Ireland Honeymoon
 

Greetings to all! I am getting married Sept 6, 2003 and we will be taking a two week honeymoon to Ireland. I need help on the details!! We are both very active and want to hike, horseback ride, mountain bike, etc. We also want to see a lot and get a taste of both the country and the city. I have tons of questions: what will the weather be like that time of year? where are good places to stay, eat, visit? Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!!

Rachel, Go to where the experts on Ireland are: www.irelandexpert.com & www.irelandyes.com Their help will be extensive.

Rachel:<BR><BR>Irelandyes and irelandexpert are both great sites, but I wouldn't use them exclusively. Ask lots of people, becuase everyone has different tastes. I liked some of the recommendations, but I chose some B&Bs on my own that I liked much more. They may be a bigger help in telling you which to avoid. They each have things (guide books and the like) to sell. <BR><BR>The first thing I would do is get a good guide book. I haven't seen Michele's on Irelandyes yet, but my two favorites are the Michelin Green Guide and the Bord Failte book. I don't have the exact name, but it's the one published by the Irish tourist board.<BR><BR>September is a great time to travel, lower crowds and as good, but cool weather (good for Ireland that is). <BR><BR>Hope this helps.<BR><BR>Bill

topping...

Congratulations Rachael!<BR>Also, if under "text search" top left, you type in Ireland and then click on "find", you will be able to read a million posts having to do with Ireland that I am sure you will find informative.

Go to a bookstore and buy some good maps of Ireland. The better ones will have hiking trails marked on them. There are extensive trails between Killarney and Kenmare, if you're into mountain hiking. Take good rain gear. Even in two weeks, you will have to pick your areas of interest because you won't be able to see everything. You will have a great time, I think Ireland is a very romantic setting.

What are some great romantic spots, or restruants...places we could go and the mood would be sooo perfect? Please share your favorite spot (ie. hotel, restraunt, shop, scenery etc.)

Everyone will tell you that Dingle and Killarney National Park are great, I'm sure. Also, we would add the Burren which is a few hours south of Galway.All round hills made of stone and filled with flowers that grow out of the rock, even in late summer. There is a nice trip between the Burren and Galway by way of Ballyvaughn ( on the coast ) and there is a reallllllly delicious seafood restaurant called "Linanne's" at a tiny harbor just north of town but there are quite a few tiny signs for it along the road. It has real home cooking and a deck that looks out on the water. It is very casual but the sunset, the silhouette of kids fishing off the pier,steamed clams w/butter sauce and a glass of Guinness were definitely romantic in our book. For a fun evening that is NOT dopey as we feared it might be- there is a dinner & show at a castle in the town just north of Ballyvaughn. We heard that this show was better than all the others at big, showy castles and as we went with children we thought they would appreciate it. However, we were surprisingly pleased and we would suggest it. The setting also is exemplary. Happy Marriage & good luck!

Rachel...I just got married last year, so I know how perfect you want your honeymoon to be. My husband and I went to Italy, but we live in Ireland--so here is what I'd recommend. If you're going to travel around, I'd suggest flying into Dublin and staying at The Merrion Hotel for a night or two, then move on. I'd end the trip near Shannon Airport, stay at Dromoland Castle--it will be the perfect ending to your honeymoon. In between is up to you. You might want to rent a car and drive from Dublin down towards Co. Cork and stay someplace for a few nights and do day trips. Check out www.cork-guide.ie for info on Cork (hotels, restaurants, tourist info, etc.). You could then travel on to Co. Kerry and up through to Co. Clare--lots to see in both places. For more travel info, check out www.12travel.com--this site has lots of info on deluxe and general accommodation in Ireland, another site is www.local.ie (although sometimes the site is always working). Good luck and happy planning!

Rachel--FYI...Further to the message above, I wanted to let you know that I haven't been to Cork city itself, but I'd suggest one of the other scenic towns in Cork--Kinsale, Clonakilty, Cobh, Skibbereen, etc. Look for info on these. Good luck.

Most romantic inn I've stayed at in Ireland is the Cashel House Hotel. It's a small hotel on the west coast in Connemara. They have horses, row boats if the weather's nice, and a tennis court (the court's a bit dilapidated), and a wonderful restaurant. Nice gardens to wander around in. The staff's attentive, but they also leave you alone. You're pretty much in the middle of nowhere out there, so it's a perfect romantic setting. Ask for a garden suite. It's not horribly expensive, either.<BR><BR>They have a website, but don't have the address with me. Try a search.