luck.

My wife and I honeymooned in Ireland in 1991. I would recommend Valentia Island. The B & B we stayed in had a palm tree in the front yard. We also stayed at Mrs. Prior's B & B just south of Kinsale where we had a view of the Atlantic and probably weren't far from where the Lusitania was sunk in 1915. I would also recommend spending time at Doolin (Cliffs of Moher and the folk music in town are great fun) and on the Dingle Peninsula, which my wife and I didn't tour.

My husband and I went this past February and had a great time. Weather was in high 40s-50s, but we were fine and we're from Miami no less. We booked a fly/drive package through Sceptre Ireland (sceptreireland.com). We got vouchers for B&Bs as someone else here mentioned and didn't have a single problem using them. Since this is your honeymoon, they have an option to upgrade the package to stay at a few castles instead of B&Bs. I think Sceptre would be your best bet pricewise - it includes air, a rental car at the airport (ours was brand new w/ 40 miles on it) and accomodations. They give you a couple of B&B books with THOUSANDS of places to choose from. You can also get recommendations for good B&Bs (or castles) on this board. We had a lot of fun driving around and I would definitely do it again.

If you do use Sceptre, two tips: book your tickets with a platinum Mastercard (if you have one). It's the only credit card that covers car insurance in Ireland. Also, don't let Sceptre book your first night for you. They will automatically put you in a Best Western-type hotel near the airport. Choose a castle or B&B instead. Also, keep in mind that some B&Bs close for the winter.

Depending on how much time you will be there I would suggest flying into Dublin;taxi to the city and see the sights for 2/3 nights; rent a car at Dublin airport and drive south towards Kinsale, Cobh and visit that area. Its about a 5hr drive. Drive up to Kilarney for a day or two. Finish up in Dingle and fly out of Shannon. Easier to turn in car in Shannon and boarding plane. In Dingle stay at Heaton's!! Charming, great breakfast and less than a 10 minute walk to the center. Have fun!!

Budman: "Go to a travel agent and get some books on self-drive tours of Ireland. See what they suggest, and go on line and book your own air/rental car."

Are you suggesting to FLSteph they tell the agency they will not be booking anything with them, simply asking for the professional advice. Or not advising them of that bit of information? If it's the first, then ignore this. But it sounds really close to the latter and if that is what you are suggesting, for shame. Yes, I am a TA and if I had a client waste my time only using me for advice and not to book anything, I would be furious. We are not a library and subsidized by the government. Our clients pay us fees for a reason. If they don't wish to pay the fees, please, by all means, book online. But don't waste someones time by asking for free professional assistance. You would resent it if people made a habit of doing that to you professionaly, so please treat us with the same respect.

Again, if that was not your intent, please do not take offense.

Sorry for the soapbox and sorry FLSteph for getting off the original subject. I will be traveling to Ireland next month and hopefully I can report back on weather conditions and other helpful information for you. Have fun!

sjbisanz1, I am telling FLSteph to go to a travel agent and get some brochures on Ireland, tours and self-drive. I'm not asking for her to waste your time, or even ask you for advice. Just get some brochures to brouse thru.

When I said "see what they suggest," I'm certainly not talking about you, the travel agent -- I'm talking about what the brochures suggest.

Then, come to this site for some GREAT advise based on what itinerary they would like.

Sorry Budman, and sorry again, FLSteph for changing the subject. Several times on Fodors I have read the suggestion of obtaining information and material from a Travel Agency then booking it on their own. I simply misinterpreted what your suggestion was and obviously took it the wrong way. I do hope you understand where I was coming from. Again, my sincerest apologies.

Budman: Actually, in hindsight, I would like to reiterate one thing; travel agencies are not public libraries and even if you go into one and do not ask for advice but for materials only, you ARE wasting that persons time in getting you the materials as well as taking brochures intended for paying customers. If your intention is to book everything online, then obtain brochures the same way. Agencies are happy to help paying clients, but if you are only using us for information (printed or otherwise), then it is a waste of time. As you said, you can find GREAT information right here.