Gorgeous Ireland Scenery 5
In this second post in a series of four, this Ireland Post will be about the hotels we stayed at on our journey through Dublin, Cork, Galway, and Killarney and the car that took us through the cities, proudly driven by yours truly.:) To see Ireland Part 1 about travel logistics go here: IRELAND PART 1
I used a myriad of companies to book our hotel reservations for Ireland based upon what was the cheapest at the time. Two sites I recommend to compare different prices when booking rooms are Kayak & Trip Advisor. These can also be used for flights as well. For this trip I ended up using www.booking.com, www.hotels.com, and one room was cheaper to book directly through the hotel. It is always important to do your research so you do not get ripped off.
Gorgeous Ireland Scenery 1
Gorgeous Ireland Scenery 2
Another very important piece of hotel research is researching areas. My husband and I like to do this through trip advisor. On our trips, we always like to stay city center so you can walk around and explore, especially in a city like Dublin, where we decided not to rent a car. We loved all of our hotels. In Dublin we stayed at the Brooks Hotel for our first 2 nights. In Cork we spent one night at a Bed & Breakfast called the Garnish House & another night at the River Lee Hotel. Upon leaving Cork we went to Killarney and stayed at the Killarney Plaza Hotel. Next, in Galway we stayed at the Park House Hotel. For our last 2 nights in Dublin, we stayed at the Trinity Capital Hotel.
Brooks Hotel
On our trip we spent our first 2 nights in Dublin at the Brooks Hotel which I must say was very convenient to everywhere we wanted to trek to in the Dublin area, including the popular touristy area of Temple Bar. The Brooks Hotel had friendly staff and a prime location. I would definitely stay in this lovely hotel again.
Hop ON Hop Off Bus Tour Dubin
Before booking through outside websites check out their website first as there always special offers, midweek specials and other promos always going on. In Dublin it is very easy to get around town and we opted to use the Hop On-Hop Off Tour bus. There are 24 stops for this bus and you can get a 15% discount by purchasing your pass online here: HOP ON-HOP OFF BUS. Prices are normally 18 Euro for adults and 16 Euro for students and seniors. (It is always beneficial to have a student id with you in Ireland to save money.)
Gorgeous Ireland Scenery 3
Upon leaving Dublin to our next city, Cork we made our way back to the Dublin airport with The Dublin bus (mentioned in Ireland 1 post) It can be very confusing to figure out where to get your rental car, so ask someone the second you get there so you don’t end up walking around in circles like we did.
Our Rental Car – The Fluence (European Car)
We were renting a car from Dooley/Payless which ended up being the WORST deal and the biggest rip off of our trip. We had already booked a car through www.carrentals.com and at the airport they insisted on overcharging and upgrading so many things. I did not want to sign the rental car agreement paperwork because I told them I did not agree, but they would not have given me any car if I did not, so I let them know I would be contesting the charges the second I got home. Since then (a huge war with Dooley occurred..long story) but in a nutshell I had my credit card company credit me for their overcharges and Dooley has not fought back yet and they only have a certain number of days, so my fingers are crossed…I would NEVER EVER recommend Dooley/Payless rental cars even to my worst enemy. I was supposed to be spending $200 total for my rental car plus insurance (maybe $150) but Dooley ripped me off and charged me over $1,000 for the week!!
Garnish House Bed And Breakfast – Cork
Our first stop after Dublin was Cork which had a gorgeous landscape. For the first night we stayed in a Bed & Breakfast called, “The Garnish House.” This was an adorable building with a very welcoming couple as hosts. The breakfast was absolutely fabulous! The only problem that I had with this place is that upon leaving after enjoying my stay they charged me extra for the breakfast!! I had never heard of anything like this before because in the
Yummy Breads at Garnish House Bed And Breakfast (2)
United States the point of doing a “Bed & Breakfast” is because breakfast is included. I did let the owners know that they need to mention this in the reservations if we will have to pay additional for breakfast because I forced myself to wake up to eat the breakfast because I thought it was included. I never would have woke so early to eat breakfast there if I was going to be charged an extra fee.
Yummy Breads at Garnish House Bed And Breakfast (1)
Gorgeous River Lee Hotel in Cork
The next day we moved onto what I think was the best hotel in our entire stay. The hotel was called, “The River Lee.” The view at this hotel was absolutely breathtaking. We were right next to a quaint river bed and the hotel had glass windows throughout so you could see all of the gorgeous views outside from anywhere within the hotel. For this hotel they upgraded us to the executive floor which gave us access to a room with waters, juices, snacks and big screen TV’s. It was a nice perk.
River Lee in Cork at Night
Killarney Plaza Hotel
The next city we drove to was Killarney and we stayed at the Killarney Plaza Hotel. The Killarney Plaza was in a great location near to everything we wanted to do such as the Ross Castle and the National Park, but I cannot say there
Dani Driving on the Opposite side of the Road and the Seat
was anything special that stood out to me about this property. The parking situation was quite sketchy on a Bank Holiday weekend in that there were not nearly enough spaces and the spaces were very tight at that, which becomes a bit of a struggle, especially when you are not used to the steering wheel being on the passenger side of the car in terms of the way cars are made in the Unites States.
Park House Hotel – Galway
Our second to last hotel we stayed at was in Galway and it was called, “The Park House Hotel.” We got to Galway later in the evening and had a hard time finding this hotel as we circled the streets several times, until we realized parking was behind the hotel and they were very small spaces and we had to valet. The Park House Hotel
Happy Anniversary
had a fabulous restaurant in which we celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary.:) The rooms were very nice in the Park House Hotel as well:). We thoroughly enjoyed our 3 night stay.
When Driving Be Careful Not To Hit Any Sheep
Super Tight Parking Space at Killarney Plaza Hotel
The last stop before going home was back to Dublin. We dropped off our rental car at Dooley and took the Dublin bus back into the city for one last stop. The last hotel we stayed at was Trinity Capital. I must say…the stay started off rocky here, but the staff quickly fixed everything for us. Upon arriving at the Trinity Capital in Dublin, it was one of the warmest days and we trekked down the streets of Ireland lost with heavy bags because we were dropped off at a Trinity Bar and not the Trinity hotel…After finally finding our hotel, we were assigned to our room on a top level floor and we were shocked to find our room had no air conditioning. After calling the front desk and expressing our frustrations of being hot in a room that was around 88 degrees Fahrenheit for a few
Triniy Capital Hotel 1
hours, we were moved to one of the nicest newest suites that had central air. We loved the room. It was gorgeous and very spacious and we were able to continue on our journey of Ireland.
Trinity Capital Hotel
Gorgeous Ireland Scenery 4
For Post 3 of my “All about Ireland” series stay tuned for information about where to eat.:) There are so many fabulous restaurants in town and when travelling to Ireland, you must hit up some of my personal favorites.
Road Trippin D
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