Ireland trip May 2005 - please advise on these bed and breakfast options.
 

Hello. I'm still planning the Irish leg of our May 2005 trip to Europe.
Using advice from people on this forum and bed and breakfast information from the Irish tourist services in Johannesburg, I've come up with these options. We are looking for ensuite rooms and a rate of about 35 euros per person sharing. Any advice will be gratefully received.

In the Wicklow/Avoca area, we are looking at either Gormanstown Manor or Woodenbridge Hotel. I'd welcome suggestions here because Woodenbridge is a little more expensive than I'd like and I'm having trouble accessing the Gormanstown Manor web page through eircom.net. Wouldn't mind being near Avoca - I was a big Ballykissangel fan.

For the Waterford-Wexford-Ballhack area - Glendine Country House in Arthurstown. I've emailed them and asked for a price for an ensuite room.

Cobh - we've read good things about the Seafield here and I've emailed them and understand the rate for May 3005 will be about 35 euros per person sharing.

Kinsale - Cephas House.

Kenmare probably Seanua.

Dingle - The Shores - have read really enthusiastic reviews here.

Bunratty area - we want to be near the castle because we plan to enthusiastically take part in the banquet - so either Bunratty Lodge or Dunaree.

Doolin - Atlantic Sunset looks good.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Lisa.

The only one I can comment on is the Bunratty Lodge. We stayed there in May of 2003 as our last night in Ireland before flying out of Shannon. We too took part in the banquet, it was loads of fun. As I recall, the owner of the lodge is Mary Browne. The lodge is only about one mile or less down the same road the Castle is on. Very nice facility. Expensive home. Mary Browne was nice. She did get up early (and I mean early) to make us a breakfast before our morning flight. I don't recall the time, but it was a head of the normal breakfast hours. Have a great time. Let me know if you have any other questions that I can help with!

Thank for the information on Bunratty Lodge. That's really useful to know. I thought we would have to skip breakfast a few days so we could get early starts. Although, based on the comments on this forum concerning the enormous breakfasts served, I might still want to skip a few!

The breakfasts are pretty good in Ireland. My wife and I never went hugry. Eggs, meat (I did not care for the black pudding, but the white pudding was OK) and, best of all, oatmeal with Bailey's Irish Cream poured onto the top. That's the way to start the day alright!

By my "expensive home" comment earlier about the Bunratty Lodge, what I meant to say was that the home that the lodge is a part of looks "expensive". The cost of the room was quite moderate, as I recall. Quiet place. You will like it. Take the road the castle is on away from the highway. When you come to a stop in the road and are facing a "T" intersection, the Bunratty Lodge sits across from you a slight angle to the left. It was painted blue and white in 2003!

I'm not fond of oatmeal, but you just made it sound like something I have to try. Yum. I understand, from previous posts, that Bailey's features in lots of desserts too.

You have not lived until you've had Irish Oatmeal or "porridge". Nothing like our gloppy US oatmeal, the Irish oatmeal is steel cut so you can taste each flake, with a nutty taste, unlike the wallpaper paste we are used to here. With a little bit of "pouring cream" over the top of it, it will be a haven from the continually heavy Irsih breakfasts you'll be served.

LisainSA:

We had ensuite rooms at Glendine House just this July! 2 nights. Beautiful, huge farm house. I think they have like 11 rooms. Long haired cows(they look like teddy bears), jack deer and sheep. The breakfast was great, the house beautiful. Soup and bread available all day if you like. We really enjoyed it, the rooms were spacious with all the amenities!
We also stayed at Seanua in Kenmare. Alison and Andy were the best hosts we've ever had and the rooms again, were spacious and so beautifully decorated, cozy. Her breakfast was outstanding, I just can't brag on them enough. Great place to stay for venturing out on day trips.
We stayed at Dromoland our last night, very close to the Shannon airport and we did the Medievel Festival at Burnratty. Eating with the fingers, entertained by flute and the lyre and jesters in their full regalia. Food was good, the mead was great, all the wine you can drink is included. Durty Nelly's has a great sandwich, too.
In Cobh we ate at the Titanic, again, great sandwich (I had a turkey/sage dressing, wow.)Not really pricey either, you can eat on deck and view the harbor.
Have fun, wish I could go back already!

JBmonts, we're going to Ireland next week and have already booked the banquet at Bunratty on our first night. Can't wait to have that mead!

The banquet itself is quite humorous. The guys wear leotards and velvet and the women wear velvet as well. They do allow you to sit with your party. The mead was so yummy, my hubby and I really enjoyed it. They served red and white wine with dinner and the refills kept coming. We got to see a little of the village before the show, also. They sell the honey mead at Blarney Woolen Mills right across the street. There's an Avoco (I think thats how you spell it) right there, too. So some decent shopping is to be had right there. Please have a glass of mead for me, and bring yourself back some or you'll be searching the internet looking for it like I did!

These responses make me long for Ireland and it's ages until May 2005. Can't wait for your trip report Leona.
And thanks for all the info on the banquet jbmonts.

Hello. Have decided to stay in Kilkenny, rather than the Ballyhack/Waterford area because there seem to be more accommodation options. Would love to stay at Butler House in Kilkenny, but the room rate of 170 euros for a double is far too much.
Have sent off some emails for bed and breakfasts in Wicklow, so I'm holding thumbs we'll find a good one for this area too.

Lisa - I stayed at Dunaree at the end of June. it was the last night of my trip but by far, the best B&B we stayed in while in Ireland. The room and bathroom were huge, and the beds very comfrotable. The hostess was very nice and she makes an AWESOME breakfast. You can choose between the Traditional Irish breakfast, french toast, or pancakes. I had the pancakes - and I can firmly state that they are the best pancakes I've ever had! I highly recommend Dunaree.

Thanks for the Dunaree recommendation. It sounds amazing. I don't know how we will choose between that and Bunratty Lodge - about which I've also read rave reviews. It's great to have a couple of good choices in case one is full when it comes time to book.
Thanks again.

Lisa,

I am planning a May 2005 trip to Ireland as well. We plan on staying at Cill Bhreac in Dingle & Headley House in Bunratty. Haven't decided on where to stay in Kinsale. Did you find a website for Cephas House? Our other stops include Galway, Dublin, Curragh & Tramore.

Hi Gig. On a previous thread dealing with Kinsale lodging, wojazz3 wrote:

I don't believe that the Cephas House has it's own website. They can be found at:
http://www.townandcountry.ie/premise...remesisid=1971
Whic is Town and Country's site. You can also see pictures of the view at:
http://www.geocities.com/obeirne_ire...03/kinsale.htm
and there are a few more pictures on the more pictures link. Additionally, if you go to the 1st Crookhaven link on the same site and then it's More Pictures link at the bottom, you'll find some pictures there. All of the pics are "clickable" to enlarge.

Thanks for the links,Lisa! I have read some great things about the Cephas House but was "leary" of just the one photo from the porch that I keep seeing on various bed and breakfast site. I am sure you are counting the days till May like me!

I can't wait to go to Ireland. My travel agent says they can't book flights until about nine months before departure - end of this month I should have the tickets in my grubby paws! Our trip also includes seven days in Scotland and three or four days in Paris - but Ireland is easily my big obsession.

Lisa,

I can relate to being obsessed! We already have our Aer Lingus tickets in hand! Your trip sounds wonderful.

Gig, you are so lucky. I know the holiday is real already, but having the tickets will make it more so.
Have you got a web site for your Dingle bed and breakfast. We had thought of staying at The Shores in Castlegreggory, but it might be better to stay in Dingle in case we want to go into Dingle for a wander at night. Although The Shores does sound mighty tempting.

Lisa,

The website for the bed & breakfast we are staying at in Dingle is www.cillbhreachouse.com. The owner is Angela. They just revised their website with some great pictures. Let me know what you think!

Thanks Gig, I'll take a look.

Gig, it's brilliant. Thank you so much for the link. The views are awesome and the breakfast menu jaw-dropping or should that be tummy dropping or tummy extending. The hosts also seem like really friendly, helpful people. I see their son designed the web page! I must show the web site to my husband. He's going to love those views. As for me, I think I'm pretty much sold. Thanks again.

I've stayed at Bunratty Lodge AND Dunaree. They are both wonderful , so you can't go wrong. It would be really hard to pick one over the other. So flip a coin and have a great time! They are also located very close to each other, so location is not an issue at all. They are both 'just down the road' from the castle.

In the Wicklow/Avoca area, we stayed at the Coolakay Guest House last January http://www.coolakayhouse.com/. It's about the price you listed and very charming, although a bit more off the beaten path.

We stayed at Coolakay House in 2002. It is convenient to Powerscourt. Although it was nice enough our bedroom was very small. Very close to Avoca is Sheepwalk House. We stayed there 2 nights also in 2002 and were very pleased. The website is http://www.sheepwalk.com

Lisa,

I'm glad you are as excited as we are about staying in Dingle at Cill Bhreac. If you speak with or email Angela, tell her Jane (Gig is my nickname) from Florida referred you!

Thank you so much everyone for all the incredible feedback. I get so excited by all the great advice on this forum. You can search Irish tourist information web sites read Fodors Ireland cover to cover, but nothing comes close to getting recommendations from folk who've actually stayed at the bed and breakfasts they recommend. Also I really like just talking about Ireland - can you imagine what I'll be like after I've actually been there!!!!!
Thanks again for taking the guess work out of the accommodation search.

Hi LisainSA,

I would stay in Avoca itself. Gormanstown Manore is just a larger B&B not really a Manor and I think its a bit more off the beaten path. I remember passing the Beehive pub and fi its whgere I think there is nothing special here. You could try for a B&B in the village of Avoca itself. The hotel I think is ok as well. The rate for 2 seem about right.

With Kilkenny you can get a better deal than 170.00. There are lots of B&B's here as well as small hotels.

Enjoy!

Thanks Siobhan. In the Wicklow area we are now looking at staying at either Swallows' Rest, Greenhill House or Abhainn Mor. In Kilkenny we have three choices _ Danville House, Launard House or Hillgrove. They all look great so I don't think we'll have a problem.
Lisa

Hi Lisa:

Sorry I didn't see this thread earlier. The places you are lloking at llok very good. I'm a big fan of Cephas house. To find the Town and Country page you will probably have to go to the T&C home page and search from there. The individual B&B pages change address about once a year so that link that I had may be dead by now. It's very nice.

I can't say enough good things about The Shores. Those who have stayed there will agree and her prices have always been reasonable, especially for the quality. It still ranks as my favorite B&B and I just counted them up and I've stayed at 50 different places.

Bunratty Lodge is very nice and Headly is owned by Mary Browne's sister in law I think. Bunratty Lodage is very nice though not in easy walking distance of the village. No big deal though. I've stayed at the Park House in Bunratty which is one of the closest to town and it was quite nice also. You can definitely walk from there.

I stayed at Atlantic Sunset back in 2000 and there is nothing wrong with the place though it is not in walking distance of town and only a couple of the rooms will give you a distant view of the Atlantic. I stayed at the Atlantic View Guest House which was slightly impersonal (more of a small hotel) but the location is great for the Doolin Ferries and a doable, but long walk to O'Connors Pub. I think the family that owns the ferries owns the Atlantic View. The views were very good from most of the rooms. It is a few euro more than B&Bs as it's a guest house.

BTW, we'll be in Ireland in May also. Going north this time and spending at least a week in Donegal and NI. The other thing I'm doing and it's emabarrasing that I haven't done yet, is spending a night on the Aran Islands.

Have a great time!

Bill

Thanks for the advice Bill. We aren't getting to the Aran Islands on this trip either, but I'd like to see them on another trip. Will be looking forward to your trip report on that.

Regarding The Shores, I really like what I've heard about it. But would it be possible to stay there and then go into Dingle of an evening for a meal if we wanted to? Is the drive, at night, advisable?
Thanks again for all the helpful info.

We just booked Daly's House in Doolin based on recommendations from the members at this board. Got a very quick and friendly response from them via e-mail. Not that I am counting :)but in 34 days, I leave, so in 35 days, I will be sleeping there. I promise a trip report within 50 days. :lol:

Have you been to Ireland before? It is truly magical!

Diane

Hi Diane. I haven't been to Ireland before, but I've wanted to go for ages. I just can't stop picking up my Fodors Ireland to get my Ireland fix.
I can't wait for your trip report. I'm addicted to those too.
Lisa