Ireland Trip Suggestions
 

My wife, 2 year old daughter, and myself are planning to go to Ireland in October for about a week. We are trying to find what our options are - either a hotel package or a B&B tour (the pub tour is off the table).

Anyone has any suggestions?

Thanks.

TTT

I don't think you are getting any answers because we are not quite sure what you are asking. Are you talking about an escorted organized bus tour of Ireland or a self-drive tour?

I'm not really sure whether or not we want a self drive or a tour.

Since we have a kid I'm not sure if we want to take a tour and maybe bother other tourists if our daughter decideds to act up.

How are the self-drive tours? We were looking into the self drive B&B tour?
Has anyone done this?

There's another thread on this subject right now. It's titled "CIE B&B vouchers". The general consensus seems to be that you're better off renting a car and then making your own B&B reservations.

We went the pkg route in 1982. But when I started researching for our trip this past March, it quickly became apparent that that's no longer the way to go. Many B&B's don't take the vouchers. And some that do, don't really like them.

Probably your best bet is to get yourself a good guide book and do some research on all the Ireland threads here. Decide what areas appeal to you and then I'm sure people here will be happy to make recommendations for B&Bs. Or hotels, if you'd prefer.

I suspect that you're right in thinking that a tour isn't the best way to go with a little one. Not just for the sake of the other tourists, but for her sake as well. :)

You might also want to call the Irish Tourist Board at 1-800-223-6470. They have a wonderful book of B&Bs that they'll send you as well as other information.

If you want to concentrate on one part of the country, you might consider renting a self-catering cottage or house for the week. It's kind of nice not having to pack and unpack every day. We did this in Sept 05. We did several day trips to area sights. It was nice having our own "home" for the week.

During the off-season, many self-caterings are offered as 2-4 night stays (weekend or mid-week). You could slit your time between two locations for a bit more exposure without too much travel. some destinations (Kilarney comes to mind) have 'day tour' operators that cover many of the popular attractions (Ring of Kerry, Dingle and Gap of Dunloe)without committing to a full trip tour.

Bob

The poster who said the B&B owners don't like them is right; I was told (by an American owner) they only participate to pull in tourists in slow periods. I got the worst rooms til I wisened up and quit telling them ahead of time I had a voucher.

Now I rent a car and pay for the B&Bs with cash or credit card if they take it. Make sure you get a car rental that has 24-hour emergency road service, and check with your credit card company to see if you have car insurance with it and can waive the CDW.

My question to others: have you ever driven a manual transmission car in Ireland? I've driven automatics til now because I'd been warned away from manual, but I rented a manual for my trip this summer. Am I going to be sorry?

Your daughter is too young to go on a tour. The cut off point is usually around 8 years old. Do a self-drive instead. I agree that self-catering may be the way to go. That way you can come back to your house whenever you want and have a base for explorations. This would give you a kitchen, living room, bedrooms, etc. Many have outside play areas for children.

Hi Irishiningo:

You should be fine with a manual if you are used to driving them at home. I like them because it's a constant reminder that things are different. I've never had a problem. My Brother-in-law drove one the first time he was there and other than a few stalls, he was fine. Be sure to check and see where reverse is before you go. Many of them have a nob you pull up on the stick to slide it into reverse. Had my BIL stumped for a while.

zlaor: I second the self catering idea with a small child if you can get the option of a short stay. October is sort of late shoulder season for Ireland, so it shouldn't be too crowded. Some of the smaller sites close up during the month.

Bill

Hi zlaor,

We have driven around Ireland without kids and recently spent two weeks in Scotland with a 7 and 2 years old -- combining those experiences, my advice would be to skip **any** tours, pick two or three "bases" for your stay, and make day trips from there. I would also look into self-catering options to see if you can find places that are available for shorter stays (or "short breaks"). But even picking a few B&Bs and concentrating on two or three areas would probably be more enjoyable for your daughter (and thus for you). My younger son was completely indifferent to historical sites but had a great time going on hikes (do you have a backpack carrier?), going fishing, even just going to the local playground...none of which required a lot of driving.

I am not philosophically opposed to organized tours in certain circumstances : ) ...but in Ireland it seems something of a waste except for people who really won't or can't drive.

And Irishiningo, if you can drive a stick you should not have any trouble. We drove a stick on both trips and the worst that happened...well, except for one time on each trip when my husband and I turned out of a parking lot and automatically gravitated into the right lane... is that once in a while I'd go to shift, and my right hand would hit the door.

You'll have a great time with a 2 year old but definitely rent your own car and consider self-catering. We did that with kids and it was so easy and comfortable. The townhouses or cottages you rent usually have a washer and dryer (sometimes it's the same machine) which makes it really convenient with kids. My son never felt quite at home in most B&B's.

Thanks folks, now at least I have some direction on what to look for. Having a home-base to take excursion from is what my wife and I decided would be the best.

I know from traveling in the US that going with a baby / toddler is a challenge. Not only carrying them along, but also supplies, restaurants, etc. For example in Vermont we had a somewhat hard time since everything is closed at 19:00 and finding a supermarket is a challenge as well, and you're not going to believe me but when making reservations at restaurants we were asked to provide our own high chair (we just used our cart). Living in the NJ / NY metro area we are used to be able to get anything we want 24 hrs. a day.

So, is Ireland like Vermont or like NJ?
If I need diapers, toddler clothes, supplies are they easy to get?
I'm not worried about my wife and I, just about my daughter and I don't want to drag a week's worth of diapers with me (for example).