This will be our first trip to Ireland and we are soooooo excited! We will be arriving early A.M. in Shannon mid-October. Our first destination is the Dingle Penninsula, Doolin in particular. Does anyone have a recommendation for first night's lodging? We don't mind a couple of hours driving, but don't want to take on too much after flying all day/night from L.A. Also, I have read before that it is recommended that you prebook your last night's stay near the airport. Any good suggestions for that? (sure do miss that search feature) Thanks.<BR><BR>

Hi Barbara<BR>Doolin is a great first destination. It is within a two hour drive from Shannon and you could stop by the Clifs of Moher which is only about 15 min from Doolin. However, Doolin is not in the Dingle Peninsula. The Peninsula could be a destination for another day. The scenery is amazingly beautiful. Be sure to travel Conor Pass and Slea Head drive while on the Dingle Peninsula. Have a great time!

Hi Again!<BR>Forgot to leave you this web site to check out: www.townandcountry.ie

Hi Barbara:<BR><BR>Try the Sea View House, but call them right away. It's a very nice place to stay and is a short walk into town. They book up quickly.<BR><BR>You certainly want to save Dingle for a different day. It's a pretty healthy drive to the Dingle Peninsula from Doolin. It's good to get used to driving on the left before taking Connor Pass Rd. It's a pretty narrow road and the passenger will be a wee bit terrified.<BR><BR>A good choice for your last night is the Bunratty Lodge in Bunratty. Mary Brown is a great hostess. She'll book your castle banquet if you are interested.<BR><BR>Bill

Barbara-I agree with Bill regarding the Bunratty Lodge and Dingle is beautiful!<BR>Two great restaurants there are: The Smokehouse and The Mystic Celt. Do Conor Pass but only if the weather is good! Its breathtaking!<BR>Shadow<BR>

Thanks for the suggestions. I have been looking at some of the websites and I note that the Seaview is the only one that states "rates include all taxes". In general, what rate are rooms taxed at, and while I will assume nothing, is it the general rule that taxes are or are not included in published rates?

Barbara<BR>Sorry, I do not have the answer regarding room taxes as I don't remember how it worked for us other than the B&B's were very reasonable. I remember seeing the Seaview while we were in Doolin and it looked very nice! If you are interested in splurging on a castle for a night, I can recommend Dromoland for your last night as it is close to Shannon airport. www.dromoland.ie

In 1991, my newlywed wife and I stayed a night at Harbour View in Doolin, a B & B run by a very nice woman named Kathleen Cullinan. The rooms were nice and Mrs. Cullinan cooked us a salmon dinner, if memory serves. Doolin has several pubs for nighttime entertainment. At the pub that we went, the entertainment was live and performed by amateurs who just loved to play old Irish music. Furthermore, I remember that a very delicious-looking lamb stew was served to some of the pub's patrons. Barbara, you are wise to choose Doolin for your vacation. I wish I could come along as well. Have a grand time!

Actually, the rates include all taxes at all B&Bs. I've never seen one that didn't.<BR><BR>Bill

Barbara,<BR>I also recommend you visit http://www.ireland.travel.ie/home/ The Irish tourist board has an extremely comprehensive listing of approved B&B's throughout the country. (Having once stayed at a non-tourist board approved B&B, I would recommend against it.) In addition to the online service, they have a book of the approved B&Bs organized by town & county. I believe you can purchase it for about $4-$5 there. Or you should be able to contact the tourist board here and have a copy sent to you.<BR><BR>On both my trips to Ireland, I found it invaluable.<BR><BR>Have fun!

I'm just beginning to organize a summer trip to Ireland in 2003. Can you give me any basic suggestions for a beginner like myself? Such as where you began your search for info...etc?<BR>Thanks for your help. Hope you have a wonderful trip!! What made you pick travel in OCT?<BR>Pam

Pam,<BR><BR>Why October? The rates go down October 16. The crowds are smaller too. We couldn't get away till Fall anyway, so October it is. <BR><BR>I started my search by at the bookstore, then using the web and requesting all the travel brochures for comparison. I checked the forum often for opinions and past experience others had had with various companies. We did not want an escorted tour so that eliminated most packages. <BR><BR>We didn't plan this trip till mid August and we are going with another couple. The complication is that we live on the west coast and they live on the east coast. I checked with 4-5 agencies about Fly-Drive packages but had a problem coordinating availability and dates when working with 2 different gateway cities. Priding myself on being a careful shopper, I was convinced that I could probably better the price of a package anyway, and I was right. <BR><BR>I started with airline searches, moved on to car rental(Dan Dooley.com) and finally, at the suggestion of those in this forum, I am researching B&Bs which I plan to prebook for just the first and last nights of our trip. The rest will be serendipity. <BR><BR>Though we could get a direct flight to Shannon from LA, we opted to meet our friends in Newark and go the rest of the way together, eliminating the hassle of waiting for someone at a strange airport. We managed to make the same arrangements going home as well. <BR><BR>This forum has been so incredibly helpful so I suggest you put it to good use. I much prefer a personal opinion to a slick brochure. From the postings of those already returned from their trips it seems that any advice you see here can be relied on.<BR>Whatever did we do before the Internet?<BR><BR>Good luck with your planning!

Barbara, Check out www.cullinansdoolin.com. We stayed here in June and it was wonderful. The owner is also a chef, so you can have dinner here as well. Breakfast is made to order, the lemon/honey pancakes are out of this world. In Dingle we stayed at Emlagh Lodge. www.emlaghlodge.com I highly recommend both places.<BR>Pam, 2 good sites for beginning your planning are www.irelandyes.com and www.irelandexpert.com Lots of great info.<BR>Enjoy Ireland, we're already planning our next trip!

I'm in a similar situation as Barbara. I"m headed over to Ireland for the first time at the end of October. I only have 7 days and I'm trying to determine the best bang for the buck in terms of seeing the most I can in such a short amount of time. I'm thinking of starting in Galway for the first day/night(we fly into Shannon), then heading over to Dublin for two nights, then heading south out of Dublin to Cork - possibly stopping in Wexford first. I'd like to also hit Kinsale - I'm thinking that's one night stopover, somewhere in the Cork area. Then out of Cork and up into the Dingle Peninsula for the night. And then into Doolin for the last night.<BR><BR>Is this feasible? Too much? Any advice anyone has is greatly appreciated. I'm making this up as I go along! Thanks!

Caitlin, forget Dublin, Wexford, and Cork. For only 7 days, go to Doolin, Cliffs of Moher Dingle, Killarney, Kinsale, and on your last day/night, Bunratty before flying out of Shannon.<BR><BR>Dublin is just another big city. The countryside, people, and sights in the Southwest of Ireland is breathtaking!!<BR><BR>Enjoy, I'm going back to the Southwest next spring. We loved Dingle & Kinsale.

Thanks Mike!

Caitlin:<BR><BR>I'm with Mike on this. Though Dublin can be fun, there is no real reason to drive all the way across the country to see it with only seven days to work with. Stay in the west. The other option to going south would be to go north. Donegal, Mayo and the Connemara. Equally spectacular and less traveled. With that said, you won't have a problem with crowds in October most places you go.<BR><BR>Regardless, you'll have fun.<BR><BR>Bill