Did you love the B & B you stayed in when you were there? We're looking at 2 nights on our way south from Dublin to Kinsale.

I guess if we were looking for a comparison, it would be with Greenmount House in Dingle or Shelburne Lodge in Kenmare---both very different, but we loved them both. I know some people don't care where they rest their heads, but we like a nice place. Price up to $200 US.

Also, it would be nice if we could park the car and walk to restaurants, etc. After dealing with the Irish roads, it's nice to get a break. This is not a deal breaker if the place is nice we are willing to drive to dinner.

Butler House?

I did not stay there - I stayed at Butler Court - which is not the quality you are seeking. But, I spent some time in their very nice gardens and the location is perfect & central. No driving necessary.

How about Rosquil House? We are booked in there Mar 29-30. It comes very highy recommended by Michele @ Irelandyes.com. A 12-15 min walk to downtown pubs and restaurants. Michele advised us to walk downtown early evening, and get a taxi back to the B&B for a few Euros. If I remember right, the price quoted was 35-40 Euros per person/double.

Butler House looks like our kind of place, and the location is great. The outside is beautiful, but the rooms look a bit plain. From the reviews, we'd have to upgrade to a garden view suite which is pricy but may be worth it.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Kilkenny.html

Outside of town a bit we like the look of Newlands Lodge. It's a bit plain on the outside, but the inside is cute and the beds look very good.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Kilkenny.html

Rosquil House also looks good

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Kilkenny.html

And Carriglea also gets good reviews

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Kilkenny.html

Comments on any of these or any others will be much appreciated.

Totally going the other way

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...ECK_RATES_CONT

any comments?

We loved Carriglea. It has three or four guest rooms-not deluxe-but very clean and comfortable with nice attention to detail. We had booked two nights in advance, and our first room had twin beds and was on the smaller side. We liked Kilkenny so much we asked to extend our stay for a third night, and in order to accommodate us, we had to move to another room. This room was on the front of the house, and much larger with a large queen bed, and even a single bed, so it could have easily held three people. However, we would have been quite happy to have stayed in our first room.
The really special thing about this place is the owners-Tony and Josephine-who were probably the nicest people we met in all of Ireland-they were friendly, easy to talk to, always available, but never intrusive. This is the family home where they have lived and raised their five children (all grown and gone) All of Josephine's restaurant suggestions were marvelous, and she even made the reservations for us. The location is very close to Kilkenny Castle and we were able to walk everywhere. There is ample parking for their guests. The only time we moved our car in four days was to go to the local laundromat outside of town. When we stayed there in the fall of '09, they did not accept credit cards, and we paid our bill in cash. Nor did they require an advance deposit for our reservation. Unless you are looking for 5 star, I can't imagine not being happy here.

We stayed at Lawcus Farm Guesthouse and loved it. But it is out of the way and out of town in a residential area, so no parking and walking to restaurants.

With that said, we loved it and the lovely hosts, Mark and Ann-Marie. Both are super-nice and helpful - by the time you leave, you feel like you are leaving friends. We only stayed two days, but wished we had longer just to wander the grounds. Its beautful. We highly recommend it and hope to stay there again.

With that said though, I'm not sure it fits your needs of being close enough to walk to town. We had to deal with parking, which was somewhat of a hassle. There was lots of construction in Kilkenny in 2009. But there is lots to see in the area besides the town. Guess it depends on how much time you intend to actually spend in the town. We were content to be in the country.

Thank you all for your useful input. We're leaning toward Lawcus Farms and then staying in town in Kinsale to change it up a bit.

SusieKay mentioned restaurants in Kilkenny. We were so impressed at the quality and presentation of our dinners on our last trip(the favorite being Mulcahy's in Kenmare). So any restaurant suggestions would be welcome.

Dining is not a big deal for us while traveling-we are more likely to just pop into a local pub for some fish and chips or the evening special when passing by. However, we did enjoy an excellent meal at the Cafe Sol when in Kilkenny.

TPAYT, I have not been to Kilkenny, but two friends who are seasoned travelers in Ireland insist that Langton's Hotel is THE place to stay in Kilkenney. Just a thought...

SusieKay----Cafe Sol looks good. When we went to Ireland in Sept.'10 we thought we'd be eating fish'n chips for 2 weeks. What we found was that for a few dollars more we could get outstanding meals. Yes, we did enjoy fish 'n chips, but the Sole, Scallops, etc. were outstanding and didn't cost much more. Another "never would order it in the States" find was the Sirloin steak. It must be a whole new animal because that was fantastic+ at Mulcahy's in Kenmare.

latedaytraveler---Wow! Langton's Hotel looked great until I read the reviews about the nightclub and noise. Maybe a few years ago we would have jumped on it, but now we're into a little more calm. But, thanks for the "thought". That's how we Fodorites find unusual places.

Just found this, yay. Saving for research, just working out our driving route, for May.
thanks for wonderful info

Finally made a decision

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Kilkenny.html

We,ve booked this place----Lawcus Farm just looked too old.