Tips for travel in Ireland: Where to stay in Ireland?

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One of the most important aspects to enjoying your trip to Ireland is finding a nice place to stay.  Below is a list of B&Bs, Hotels and hostels where I have stayed in Ireland that I would recommend.

I have broken them into three categories:
#1 - Plan your trip around this place
#2 - You must stay here if you are in the area
#3 - These places won't disappoint you.

Compiling the list led me to one conclusion, the host makes the stay.

Category #1:  Plan your trip around these houses

Coill An Róis - Dingle (An Daingean), Co. Kerry  -  The best accommodation in the South

Let me begin with this, I have been to Ireland twelve times and Coill An Róis is the one place I would stay if I only had one choice.  Jimmy (the owner) is an attentive, friendly, accommodating host.
The whole place was wonderful.  When we reached the breakfast room, Jimmy was waiting.  We had a nice talk about last night, the morning and life in general.  He then presented us with homemade bread, muffins, scones and tea as we ate our cereal.  We thought that was delicious until he brought out the rest of our breakfast.  My wife had a fruit plate which had 8-10 different types of fruit sliced and arranged - 2 of which were from his garden.  He also raises chickens, so he has fresh eggs!  He made me scrambled eggs with salmon.  This is hands down our favorite place!  Before we left we talked to Jimmy for another half hour or so. 
This is Jimmy's home, but he worked for years as a chef in New York.  The result is the best of both worlds.  The mouthwatering food of a trained chef and the advice of a local.  Since the house is located in a Gaeltacht, Jimmy is a native Irish speaker and I was able to book our room through Irish.
Aside from the house, the Dingle peninsula is a spectacular place to visit.  You can read about it here.

Highlights:

- the BEST shower in Ireland
- Incredible breakfast (by FAR the best!) 


Price: Average (€35-40 per person sharing, children half price)

Coill An Róis

Coill An Róis means "Forest of The Roses"
and here they are

Our bed at Coill An Róis

Our room at Coill An Róis

Hillcrest House - Letterkenny, Co. Donegal

If you are anywhere near Letterkenny, stay with Martin Anderson at Hillcrest House.  He is such a fantastic chef and a great host that it would be a shame to miss it.  The evening meal is ridiculously good.  He threw in a free desert (mouth watering raspberry crumble with ice cream) one stay and free wine on the other.  This place is great!  The rooms are not anything fancy, but are clean and comfortable.  The food and host however, more than make up the difference.

Martin is the reason we stayed in Letterkenny and not Derry or somewhere else on our last visit.  Upon our arrival, Martin tilted his head to one side and said, "You have stayed here before, haven't you?"  I replied that I had, but it had been a few years.  He replied, "You were in Donegal studying Irish and came here with your parents."  He was right, I had no idea that he would remember, especially after seven years.  Aside from his personality (which is a huge reason to book here) he is a professional chef and serves affordable evening meals that are better than I have had in any restaurant in Ireland.  Hillcrest House is a must visit B&B if you plan on visiting anything in the surrounding areas.

Martin also makes fantastic breakfast.  Last time, I had a smoothie and French toast, he has a really amazing selection for breakfast!

Highlights:

- The food! (breakfast and dinner)
- The host
- It's a nice location for touring either Donegal or Derry

Price: Average (about €40 per person sharing (dinner is extra))

Coopershill House - Riverstown, Co. Sligo

Arriving at Coopershill House is like entering Mount Vernon or Gunston Hall or Monticello must have been in the 1700s.  There is a 1 mile long drive lined by trees, pastures of deer, a river and then you see the house.  There is an opening in the trees that reveals a croquet lawn, a drive and a huge Manor house.  Simon (the owner) came out to help us with our bags.  His family built the house in 1774 and he still lives in it.  The house is amazing!

I'm so glad we decided to stay here!  We checked in about 4 PM and read, napped and showered.  About 6:30 we went for a walk down grass paths through the woods, next to the deer pastures.  It was like something from a children's story.  The place is absolutely beautiful.  Also, hanging in the hall outside our bedroom door was what I believe is a famous portrait of Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Stafford by Van Dyck.  (Though I am not an expert at all!)

Simon upgraded us to a Superior room since there were only three other guests staying.  He was a really wonderful host.  That evening, we opted for the 5 course meal at 8:15.  It was fantastic, most of the items were grown on the grounds or at a nearby farm.  All of the main courses were meat, but the chef prepared a special dish for my non meat eating wife that she loved.  After the meal they served coffee and tea in the drawing room.  Breakfast the next morning was excellent as well.  I had the cooked breakfast and my wife had a very delicious looking fruit plate.  The house is just beautiful, full of portraits of the family, stag heads, pikes, and other pieces of family history.

Coopershill House

Our bedroom

Our bathroom

Obviously, staying at Simon's is expensive when compared to a B&B or Guesthouse.  We stayed here as a treat and to give our trip a change of pace and are glad that we did.  We loved the peace and stillness that Coopershill provided, plus Simon makes you feel like a guest in his home during your stay (versus a paying guest). The house is deservedly featured in many guidebooks including Karen Brown, Ireland's Blue Book and The Bridgestone Guide.  If you are looking for something upscale this is certain to please you.

Highlights:- The house is special.  You actually are staying in the house with gentry (his parents live in a second house on the grounds)
- The grounds are beautiful and quiet

Price: Expensive (about €110 per person sharing (dinner is extra))

Category #2: If You Are In The Area, Stay Here

Dunromin - Kilkenny, Co. Kilkenny

Dunromin was a lovely B&B.  We had a single and double bed with a large bathroom (shower only) for €70.  We stayed here for our first night after a long transatlantic journey.  Val was extremely helpful and cheery.  We were sad to leave.  We also had some really nice conversations with the other guests over a delicious breakfast -- full fry and a bar with a variety of cereal, peaches, mixed fruit salad, a bowl of apples, oranges and bananas and a pitcher of orange juice.

Val equipped everyone with either a map or very detailed directions to their next destination.


Our beds at Dunromin


 

Our bathroom at Dunromin

Our room at Dunromin

Keane's Oyster Bar - Kilkee, Co. Clare

Keane's Oyster Bar

We visited the Cliffs of Moher before retiring to Keane's Oyster Bar, three miles out of Kilkee on the Kilrush side.  I had found an internet special for a two course meal and B&B for €50 and the website looked nice, so we booked it.
Our room was huge!  It had one double bed and two singles, a sitting area with a table, couch, chair and a TV, a food area with a refrigerator, counter top, cabinet, kettle, toaster and they gave us milk and jam.
The building itself has the accommodation on one side, a small shop, a pub and a restaurant.  We were excited for the meal because the room had really impressed us.The meals were good and a real bargain.  We were in a very nice (and extremely quiet) room, ate a well prepared two course meal and breakfast for  €50 each.  Breakfast was very good!  The girl and woman running the place were very eager to please.  This place was a welcome evening of relaxation that was greatly needed.  They also provided us with a nice local map and two postcards of the place.

Our room at Keane's Oyster Bar

Claí Bán - Kilronan, Inis Mór (Aran Islands), Co. Galway

Upon landing at the airport on the island, a bus took us to our B&B for €10 return trip even though it was 10:30 AM.  We dropped our bags off and headed to rent some bikes.  Which is a great way to get around the island.  Claí Bán is really nice and well located, a short walk to all of the restaurants and shops.  We didn't spend much time in the B&B since the weather was so wonderful, but we wished we had another day so we could have enjoyed this place more.

Our room at Claí Bán

Teelin Bay House - Teileann (Teelin), Co. Donegal

Teelin is located in on the rear of Sliabh Liag, the highest sea cliff in Europe, and one of  the most beautiful parts of Ireland.  Everyone around will tell you that the Teelin Bay is the class of the area.  Kathleen's breakfasts are legendary.  So much so that when international music stars, Altan are in town this is where they have breakfast! After a restful night, we too had an excellent breakfast.  Teelin Bay is a very nice B&B with great views for €30 per person!

Our bathroom at Teelin Bay B&B

Our bedroom at Teelin Bay B&B

Our view from Teelin Bay B&B

Oakfield Guesthouse - Lower Ballinderry, Lisburn, Co. Antrim

We stayed at Oakfield Guesthouse in Lower Ballinderry, County Antrim after a day on the northern coast.  We used this as our stopover before Belfast.

Rosaleen and her son, Johnny are really fantastic!  We had some really nice chats with her before Sarah and I headed to the village of Moira to eat.  

We slept in a bit the next morning and ate our wonderful breakfast that Johnny had prepared.  Then we said our goodbyes to Rosaleen and Johnny, who somehow felt like friends by this point.  Johnny made us 4 CDs to listen to and Rosaleen gave us hugs as we left.  Oakfield Guesthouse was a wonderful place to stay (£ 60 for the two of us).  It's definitely one to return to if we're ever in the area again.

Our bed at Oakfield Guesthouse

Our room at Oakfield Guest House

Our bathroom at Oakfield Guesthouse

Orange Hall of Lower Ballinderry ready for the 12th

Category #3 - These Places Won't Disappoint You

Tinsley House - Cahir, Co. Tipperary

Tinsley House is located on the Square in Cahir, home to the finest castle I have visited in Ireland.  It is an easy drive from Dublin or really anywhere in southern Ireland.  Cahir is one of my favorite towns in Ireland and this B&B puts you in the middle of it.

After Sarah and I arrived and got settled in at Tinsley House, we went to eat.  When we returned to the B&B I noticed that I didn't have the key!  It turns out I had left our key to the front door inside our room.  Liam (owner of Tinsley House) answered the door and was as kind as he could be!  Gold star for Liam!

Our room at Tinsley House was large, with three beds and looked out on the street and the Square.  We had a private bathroom, but it was just outside the door to our room instead of en suite.  I can't imagine that there is any better accommodation in town.

The right-hand side of our room at Tinsley House

The left-hand side of our room at Tinsley House

The breakfast at Tinsley House was very good.  Cereal was laid out with a ton of really good brown bread and a pitcher of water.  On each table was a small pitcher of orange juice.  We both had the fry and it was great.

Before breakfast we woke up to go running and we were rewarded by a beautiful run down the path along the Suir River next to the Castle.  The path is gorgeous and goes by the Swiss Cottage.

After breakfast, we checked out (it was €70) and said goodbye to Liam.

Ard Eoinin - Spiddal (An Spidéal), Co. Galway

Ard Eoinin, Spiddal

Spiddal is the beginning of the Galway Gaeltacht and home to Ard Eoinin B&B.  It's really lovely!   Located in the village, it's easy to find off the main road to Galway and also an easy walk to the shops, restaurants and sea.  The B&B is nice and a good price (€32.50 per person).  The breakfast was very good, and Kevin (the owner) who had already been very nice, really perked up when we told him we were leaving in Irish!

Flowers outside Ard Eoinin

Our bed at Ard Eoinin

Our bathroom at Ard Eoinin

Number 31 - Dublin

On our last trip to Dublin we stayed at Number 31, it is something special.  We entered through the old gatehouse - thinking it was the house!  After checking in, we were shown through a nice garden to our large Georgian Townhouse.  The room is huge, and the bed and shower are great.  Our room had a nice sitting area far from the bed and is like having a really nice apartment in the City Centre.

Our room at Number 31, Dublin

Very nice molding in our room

The street outside

We ate a wonderful breakfast at Number 31.  The second morning, we awoke still a bit full from dinner and had a much smaller, but still delicious breakfast.  The owner's at Number 31 were worried because we ate so little!!  We tried our best to assure them that the food was delicious.

One of the great things about Number 31 is it's location across the street from St. Stephen's Green and Grafton Street.  St. Stephen's Green is an ideal urban park.  It feels like you are completely removed from the city for the time you are inside.  It was once owned by the Guinness family, but they donated it to the city.  It has ponds, bridges, gazebos and rare quiet in the heart of Dublin.  It also makes me think of Niall William's book Four Letters of Love each time I walk by the fence around the park.

Recommend with explanation:

Shamrock Farmhouse - The Black Valley (Ring of Kerry), Co. Kerry

The setting of Shamrock House is uncomparable, wild.  The reason this is even on the list is the location is so spectacular.  It's located inside the Ring of Kerry on the Kerry Way.  The Black Valley is off the regular tourist procession, and that adds to it's charm.  The rooms are nice, but have tiny bathrooms and aren't the cleanest rooms ever.  They are ok, just not as spic-and-span as many places.  Shiela and her husband are very friendly though.  Just try and avoid that cup of tea - I bet you can't!  

Pics of Shamrock House:

Our room - the door is the bathroom

The view from Shamrock House

Shamrock Farmhouse, Black Valley, Kerry

The horse across the road from the house

Sheila's breakfast wasn't great.   It was greasier than most and the meat didn't seem to be very expensive.  On the whole, not a bad place to stay though.