Ireland is booked!

[artnbarb]

For better or worse, I've finally gotten everything booked for our Ireland stay next summer! I used a combination of Rick Steves' recommendations, Booking.com, Air B&B and the guidebook "Small-town Itineraries for the Foodie Traveler". Here's how it broke down:

4 nights Dublin
3 nights Kilkenny
2 nights Kinsale
1 night Kenmare
3 nights Dingle
4 nights Galway
1 night Dublin Airport hotel

We'll be there at the height of tourist season but hopefully we'll be able to take our time and relax a bit, and won't feel so pressured if we run into crowds/traffic. And yes, we are driving. We're getting an automatic, as we did in England, but it still makes me very, very nervous. Art, who's the driver, is certainly aware of the challenges but not to the point of dread/fear as I am!

BTW, car rental in Ireland is crazy expensive, and true zero deductible is even more expensive - and still not completely zero - if you DO have any scrapes, dings or dents, you don't have to pay for the repairs but you DO have to pay an administrative fee of €90+!!

 

[Eleanor]

Sounds great and really exciting.

Make sure you check the car carefully for any dents, scraped etc before you accept it and make sure you have a record of them (take pictures on you phone...) just in case there are any problems when you return the car.

After a couple of days Art will be fine with the driving. Once away from the towns and cities roads are fairly quiet - unless you hit a funeral. These really are big events over several days and the whole community comes to pay their respects to the deceased.

Honey pots like the Ring of Kerry do get busy but drive this clockwise as that is the way the coaches go.

The only other problem is the little old lady who will freeze in the middle of the road rather than drive past you, leaving you to inch past her.

Many camper vans seem unable to back, especially if you are unfortunate to meet them on a narrow road...

Keep smiling and be prepared to laugh and you will have a wonderful time.