Well I am going to Ireland in Ocotber with my new bride and we have vouchers for Bed & Breakfasts to choose from throughout the country. We are free to make whatever plans we like over our two week stay and our B&B options are very large, I think we have over 1,400 to choose from.
Anybody have any specific recommendations for or against certain B&Bs anywhere in Ireland?
We went to Ireland in September 2002 without a single reservation. The supply of B&B’s, as you have found, appears to be limitless and the high season is over! We stayed at a cattle farm, a pub, and at regular people’s houses - and could not have had a better time. The people are so nice and the breakfasts are to die for!
I guess I’m saying you can pretty much close your eyes and point at a listing and know you’re going to have a good time. What part(s) are you going to?
Mrs. Piper and I were there in June. We found that the B&Bs were good generally - of the five we stayed at, only one wasn’t very satisfactory.
We used the vouchers and the book that you have, and relied on the regional tourist offices to book for us, a couple of nights in advance each time. Worked very well, for a booking charge of 4 euros per booking. We had a rental car as part of the voucher package, so we were able to design our own holiday and go where we wanted - very relaxing.
I think having the vouchers helps to cut out the lower grade ones - I think the voucher company has certain standards.
One warning note, though: B&Bs in Dublin City and Dublin Co. had stopped taking the vouchers last spring. I don’t know if that was just for the high tourist season, or more generally.
We had a great time in Ireland - have fun!