Is it better to book Ireland B&Bs in advance?

Question

We are going to Ireland this month. We would like to rent a car and stay in bed and breakfasts while we tour the country. I am planning on booking the car rental asap.

- Should I reserve a car rental + B&B package with vouchers?

- Should I book a car and B&B vouchers separately?

- Should I book B&B with vouchers or independently?

- Do I need to book B&Bs in advance, or can I just call the night before? or just stop by once I am in town?

I want the trip to go as smoothly as possible, but I also want the flexibility to stay whereever we feel like for the night.

Thank you for your help!

Answer 1

My mother and I vacationed in Ireland a couple of years ago and we too wanted the freedom to go off the beaten track.

I personally booked a B&B in 2 major cities out 4 to give us some flexibility. With the exception of one of the B&Bs not being in the city of Cork, it worked out well. We stayed in a wonderful B&B in Waterford and fantastic Hotel in Limerick.

Since we planned our vacation ourselves, I cannot speak for or against the vouchers. We saw some voucher users that had to get up very early to meet the tour and we felt sorry for them as we lazed around the B&B and left when we were ready to leave.

The way we worked it turned out to be great for us but then again it was a genealogy exploration too! We needed flexibility.

The only thing that we ignored and shouldn't have was that you need a minimum of 3 weeks there and we only spent 2. It was nearly enough time and I hated coming back home to GA. lol

Happy Vacation!

Answer 2

If you're coming over in May, it would be wise to book your weekends in advance, as it's coming into festival season and accommodation might be in short supply close to festival centres.

When you rent a car, you are automatically given a stick shift vehicle, as automatic cars are not popular here and I don't think many agencies do them anymore.

Answer 3

Well i can give you two recommendations a bad place to stay in dublin! Parkway B&B don't like americans! if you happen down to COrRK we stayed at very nice residents there Sunnyside B&B owner name Mary Walsh Ph# 353(0) 21 438 5779 very pleasant lady and property! is was a little northwest of CORK proper but NICE! we kinda just looked up on internet and some chambers of commerce site for ideas and recommendations!

a good visit was place called New Grange north of Dublin!

Answer 4

well it's may this month,so here in dublin anyway it's just a month from the major tourist season which is from june-september

so there is a chance b+bs  may be bokked by people wanting to come before there's too many tourists so it would be advisable to book your car and b+b as soon as in possible.

Have  a great holiday!

Answer 5

the best thing i can say here is if you check the Irish tourest broad web site its discoverireland.ie or discoverireland.com the reason i would not like to answer this is the b&b package vouchers there is a large number of indepan B&bs here and i dont know if they excep a voucher or not and dont want to put you worng

Answer 6

Be careful about vouchers i found some B and Bs did not accept.  Are you prepared to drive in Ireland?  You can get an international permit at AAA and could help save on the insurance with rental cars which can be high.

It is wise to ask the B&B about laundry service in town.  You should book early there are a lot of festivals going on.  But you can also get reasonable b&Bs along the way.

If you know where you are going its good to find out ahead.  

I have personally talked and visited the B&Bs on our site and they are very nice owners indeed.

If you are going anywhere near County Clare in Miltown Malbay there is Seacrest B & B and it has a family room and extra kitchen for guest.

Ask the B&B if they accept vouchers when you book