Hello,

I've read on a past post that a "double" bed in Ireland is equivalent to a "queen" sized bed in the states? Is this true across the board? We are a family of 5, with 3 children. Our children are small and young enough that they can all share a queen sized bed, but probably not a "double" as we know them in the states. I'm having trouble knowing how many of us can sleep in one room given the bed sizes. The hotel websites will show 4 to a room with a double and 2 singles, but we could probably fit all 5 of us in this scenario esp with a queen sized "double."

Thanks for any clarification you can give!

It is all very confusing!! Every hotel, B&B and guesthouse has a different definition. Sometimes a "double" is a double bed. At other times it is a queen. Sometimes what they call a king is a queen. A super king is an actual king. There is no one definition that will apply. Ask for actual measurements and then you will know what will suit your family.

Have a good tip for you... Ask the demensions of the bed!

in cm:
90 wide = twin
140 wide = 2 adults cuddle comfortabley
160 wide = 2 adults who don't mind touching a bit
180 wide = 2 adults who don't really want to touch
200 wide = 2 adults and child who don't really want to touch.

Be careful because (in UK, maybe not Ireland) Queen is the largest size bed, followed by King, logical because Queen is the ruler of the country.

Swissmissy, I think your twin estimate is off by current U.S. standards - 90 cm is only about 35 inches - twin bed size is 38 inches according to the Better Sleep Council. Three inches may not seem like much but in this case it is. A twin would measure almost 97 cm.

Double in UK & Ireland generally means 54" wide, singles are normally 30-36" wide.

It's extremely unlikely - except in modern hotels & boutique hotels - that you'll get anything wider because bigger beds take more space out of the room or mean less rooms in the hotel

Aren't those Better Sleep Council folks the ones who said, "For the best night's sleep of all, and regardless of size,never, ever go to bed alone?"

OH, come now Intrepid, surely the Better Sleep Council never got into the issue of "size matters".

Technically a twin and a single are different. Usually the single is 30 or 32 inches wide, but a twin is 35 to 38 inches wide.

A double bed here ( Ireland ) is 4ft 6ins, wide and 6ft long.

A King size bed is 5ft wide and 6ft 6ins long.

A single bed is 3ft 6ins wide and 6ft long.

Sorry about the feet and inches , I still dont do cms!!

We just came home last night, and we never had a queen sized bed as we know it in the states. The queen meant double and most commonly "family room" meant a double and a twin. At many Jury Hotels you can get 2 doubles, but I never saw a queen. At the Jury's in Galway we had a double, a twin and a futon couch/bed. We elected to stay there not for the bed configuration but because of a great rate.

Thank you all for confusing me even more! Just kidding! I was trying to avoid making a bunch of overseas phone calls and trying to just interpret what I read on websites. Your help is much appreciated, and I will assume that double means double, and so on. CMO1004, we were hoping to stay at quaint Manor Houses or Inns, but we may have to do the Jury's type thing. I'm just happy that option is out there.

Thanks again!