LM225

Note: I've seen a few threads that discussed similar drives -- and used some of the guidance there to put my own trip together -- but was hoping to get some feedback on a slightly different itinerary.

Some notes on what informed my initial planning:

- This is a first trip to Ireland for my wife and I.
- We enjoy hiking, good food and unique hotels.
- We also love cities (and Guinness ), so wanted to include a couple of days in Dublin.
- We don't want to feel rushed and are okay with leaving some "must-see's" for next time if it means a more relaxing trip.
- I'd much rather find a gorgeous, unforgettable hiking trail than kiss the Blarney Stone.

I've put this plan together based on insights I've collected here and elsewhere online. None of it is set in stone (other than my wife really wanting to visit the Cliffs of Moher), so I'd appreciate you letting me know if I'm stumbling into a tourist trap or am planning to skip over something that I absolutely must do.

There are also a few gaps/questions in the plan below. Appreciate any and all feedback!

(We'll be arriving in mid July.)

[ITINERARY EDITED TO REFLECT CHANGES FROM FEEDBACK IN THIS THREAD]

Day 1: Arrive Dublin 6PM...dinner, won’t have time/energy for much else.

Day 2: Dublin

Day 3: Dublin

Day 4: Pick up car in AM, long drive west, lunch at Burren Smokehouse, visit Cliffs of Moher and Doolin Cave. Stay over night at Wild Honey Inn

Day 5: Spend day hiking at the Burren, overnight at Temple Gate Hotel

Day 6: Quin Abbey and Bunratty castle and park in AM, then drive down to Killarney. Aghadoe Heights Hotel or The Europe Hotel for the night.

Day 7: Hiking at Killarney Nat’l Park and Gap of Dunloe. Back to hotel for for the night.

Day 8: Skellig Michael and driving around RoK (or RoD and Great Blasket Island?). Back to hotel for the night.

Day 9: Drive east, stopping in Cork for lunch (The English Market?), explore Cork a bit, then arrive at (Castlemartyr/Cliff House/Hayfield Manor?) for the night.

Day 10: Hiking at Mahon Falls. Drive up to K Club for the night.

Day 11: Drive to Wicklow Mountains/Glendalough for the day. Back to K Club for the night.

Day 12: Free day/enjoy K Club.

Day 13: Morning at K Club, back to DUB for 5PM flight.

Thanks to all in advance.

Winston3-4

Quin Abbey is a publicly accessible but un-touristed monastery ruin with a nice pub for lunch or dinner across the street...due west of Ennis just a few miles of hedgerow driving.

Killarney -the town itself- is the Wisconsin Dells (or Gatlinburg).

niallco

That intinerary looks doable and all the stops look good.

Feel free to ask me any specific questions about any of the places.

You could also substitute Mount Juliet for the Cliff House hotel, Ardmore for the first night in MJ.

LM225

Thanks! Quin Abbey looks like a natural fit to add before Bunratty Castle on that drive.

Thanks! I was considering ditching MJ altogether and doing one night at Castlemartyr Resort, and then driving straight to K Club after Mahon Falls (K Club has a 3rd night free deal via AmEx FHR right now, so it would cost the same as the two nights I already have planned). Cliff House wasn't on my radar before, but it looks beautiful! How would you compare it to Castlemartyr?

One more question: Can you (or anyone) recommend a good, less lux alternative to Dromoland Castle that's charming and upscale? Seems wasteful to do Dromoland if we're just checking in at night and leaving in the morning, the property looks like it demands spending some time at to get the most out of it.

I haven't been able to turn up anything great in that area other than Temple Gate Hotel, but hard to tell much about it from photos.

niallco

Regarding Castlemartyr v Cliff house - it depends on what you're looking for.

In terms of the Spa, I'd take Castlemartyr - otherwise I'd go with the Cliff house.

I'm not hugely up on the hotels in the Shannon area, but there is a Clarion in Limerick city centre which would be far cheaper than Dromoland castle - it wouldn't be that far away.

HTH.

LM225

Helpful, thank you!

LindaTerrill

Many of the hotels you're considering are Virtuoso-member hotels. Be sure to book them through a Virtuoso agent for complimentary upgrades and other benefits like complimentary champagne afternoon tea at Hayfield Manor, USD$100 hotel credit (equivalent in Euros) at K Club or $100 food and beverage credit at Dromoland Castle, full breakfast and afternoon tea at the Westin in Dublin (great location). Booking through a Virtuoso agent is at no cost to you.

List of Virtuoso hotels and amenities.

The Cliff House is a phenomenal hotel with excellent management team and service. Great views from the hotel and hiking Duncan's Walk along the cliffs (wellies provided, if needed). Expect one of your best meals there - superb restaurant (make restaurant reservation early).

A hotel to consider in the Burren is Gregan's Castle. Not a castle but a country house. Close to the Cliffs of Moher and ideally located for hiking. Over-the-top fabulous food. Owners on property, should be considered a 5-star hotel. Lots of awards for their chef.

If the weather is nice, take the one-hour boat from Doolin to the base of the Cliffs of Moher. Book online the night before to assure space. Doolin Ferry.

Be careful with judging drive times. Roads are slower than you might expect or if you're using Google maps to plan your time. When renting a car, take a close look at rates that include zero deductible insurance as deductible are super high and pre-paid full insurance less than at the time you pick up the car.

Fabulous country - one of my favorite destinations!

LM225

Thanks Linda, all very helpful!

That's definitely the plan, and it's how I found most of the hotels

Will be booking all via my agent other than K Club (which has a 3rd night free deal via FHR, but sadly not Virtuoso).

Great to know, that's two votes for Cliff House. Between that and not being too impressed by the photos I've seen, will be dropping Castlemartyr from consideration. One other alternative I was considering was staying at Hayfield Manor instead and taking the afternoon to explore Cork...any experience there?

Had this on my list earlier but replaced it with Wild Honey Inn for location (WHI gets rave reviews for their chef as well, he's won Mich stars in Dublin and cooked at many of London's high-end spots), but now I'm going to give Gregan's another look. Thanks!

Didn't know about this one. Will check it out as well.

Appreciate this advice. Basically found two vendors (Dan Dooley and Easy Tour Ireland) that bundle all of the insurance (including zero deductible SCDW) that people seem to really like. Went with Easy Tour Ireland as they were cheaper for the same car and the hand-holding service I got from their US-based team over the phone was fantastic, but both look like great options.

LindaTerrill

Double check your rate with Auto Europe. They often have the best rates and zero deductible insurance.

Have a great time!

LindaTerrill

If you decide on a stop in Cork, visit the English Market.

Touristy as it might seem, I think the Jameson tour in Midelton is very interesting as long as you don't happen to arrive at the same time as coach tours. You can also take a similar tour at Jameson in Dublin, but I prefer the one in Midleton. If you are a scotch or whiskey drinker, you'll appreciate the tour even more (I lost a $5 bet over whether scotch or Jameson is better).

If time allows while in Dublin, take a tour to Newgrange. Contact Derek Smith at Beautiful Meath Tours. He'll pick up tickets early (otherwise, wait times for tickets can be a problem), then pick you up in Dublin for the day. Plenty of walking/hiking around there and the Hill of Tara. If there on a weekend and time allows, take DART to Howth for a few hours.

LM225

You're wonderful Linda, thanks for all of this! I'm definitely considering the Midleton tour, it sounds like a lot of fun.

As it stands now, we have two full days (plus one evening) in Dublin. Would you spend one of them up in Newgrange, or leave that for next time?

LindaTerrill

If you're flying in the morning of one of those full days, I'd probably leave Newgrange for your next trip. Maybe the next trip you'll explore Northern Ireland. The you won't have as many great hotels in the North as in the Republic, but the scenery is stunning.

What did you decide about the Cliff House (love it!)? You mentioned hiking at some falls, which I'm not familiar with. I've visited Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains a few times and enjoy it, which is sort of en route between Ardmore and the K Club. After walking around the site (they have guided tours and worthwhile to learn the history) you can hike around the two lakes.

While at the K Club, if you haven't planned out your time, take a look at visiting the Irish Stud and Japanese Gardens. The story that's told as you go through the gardens (guided, or just as good to do it independently and follow the brochure they give you) is amazing. Not just a gentle meander through the gardens, and the walk around the Irish Stud property is definitely considered "a hike". Quite a good cafe there for lunch, but try to get in before or after a tour bus. The tour bus people shouldn't be a bother in the gardens as you can time yourself around them -- but a problem in the cafe if they empty a bus just before you want lunch. Actually, you can drive over to Glendalough from the K Club as well, but I wouldn't combine it with a visit to the Irish Stud on the same day. The roads are too slow through the Wicklow mountains.

LM225

We're flying in at 6PM, then we have two *full* days (3 nights, thinking either the Westin or the Merrion) after that, and on the third morning we pick up the car and head out of town.

Based on your (and others') rave reviews of the Cliff House, I'm leaning toward:

Leave Aghadoe (Or The Europe -- still trying to decide there, the lack of reports about The Europe isn't helpful ) earlyish in the AM and drive through Cork, stopping at the English Market for lunch and, if time allows, Midleton in the early afternoon. Then continue on to the Cliff House for dinner and the night.

It's quite a bit of driving that day, but it's one of only a few days we have where we're driving that much, so I don't think I'll mind.

The next day we'll enjoy the Cliff House a bit before heading off to Mahon Falls, and then the K Club in the evening.

Thanks! Hadn't seen the Irish Stud or gardens in my research. With 2.5 full days at K Club, I had planned one free day at K Club (to enjoy the property and perhaps try the falconry/horseback riding activities), and one day trip to Glendalough/Wicklow Mountains. My wife adores Japanese Gardens though, so perhaps we do Irish Stud and Gardens on the morning of our free day, and return after lunch. Google Maps thinks it's only a 30-minute drive.

More than most destinations, Ireland is turning into one of those trips where I'm constantly wishing we had more time there

I don't want to stretch ourselves too thin to relax, but it seems like there are so many incredible things to see. On my research alone, I'm positive we'll want/need to come back!

gpf101

Great trip. You have absolutely plenty in there though. Some of those drives are quite time consuming and won't leave a lot of time in the places along the way.

If you decide to stay in Cork for a night, Hayfield is a great choice. There are some very nice restaurants in Cork, or you could take a trip to Kinsale which is a lovely town with good options to eat too, particularly fishy fishy which is excellent.

If you decide not to stay in Cork, then a stop in Midelton for the Jameson Distillery is a good idea. There is a great little restaurant in Midleton called Sage. Quite inventive and all ingredients sourced within 12 miles of the restaurant so you could get lunch there before/after.

I've never stayed in the Cliff House, but it supposed to be very good.

LM225

Thanks, gpf101! Both Fishy Fishy and Sage look excellent! Added to the list for consideration