Hoping someone who has driven Cork can help with a distance question. We will be visiting college daughter at UCC. We have rented a car and booked 5 nights at Sheraton Fota Island but are debating the next 5 nights. We could book a B&B next to UCC or book another 5 nights at the Sheraton. My dilemna is should be book a B&B close and not have to drive or stay at the Sheraton (which will also have king size beds for my 6 ft husband) but will require more unfamiliar driving and parking. We may stay a night away in Dingle but are mostly planning day trips from Cork. Is one of my options significantly better? Any advice?

I am staying in Cork in April 08 at a Bed and Breakfast called Fenroyd House ( I believe it is near the University). Look it up on tripadvisor, it look quite good.

For just one night away, Dingle is quite a long drive. I stayed in Kinsale last October and loved it and had best pub night at The Spaniard - the oldest pub in Kinsale. This way you can actually enjoy the town and not be racing down a narrow road!

At the very least, do plan a day visit to Kinsale -- nice B&B's, excellent restaurants and pubs, scenic coastal location. The surrounding area of West Cork is beautiful as well. If you are uncomfortable driving, Dingle is quite a distance form Cork.

Hi,
Re distance: the Sheraton would be about 20mins' drive from UCC (depending on traffic). It's a very nice hotel and close to other parts of Cork, including Cobh, Ballymaloe House/Shanagarry and nearish Youghal. I have eaten at the Sheraton and also seen the rooms and it was high quality. If you decide to stay near UCC you'd be 20mins' walk to the centre of Cork (about 5mins' drive but Cork driving can be awkward because of the one way system; parking can be scarce but your B+B should have a carpark). A B+B I have used (fab breakfasts) is Garnish but it wouldn't be as luxurious as the Sheraton). If you're looking for luxury near UCC you should go for Hayfield Manor, or slightly further away, The Kingsley. Perhaps you should consider staying a night here and there in places like Kinsale, Ballymaloe house or further into West Cork. Dingle is beautiful but quite a long drive. I live in Cork so would be happy to answer any questions.
Good luck

I stayed at the Sheraton and nicknamed it "Fota Towers" after Fawlty Towers. Everything that could go wrong went wrong and more. It was so bad it was funny.

You are aware I hope that the Sheraton is literally in the middle of nowhere.

The rooms are nicely done (albeit I had cold showers and intermittent electricity for my stay). The Spa is nice (albeit they ripped off three layers of skin off my leg when waxing it). The restaurant is very funny.

I have to admit that the place wasn't open that long when I went there. They did offer me a free return visit - which I declined in peals of laughter...they then offered me some Sheraton or whatever points for free stays - which I've never used.

Just fyi: my experiences with the Sheraton were last month and in Dec and were positive so perhaps the last poster stayed when they were having teething problems. As for the restaurant: it's fine, perhaps not brilliant and rather expensive. There are better restaurants both in Cork city and in East Cork. Obviously, as I live nearby it, I certainly wouldn't call it 'the middle of nowhere' (it's in a very beautiful area, beside the wildlife park and near Cobh, a very pretty and historic town), but certainly it's not in the centre of a buzzing city. The Sheraton is nice if you like big US resort type hotels; if you want more character I wouldn't particularly recommend it.

Sorry dogyoungone - no offence meant by the middle of nowhere comment....it is situated in a beautiful sport - but for an american tourist who seems to be somewhat concerned about "unfamiliar driving" it is somewhat rural.

I agree I was there in the early days when it seemed to be suffering teething problems - but honestly it was my most bizarre stay ever in a hotel. Unfortunately I had my parents with me - it was supposed to be a little treat for them - and my dad was very sick and in a wheelchair at the time...all the "teething problems" were no fun for them.

I wrote a funny review for tripadvisor which mysteriously disappeared after a few weeks.

no worries, no offence taken!

We just came back from Ireland, and we spent one night in Cork at Lancaster Lodge, not far from UCC. Lancaster Lodge was a nice hotel, within walking distance of downtown, as well as the college.

Sandy

Thank you all for the input!! It was very appreciated. To update on our decision in case anyone else has a similar dilemna, we ended up splitting the difference - we stayed 5 nights at the Sheraton Fota Island (to save money and use points) and 5 nights in Cork at the Garnish B&B. After it was all over, we wished we had reversed the order. The Sheraton was huge, beautiful and the staff was very pleasant and accomadating. We really enjoyed the pub and the spa, as well as the very large room and luxury bed. And once we knew the route and were a little more familiar with Irish roads (and signs - who knew they put the closest towns at the bottom of the sign- lol, took me a week to realize it was the opposite of the US) we had no problems driving to and from Cork/UCC, which we did nightly. We were there in mid March during the "Storm of the Century!" with the pounding rain, so we did retire by 9 pm nightly. The Sheraton wasn't too far out - we still visited Cobh, Cork, Blarney, Waterford and Kinsale - although we are SoCal and don't mind driving. We enjoyed the bar nightly and tried the Irish breakfast (delish but pricey) and dinner one night (same as breakfast). The water river spa treatment was really enjoyable and unique - it is an water environment with various jets and bubbles that you move through and enjoy for about 1/3 the price of a massage. The river has a huge window looking outside, which was really neat since it was storming while we were inside. Even Mr. Fairygemgirl liked it alot, although slightly warmer water temps would have made me happier.
The Garnish was terrific and much closer to daughter and UCC - and the food- oh my goodness! We had a room in the front and there were street lights and young singing drunks (we were there over the weekend celebration of St P's) but I sleep like a log so it bothered me very little. Even with the noise/light, the people and the breakfast definitely made the stay at Garnish worth it. When we mentioned we were visiting our daughter and her friends, Mrs. Lucey invited us to bring them for breakfast! And I swear I gained 10 pounds in 5 days at Garnish, even climbing the 2 flights of stairs and walking the town daily! I would say the breakfasts at Garnish were in the top food experiences in all of Ireland! They recommended stops, gave us discount coupons, and were just generally friendly and helpful.
The reason I said we should have reversed the order is because our shower at the Sheraton was bigger than the whole bathroom at the B&B and it was quiet with a true king size bed for my light sleeping husband. He would have prefered the better sleeping opportunity in the second half of the trip, even if he did have to give up a pub beer (cuz he didn't want to have to drive back to the Sheraton after hoisting a pint.) Fortunately the Sheraton has a lovely bar if needed.
Bottom line - I would do both again happily!

fairygemgirl,

Thanks for posting a report for us, I love reading about accommodations. It sounds as if you had a wonderful time.

Regards, Joan