Need ideas
 

Just starting to plan our first trip to Ireland . I would welcome any ideas.
My wife and I would like to do a self-drive staring at b&b.
We were thinking about go in late May or early June.

Thanks
Jerry 01959

That's a great time to go. A little more information would be helpful - what made you decide to go to Ireland, and do you have any specific destinations in mind?

Take a look at the trip reports from this forum (marked with the notebook icon; you can search for them in the search box). I usually find those very helpful in developing an itinerary.

It might help to put Ireland in the title of your post so it will especially draw the attention of those who are knowledgeable about that country.

Late May early June Fine.. B&B Fine.. Interests? Must see? Length of stay? airport in/out/openjaw?

Do not rush the planning. Do not get pushed into something by a travel agent. Do not even consider accommodation vouchers.
Do ask lots of questions. Do look through this and other forums for itineraries. Do look through some decent tour guides (not RS).

We also had no idea where to go when we started the Ireland process. We read many trip reports here on Fodors to get ideas.

I do agree with all of the above especially the voucher thing--don't do it. It's very easy to book your own B&B's and also fun in the process of looking at them. We also prefer to know where we are staying instead of driving around in the late afternoon looking for a place. We met several couples who had vouchers and were trying to find a place for the night.

Our 1st trip we flew in & out of Shannon and drove the west coast from Westport to Dingle & Kenmare. Here's our TR:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-surprises.cfm

We loved the landscape and everywhere we stayed. So much so, that we returned in 8 mo. time to do it again. Only this time we flew in & out of Dublin and sort of did the middle north to south, down to Kinsale. TR if interested.

In our limited experience, we much preferred the west coast, but then we like the small towns and beautiful countryside more than big cities.

12 days wasn't enough time for all of the west coast, but it gives us a reason to return. The people were just wonderful, the B&B's we stayed in were better than expected, and our biggest surprise was the food. We thought we'd be eating fish'n chips every day but were blown away by the quality and choices offered in the better restaurants.

As everyone suggests, start by reading TR's and jot down what interests you. The Irish Fodorites will be happy to steer you in the right direction.

Thanks for all the replys. Keep them coming.
My sister use the voulcher and said they were great.
I would like more feedback about the voucher system.
What about the wether in late May ,early June.

Not all B&Bs accept the vouchers. It is almost an antiquated system. Using vouchers limits the places you can stay. At the time of year you will be going, it may not be a problem, but in the busy season you could be turned away in favor of a visitor without a voucher.

It is my understanding that the voucher system causes long delays in reimbursement to the bed and breakfast, and refunds them only a portion of what they normally charge. Many B&Bs accept credit cards now, if worrying about carrying cash might be part of your reasoning to use vouchers. I think the system is only advantageous to the tour or travel agent.

We much preferred the West Coast of Ireland also. It is just lovely. We specially enjoyed Dingle and one of our best memories was taking a boat over to the Blasket Islands. Just beautiful!!!!

We've been to Ireland twice.

The first time it was just the two of us and we stayed in B&B (different one each night as we toured along the west coast). We just looked for one that had an available room and was tourist board approved. Each one was fine and we saved alot of time driving.

We went with a larger family group the second time and booked a 5 bedroom cottage for the entire time in County Clare several months before we left. We ended up driving more, but it seemed the best way to do it with a large group. We could alos have breakfast and dinner at the cottage, which helps keep costs down.

We prefered the countryside versus the cities, especially if you are coming from the US or Europe and aren't used to driving on the other side of the road.

Beware of car rental issues-there are several threads on Fodors about various problems, such as overcharging, damage. The second time we went, we booked a mini-van through Hertz and received a very large Sprinter van-too big to drive on very small roads and a gas guzzler. After about an hour of arguing, a minivan appeared, even though we were told that there were none available.

The spring is a great time to visit. We would like to go back but this time to east and maybe more north.

Weather unknown..Vouchers accepted by about 10% of available accommodation and at least €5/10 each more expensive than paying the same accommodation directly.