Opinions needed about Beechwood House in Malahide
 

I've only seen a few comments here about this B&B, and basically nothing in Tripadvisor. If you have some experiences with this place you'd like to share, I'd be grateful! Thanks!

Most of the rooms look lovely and new and some a bit too chintzy for me but a nice house. Only drawback is if you are staying here to go into Dublin each day by bus or train its way out there.

The village is lovely and has cute boutique shops and lots of places to eat in various price ranges as well as pubs. But if it's your base for sightseeing in Dublin I would say it's too far away.

Thanks, SiobhanP.

We're thinking about using Malahide as our base for our last 2 days in Ireland - one day to see Newgrange, Tara, and things North of Dublin, and one day to take the DART into Dublin for a day of sightseeing. We're not worried about the distance from Dublin, just the accommodations. What do you mean by 'chintzy'? Is it all non-smoking? How's the food/hostess/neighborhood? I can't find any reviews about it on Tripadvisor which concerns me. If you have a suggestion of a better B&B in that area, I'm all ears!!

Have you asked Michele Erdvig on www.IrelandYes.com? (She has a book, Best Little Guide to Ireland, and specializes in Ireland.)

Good luck with your research.

Maxpaste, the neighbourhood of Malahide is very nice, you need not worry on that score, and as for the smoking issue, everywhere in Ireland is non-smoking now, except outside.I think Beechwood house looks very lovely, i would be quite pleased to stay there.I live in Dublin so if I can help you with anything give me a shout.
Regards
Lucielou

maxpaste, Along with Irelandyes, also check IrelandExpert.com Pat Preston has a good web-site and lists a lot of accommodations.

Just had a look at the web sites mentioned. Irelandexpert.com does not have B&Bs for Malahide but does recommend King Stiric in Howth (expensive) http://www.irelandexpert.com/dublin-...uesthouses.htm On her forum Pat Preston said she has not stayed at Beechwood.

Your question about Beechwood was answered on the irelandyes.com forum. Evidently Michelle Erdvig stayed there & recommends it on her Great Places to Stay in Ireland page http://www.irelandyes.com/lodgings.html

Since SiobhanP lives in Dublin I am wondering if she has stayed there or only looked at the website? Just because a place is not "rated" does not mean it is no good only that it is "undiscovered". Maybe now it will be discovered.

Maxpaste, I just read what IrishEyes had to say, if Irelandyes recommends it I would not worry about staying there. I've stayed in a couple of places she recommended and they were right on the money. I've also bought a couple of her books. I found them very helpful. If you decide to stay in Dublin do check out Ireland Expert. Pat Preston does give recommations for that area. Have a great trip. Joan

I live here and no have not stayed there. I think its a great looking place and did not mean to infer it was not but I think its far for day trips to Dublin. Seeing that you will be going to newgrange and only 1 day Dublin then it's should be great.

As for how the owners are they I am sure will be pleasant and helpful as they are in the service business but remember it is not a hotel and I do not expect the owners to do more than provde B&B and answer any queries.

The neighborhood is nice and malahide is an upmarket area and as mentioned there are several places to eat in various price ranges. Try www.adlib.ie and types in Malahide to see restaurants and reviews.

Enjoy

Malahide is a suburb of Dublin. It is a nice suburban place to live, but from a touristic point of view, I would not really recommend it. I would rather suggest Howth, which has nore of a quaint Irish village feel to it. I would second the B&B at the King Sitric in Howth. I have never stayed there, but have eaten many times at the restaurant - which is great.

I agree with Lawchick. One year flying in and out of Dublin, I stayed at Portmarnock near Malahide and The Grand right in Malahide. I wished I had of stayed in Howth at King Sitric. Don't get me wrong, they were both lovely hotels. One golfing and the other business. Malahide is a lovely village, but from Howth you could get public transportation easiler. Just my opinion.

SiobhanP,

You wrote:

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"As for how the owners are they I am sure will be pleasant and helpful as they are in the service business..."

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Having stayed at many B&Bs in Ireland over the years I have learned that not all B&B owners are nice. There are plenty of them that ARE pleasant and others who couldn't be bothered other than to give you a key and take your money. There is a vast difference in B&B owners and in B&Bs. Obviously the ones that go the extra mile will have repeat business and get a good reputation. But don't count on anything unless you do your research.

Well I personally see B&B's as bed and breakfast with no hotel frills. I have been staying in B&B's in Ireland since I was a child of 4-5 and I am in my late 30's now. I expect a pleasant person, nice room and nice breakfast and I usually have a quick chat with the owner and ask what I need to know i.e. if we are at a wedding late can we have the key or will the door be open and any other touristy things I may want to know. We are pretty self sufficient and i know from My Auntie owning one years ago that there is a lot of work to be done behind the scenes as well as having a family life so I ask what i need upfront and don't drop in on the owner 6 times to ask separate questions. I have encountered a rude owner is a VERY upmarket B&B and he did not like the look of me and my partner. He has been written up in places to stay in ireland etc and the house is lovely but I tell everyone never stay there as he was totally rude to me and completely dismissive of his wife in front of guests. I hope she hit him on the head with a frying pan in the kitchen after :-). I have stayed at ,much cheaper B&B'ss and been treated so kindly . Like hotels they can vary but they do provide a more basic service in a homely environment which can be nicer.

Malahide or Howth?

Until this thread, I had heard nothing but good things about Malahide. Is Howth really that much nicer? If anyone 'lurking' has opinions on comparing the 2 cities I love to hear from you. We wouldn't be staying in either of these specifically to be tourists there, but rather as the base for our touring of Newgrange and Dublin.

Malahide is a larger town with a more village atmosphere and larger choice of pubs and restaurants.

Howth is small and more rustic to me with a lovely pier and boathouse and lots of smaller restaurants on the seafront and up the hill in the vigllage. Its a quieter area in the evenings and we oftyer go here on a summer sunday for fish and chips from Beshoff's and sit in the grass and watch boats come in.

I like both areas and they are both on the sea.

SiobhanP, Malahide and Howth both sound nice for our last night in Ireland, then we fly home from Dublin airport. We will have a rental car to turn in.

Which village is easier to drive to the airport in the morning: Trim, Malahide, or Howth?

We will be driving down from Belfast/Newtownards area to either Trim, Malahide, or Howth. We will probably arrive by 1:00 pm and will have time to do something in the afternoon. Trim Castle? Malahide Castle?

What would you suggest?

We are actually renting our car near Shannon airport, and will turn it in at Dublin airport.

Thanks! Just thought I'd post my question here since everyone is already talking about the area.

maxpaste, good luck with your decision.

Malahid is the easiest roiute and closest. Howth is on a penninsula so there is 1 road in and one out and if there is traffic you will be slow going. Malahide is a normal road to the village but then you turn onto the motorway for the airport and there quickly. I really don't know what the big deal is with Tripm for some. It's not a parrticulary touristy area i.e. not a lot to do here unless you are a resident. Nvere seen trip castle. Malahide castle is lovely and small and has a nice grassy area around it that many families will come to on the weekends fro a bit of soccer or a picnic. On the way to Malahide Castle just on the right is a gardencentre (Gardenworks?) they have a great little food place in here like a smaller version of the Avoca cafe. I would reccommend this for lunch.

SiobhanP, thanks for the Malahide area info. I think the "deal" about Trim is that Rick Steves recommends it as an alternative to staying in Dublin. I was originally thinking of staying in Trim at the end of our trip, but am now thinking Malahide makes the most sense, though Howth is also tempting. I was looking at the King Sitric whic lawchick recommends.

But you say that Malahide has more choices of restaurants and pubs? Perhaps Malahide is best for us for 2 reasons: do you think it's a better spot for my young adult daughters to be entertained on their last night in Ireland; and also you say it's more convenient to the airport the next morning...

But Howth sounds interesting too...

lawchick: I was looking at the King Sitric in Howth for our last night. (Also considering Malahide.) "A quaint Irish village feel", as you say, sounds appealing to me. Do you think it would interest young college-age women like my daughters as well? (We would only be there 1 night, our last night in Ireland...unless we choose Malahide or even Trim.)

lucielou, since you are from Dublin, you are just the person I would like to chat with. I am trying to wrap up our plans for first trip to Ireland for next July 2006.

Flying into shannon, out of dublin. So Dublin airport comes at the end of our trip. In my original plan, we were going to spend our last 3 nights in Dublin city centre on a weekend in July. But when I began to realize how busy and crowded Dublin would likely be on a July weekend, I thought perhaps that wasn't the best time to see dublin.

How do you find Dublin on a July weekend? Do you find it intolerably noisy and crowded, or loads of fun? Or no different than any other time?

I thought it would be best to skip visiting Dublin on this trip, and see Dublin on our next trip, which I'm hoping we can take in a quieter season, like May or September.

So, at the end of this trip, we will either be spending just 1 night near Dublin airport (Malahide or Howth, probably); or else we could spend 3 nights in Malahide or Howth, which would be enough time to include a day-trip into Dublin, but it would be on a weekend...)

What is your advice, Lucielou? I should add I have difficulty sleeping if there is any noise...traffic, merry-makers, etc...

Thanks!

Maxpaste, hope you don't mind that I'm sharing your space, but at least we're both talking about Malahide, hope this helps you too!

Melissa5 - no problem, there's room for everyone. We're going in August, so I'll expect a full report from you when you get back!

We decided to stay in Malahide - it seems to fit our family's needs (2 teens, 2 adults) and traveling plans. Good luck with your decision.

maxpaste, you bet, you'll see my trip report before you go next August! Or at least, you'll see the beginning of my trip report...I may go on and on for months...:)

Melissa
If you have trouble sleeping, as I do, then you must be very careful about what hotel you choose and what street in Dublin. I would recommend you stay a few minutes walk out of the city centre, I would definitely steer clear of Harcourt Street, as there is quite a lot of noise from the clubs there, and its a bone of contention with Hoteliers in the area, in fact they are lobbying the government to have some of the clubs closed down because of complaints from guests in the hotels about noise. There is a lovely little guest house on Adelaide Road called Kilroran Guesthouse, its only a ten minute walk from Grafton street and Trinity college but far from the madding crowd. Regarding Dublin and July, well to be honest Dublin is always busy, there is no quiet time so to speak, I would go ahead and come for July, there will lots of tourists, but and the city will be buzzing, September might be marginally quieter, but not much. If there is anything i can help you with, give me a holler!
Kilroran web site is.

http://www.premierguesthouses.com/Gu...onan-House.htm

Good Luck
Lucie

I think that Lucie means Kilronan House as opposed to Kilroran. A bit of a typo perhaps? If so, this is the website: http://www.dublinn.com/

lucielou, thanks for the info on dublin! Kilronan house is just the place I had my eye on, as a matter of fact! So I will be choosing between Kilronan House in dublin, or Beechwood House in Malahide.

Thankyou Irish Eyes, a typo indeed, I try to type as quick as i talk, and it all gets jumbled up !!!

Guys

For what it's worth, my opinion on the King Sitric in Howth. Having looked forward to dining going there for ages, I dined there June 04 with my wife - I was not overwhelmed by the food. I found it, like many Dublin restaurants, expensive and the food so-so, the service though was good. Maybe it's changed since or we got it on a bad night.

In Malahide, Bon Appetit is nice - it's formal and expensive, but IMHO worth it. Also, The Old Schoolhouse in Swords is worth a visit. Similar price / standard to Bon Appetit, maybe a little less formal.

Bon appetit is very pricey but I hear always fantastic reviews. A friend of a friend used to know the owner and we had a cake made by them as a favour for a work event. very nice!http://www.bonappetit.ie/`

Gavan I never ate at the Kind Sitric and I am not a seafood eater but I hear Aqua in Howth is good.

If you want something a bit out of the ordinary and you LOve seafood try Hemmingways on Vernon ave in Clontarf. Odd place that is a fishmongers with a seating counter and they will cook any piece iof fish you choose any way you like it. They make me beautiful veggie plates and tortilla's Very casual and we just drop in with no bookings. Someone came in last week wiith a booking for 4 and to my horror they did have one and we laughed. They just did it for the night but I hoppe they don't make a habit of it. Great cooks and fun atmosphere in the evenings.

Thanks for all these tasty thoughts of Malahide and Howth areas! :)

Earlier this year dinner at Bon Appetit was 50 euro per person! The menu looked fantastic. But when spending three weeks in Ireland and having to eat out for the whole time, that just did not fit into my budget. Our B&B owner said it was good value for money. But not for my money! I always find Sale e Pepe very good and it costs less. Although that night we ate at Smyths for around 10 euro each. Eating out in Ireland has gotten extremely expensive since they changed over to the euro.