We arrive in Dublin 21st May. We have 14 days to drive and see everything. We really enjoy just driving and looking at sites. Not much into museums and church's although I'm sure we will see many. At first I thought of just driving and finding a B&B or similar for each nights stop. Then I had the idea maybe it would be cheaper to hire a cottage for a week in the south and do day trips, then a week up north again for day trips. What do you guys think is the best way to go? Cottage or B&B?. While we aren't on an actual budget I do hate to "waste" money. As long as places are clean that's enough. We're up early and out and about so don't need anything fancy. Any advice or web sites would be appreciated.

Pam in Oz

Hi Pam,
I think a weeks rental in a cottage would work out cheaper and more flexible for you. The problem with B&B's is that they do not like one night stays. In order to find a property you can check out the listings on Owners Direct or Holiday Rentals.
Mary

I think your idea of 2 cottages a week each is a wonderful one. I do not know Ireland well enough to suggest particular towns - and have only been to the south.

We have done B & B's in the past and will continue to do so but we much prefer an apartment or cottage. Largely around reasons of privacy and space - my pet hate is only having the bed to sit on! And a wee bit of self catering but not much beyond snacks and breakfast.

As another Australian, where distances of hundreds of kilometres are covered between breakfast and lunch - just bear in mind that driving times in Ireland can be very slow. Make sure you don't set yourself up for a lot of driving or back tracking etc as a result of staying in the one place.

Ireland is wonderful - though we made the mistake of going in March - May should be lovely.

I agree that there are definite benefits to renting a place for a week, but depending on how much ground you plan to cover it may not be the most efficient if you have to drive back to your house daily.

If you are planning to rent a house in west cork and then thoroughly explore west cork it is a great idea, but if you want to rent a house in Clare, and see Clare, Galway, Cork, Kerry, Connemara, etc, you are going to be spending a lot of time trying to get back to your rental.

I've never had a problem with a one day b & b rental in Ireland,I think 1 day rentals are probably the most common length of time for people to stay in b&bs assuming they are traveling around the country.

Colleen

Hello Pam,

I'm Irish-born and we have often holidayed in our own country, usually getting B&Bs and occasionally hiring a cottage. B&B standards have risen in Ireland in the past ten years - the vast majority now offer en-suite rooms. You wold be extremely unlucky to get a dirty B&B - you're always assured of a warm welcome and some useful local information.

I would wholeheartedly agree with ColleenR about west Cork - it is fantastic. We did a driving tour (staying in B&Bs) which I have posted here:
Munster tour

You will also find some driving tips on the site. If you PM/contact me via the site, I will gladly give you the B&Bs we used. However, the joy of touring by car, especially in May, is that you don't need to book accommodation in advance! We usually book a couple of nights and then get something on the road as we meander. Lovely!

pjdscott,We will be in Ireland mid-June - is meandering good at that time of year? Or do we need to book in advance? We will need two rooms at each stop.

Thanks.