Irish Tourism
 

I am planning my first 2-week trip to Ireland and am considering using Irish Tourism as my booking agent to secure a car rental and accomodations. Has anyone had experience with this service? It's my understanding I submit a budget amount and they choose the B&B, Manor, hotel, etc. within my budget range. My concern is that I don't know anything about the B&B, Manor, hotel, etc. I appreciate any advice or assistance.

I have seen some really horrific itineraries put together by agents and tour operators and whilst Irish Tourism might be a good (or bad, I don't know)operator I always recommend that people decide a little for themselves.

If you have a rough idea of Must See places how long and dates then there are many on here and a couple of other forums who will be more than happy to hold your hand as you plan your holiday for you and not some agent's commission.

Fly drive packages might be worth considering for flight and car hire but personally there is no way I would ever point someone in the direction of accommodation pre-booked or voucher's.

Seconding Tony's rec. NOT to go with vouchers. Not all B&B's take them with good reason! There are usually lots of great B&Bs in towns along the way and not all of them will take the vouchers so if the voucher ones are full, you will have to move on or take a nonvoucher place and thereby pay twice.

IIf you want to prebook, and many do, go to the Irish Tourism website and check out the places ahead of hand and then call them directly. Phone calls to Ireland are not terribly expensive, just remember that they are five hours ahead of us.

I like to book as I go. I have never had a problem going to the TI office in the town where I want to stay and telling them my requirements and they will phone ahead and have a place in a few minutes. Sometimes I stop when I see a sign on a place along the road. And as a teacher, I had to go in summer so I was always there at high season. (Last trip was post retirement and went at the end of April. It was wonderful!)

As Tony has said, maybe fly/drive package might be ok, but NOT accomodations. Tell us when and a rough idea of where and there are many who will help here!

Thank you both for your quick responses and honesty - I greatly appreciate it. Also, thank you so much for the offer to help. We are looking to rent a car and drive - our itinerary is as follows:

Kilkenny for 2-3 Nights
Kinsale, Cork for 1-2 nights
Kerry for 3 Nights - must have laundry facilities
Clare for 1 or 2 nights (Dromoland Castle?)
Galway for 2-3 Nights
Dublin for the last 2 Nights

We want a feel for the people and country - not expensive and luxurious. We love history and architecture and don't necessarily have to be in the center of town. Also, I've seen many comments for car rental companies on this board but if you have a suggestion, I appreciate that as well.
Thanks again!!

As I said earlier there are a few decent priced fly drive packages around. Personally I recommend Budget and Dooley for car hire.

Kilkenny might deserve a couple of nights and would be the limit of my recommended driving off a redeye.

Kinsale would not be my personal taste but fine for a visit or one night.

3 nights in Killarney (good service wash launderette in town) gives chance to explore a little although I would tour round Beara on the way from Kinsale.

Tour Dingle on the way to Dromoland or Ennis which are good choice and decent base's for the South of County Clare.

Galway as Killarney possibly 3 nights gives chance for the city itself the Connemara (or a loop off) and maybe Innis Mor. If you don't go for Dromoland then Ballynahinch would be my recommendation for a castle hotel stay.

Dublin for the last couple of nights so you might have a night free to fit in somewhere else?

Tony2phones, thanks. We have our air already taken care of. I've priced Dooley for car rental and find it to be reasonable. I've noticed a lot of people requesting diesels for the gas mileage and GPS - do you recommend both as well?
In lieu of Kinsale, what would you recommend? Our idea is to find a centrall located 'base' for 2-3 nights then take road trips during the day to explore. I will definitely check out Ballynahinch. Do you have any personal recommendations for B&Bs, manors or hotels? Thanks again

I'll defer to Tony for the overall tips (though I did like Dingle more than he apparently does ;) ). We spent 8 days around Killarney, Dingle and Galway. Worked well for us. See what works for you. See if the photos and commentary help in any way:

http://ukfrey.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/ireland.html

Diesel fine as a non extra cost option but Irish/European petrol cars are far better economy/MPG wise than US equivalents.

Bases around Cork are the city itself, Cobh to the east, Blarney to the north and Kinsale to the west. The city would be the best "tour" base Cobh, I like but is on a limb Kinsale was a quaint fishing town but has become undeservedly food and yachtvill, Blarney to the north is quite pleasant outside tour bus peak times 10am - 4pm so worth considering?

Apart from the splash for the Castle stay do you have a rough budget in € per night for accommodation?

I will have to leave now and come back on later.

indy_dad thanks for the link to your pics and trip report - I read it awhile back and loved it. The reminder today was extra nice.

Tony2phones, our rough budget is $100 - $150 Euro per night. I'm not sure about Blarney and have no intention of kissing a rock. Although we are not 'foodies' we want to enjoy the local fare and libations.
Thanks again to both of you!!

I am not a big B&B person but love smaller hotels. I also like being in town so that I can park and have a drink or two with dinner or visit pubs for music at night. I love Buswells in Dublin and my friends just stayed at George Handels by Christ church and loved it. I have stayed at Hardings by Christ church also. A Castle sounds like fun for a splurge. If you stay in Galway check out an Aran Island tour. I always heard that the vouchers are a bad thing. The B&B has to pay a % to the tourism office and they would rather you bypass them. I guess they like having the tourism approval but one goes hand in hand with the other and there are some great ones that aren't part of that system.

We've been to Ireland twice and have stayed in a total of 10 different B&B's. I found each of them by reading B&B reviews on Trip Advisor and then I contacted each B&B owner (by email and/or phone) for follow-up information. Using this method, I can say that each B&B we booked was exactly what we expected (or better). The rates ranged from 25 - 38 euros per person per night.

With a little research, I am sure you can find B&B's that suit your requirements that are well within your budget.

Has the Itinerary been finalised. if so then we will probably be able to recommend for your bases between us.

That being said I concomitantly recommend a place we use on a regular base and feel rather guilty. Someone I recommended the place too has totally slated the place and given the first genuinely negative review for the past 3 years?

Consistently!!! Get an edit button on this site Please!!

We had a great experience with Dan Dooley, and I highly recommend them. There are no hidden surprises, the quote is the quote.

We loved our stay in Kenmare, at O'Donnabhain's. It's a large B&B and gastropub in town - originally a Victorian house, has two floors of large rooms. Gerry and Vanessa run it, and they are delightful. Well within your budget.

Michele at www.irelandyes.com might have some more recommendations. She also has a list of B&Bs and hotels that are actually castles (as opposed to 'next to' or 'near' a castle, and have castle in the name).

Lorlor, if you have not called AutoEurope to check car rentals you might find it to your advantage to do so. They have a price-match guarantee and have always provided me with the best prices and service (aside from when we have "bought" Peugeots on the Continent). If you happen to have a World Master Card that will cover your CDW on the car. If not, you are going to be in for a rude shock if you were planning on your Visa or Amex card covering it.

Lorlor, we always do our own research and booking for lodging but I'm retired and love to do it. We do not use B&Bs unless absolutely necessary and prefer smaller hotels in Ireland. I'm listing our choices for hotels on our upcoming four-week driving trip of the island for the places where you and we are both going.

Kilkenny - Pembroke
Kinsale - Blue Haven
Kerry - In Dingle, at Castlewood House, in Kenmare at the Brook Lane
Dublin - Butlers Town House

We rely heavily on TripAdvisor to vet these places as well as validate them here at Fodor. I think all of the above are in your price range and offer convenience of location.

Wow - thank you all for your thoughtful recommendations and suggestions. The itinerary is finalized, however, I am still looking for accomodations in Dublin and Galway.

Kilkenny - 3 nights (B&B)
Kilarney - 4 nights (B&B)
Dromoland Castle - 2 nights
Galway - 2 nights
Dublin - 2 nights

I will definitely check Butlers Town House, Buswells, George Handels by Christ Church, and Hardings by Christ Church. Can anyone recommend a historical walking tour in Dublin? We love history, architecture and walking. Also, any Galway accomodation suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks again all.

For Galway are you looking City Centre, Area, Salthill? B&B or Hotel and €60-€80/room budget? What dates roughly?

Forster Court Hotel in Galway is very nice as is Park House. Last visit we stayed somewhere I wouldn't recommend, there was a Festival in town and most places were book or over priced. Tony2phones will know more as that is his area. I did a tour through Trinity College once. We thought it was a historical tour but was really about infanticide. Learned all about the real Molly Malone, prostitution in Dublin and not having birth control. We all laughed about it afterwards but seeing all the old brothels was interesting. She took us through St Stephens which I love. There is also Pat Liddy's walking tours. www.walkingtours.ie

We are looking for a B&B within walking distance of the city centre. Our budget is 60-80 Euros/room and the dates are roughly 9/25-9/27.