My fiance and I have started to map out our honeymoon in Ireland (Late/End of August). We plan to go for 10 days/9 nights starting in Shannon and traveling up the North West Coast to Donegal. <BR> <BR>First Question: We will be arriving in Shannon early in the morning after traveling all night ... can you recommend a really nice place for us to stay that isn't too far from the Shannon Airport but also gives us a little jump start on our journey? (Ennis maybe?). <BR> <BR>Second Question: We plan on "winging it" after our first nights stay. Is it true that we won't have a hard time finding a B&B to sleep in when we arrive at a destination/town? Paranoid bride does not want to have to sleep in the rental car on her honeymoon (smile). <BR> <BR>Your help is most appreciated.

Hi Maureen, have not been, but we are going to Ireland in mid-Aug. too! All I can say, if you are the least bit paranoid like me, you will get reservations in advance! It would drive me batty, but of course, you will be "young" newlyweds and impervious to the elements....hee hee. if you are "mapping' already, just go one step further and e-mail for reservations. This forum has bunches of info on B&Bs in Ireland! In fact, there is almost too much info, one can easily get inundated by it. What ever you do have the best honeymoon! Judy

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! <BR> <BR>I can only speak to the second part of your posting. When I planned my trip in May 1998, I bought a self-drive/B&B package and booked our rooms in advance for an $8.00/night charge. We were moving every two nights or so and didn't want the concern of constantly finding rooms. For the peace of mind, it was well worth the small cost. In fact, we ran into several couples and solo travelers who told us that they had to drive from place to place searching for a vacant room. One woman had to go to 8 B&Bs around Doolin and spent two hours looking for a place to stay. <BR> <BR>However, I don't want to be an alarmist, but this was just my experience. Other, much more traveled Fodorites, might have more input and tell you not to worry at all.

Maureen, <BR>Answer to your first question is Dromland Castle or Adare manor - both are expensive but are just right for hooneymooners and people just fresh off a trans-altantic flight. <BR> <BR>The second question is - late August is peak tourist season so I would advise pre-booking especially for popular areas ie Galway, Kerry, Doolin and Dublin. It really depends on where you will be heading towards - try and stay 2 nights in some places as this will be less stressful and will give you a chance to get to know the B&B people and they will guide you in your travels and searches for the next B&B. B&Bs ladies (and they are generally ladies) have a wonderful "I have a friend who runs a B&B in .... ". So if you don't pre-book them all then at least when you are renting your car get a mobile phone (a cell phone) with it and then you can call ahead and reserve a place without having to drive fromplace to place or stand in a tel. box. One other peice of advice remember if you purchase the packages that have B&B vouchers that not all B&Bs accept these vouchers. For interesting places to stay try the Hidden Ireland web site or the Blue Book web site - they are special places and ideal for honeymooners - in Sligo I would recommend Temple House. These are the web sites - <BR>www.townandcountry.ie <BR>www.irishfarmholidays.com <BR>www.hidden-ireland.com, <BR>www.ireland.travel.ie <BR>www.templehouse.ie (Sligo - NorthWest) <BR>www.castlesireland.com/ <BR>www.gsh.ie <BR>www.irelands-blue-book.ie/ <BR>www.ballymaloe.com (In Cork - the southern region - it has an excellent restaurant) <BR>www.irishcountryhousesandcastles.com <BR> <BR> <BR>Hope this helps and congratulations on your wedding and have a stress free few months in the run up to it, <BR>Cathy

Just for the record, <BR> <BR>"Paranoid" means something like "I believe that people will deliberately single me out to do nasty things to me" not "I am worried that something will go wrong". <BR> <BR>sorry to be picky.

Thanks to all who have posted a reply. It's great to get this kind of feedback. <BR> <BR>Special thanks to "Picky" ... meaning "excessively fastidious". In case you didn't know excessively means "greater than what is normal or necessary".

I don't know if you've been there before, but it would be a shame to fly into Shannon and miss Dingle and the western part of the peninsula. I realize it's the opposite direction, but only about 2.5 hrs...

The time you are travelling is also coincident with the Galway race week, I think, so I would definitely have pre arranged reservations there. This is one of the biggest party weeks in Ireland

Maureen - I'm a travel agent with Carlson-Wagonlit in Asheville NC. There are several companies who specialize in exactly what you and your fiancee are looking for. If you'll call me at 1 800 467 4981 I'll be happy to help you

Wow! Over 50 minutes transpired, and the "anti-commercial" snapping turtles haven't attacked "nancyt" yet? <BR> <BR>Amazing! <BR>

Hey, NancyT, <BR> <BR>Get the heck off of this board with your commercial promotion. <BR> <BR>Maureen, stay far away from this Nancy person. Someone who would ignore the rule against commercial promotion can't be very ethical, so I would never do business with them. <BR> <BR>Did I get here fast enough?

Once again, thanks for your responses. Interesting information about the Galway Races ... I'll be sure to secure a B&B for a few nights at least. <BR> <BR>Thanks for the offer Nancy, but I won't be needing a travel agent for my trip.

Hi Maureen, <BR> I recently was in Ireland, in Nov. I could have done the "wing it" thing for B&B's but chose to book my rooms in advance. <BR> - If you book ahead, you will have some confidence in where you will be staying. Nothing leaves a bad taste in your mouth during a vacation, than ending up paying for yuk-ky accomodations. I personally go by reccomodations & web sites. If they have a good web site, they will most likely put their 'best foot first' so you know what the best is for a given place and can guess what the worst room looks like. <BR> - you will have some idea of where you are going. In August, there will still be plenty of sunlight, but remember, driving on the Left can really turn your head around, and having one less worry , by having directions to your B&B , can make the day a little less stressful <BR> - one more thing for booking ahead - you can stretch your sightseeing out a little longer each day , if you want, because you won't be wasting time looking for vacancies. <BR> <BR> P.S. - Depending on the weather that day - you may want to go to the Cliffs of Moher right away. The road from Shannon cuts straight across ( as straight as it gets there and is only an hour or two - if memory serves me - from Shannon. It is a sight not to be missed. <BR> <BR>Good luck - as you get ideas on where you want to stay - check back and I am sure we can give you our thoughts. <BR>Debbie

Hi Maureen: <BR>Definitely book your Galway accomodations as soon as you have the dates. Use Cathy's suggestions--there are so many places to choose from but you'll want to have a nice one so start deciding which one. The Salt Hill area is great. Plenty of choices. <BR>I happened to be in Galway during race week last August and had a great time! Lovely people from all over the country (and the world) It was a great adventure as I had not really planned to be there--what a treat! <BR>Have a great time and congratulations!