Re: Tours of Ireland
Jenny
 
Sat Apr 10 10:34:42 1999
: Are there places you've rented or stayed in that you would *br*: recommend?*p*B&Bs -- pretty much any of them.*p*I think the best piece of advice I got on my first trip was, avoid hotels and motels like the plague.  *p*First, they're more expensive.  MUCH more expensive!  In America, B&B's are luxuries you pay through the nose for.  In Ireland, they're a great budget way to travel.  Not quite as cheap as hostels or camping, but darn close.*p*Second, I found them impersonal and Americanized.  They're not really a whole lot different from the HoJos, Hiltons, and what-not you'd stay in here.  You can even get American breakfast food (if you're daft enough to pass up rashers...).  B&Bs, by comparison, are fantastic.  You're staying in someone's house, you'll eat in someone's dining room, with a handfull of other tourists, both Irish and foreign.*p*Now in person I'm a bit shy and retiring, and I worried that this would be too intense for me.  But it wasn't!  Not at all!  It's one of the best opportunities you'll have for meeting people (that, and going to pubs).  Being local, your hosts are some of the finest guides you'll meet and will have tons of suggestions for places you should visit.  *p*The other piece of advice I'd give you is, don't worry about reservations.  B&Bs are EVERYWHERE (almost literally).  You're traveling in an "off" time, so you won't have to beat the crowds.  I've never had any problems finding a B&B (except when I tried to do it on a holiday).  One of the things you'll find is that most B&B owners have friends and relatives who run B&Bs too.  So if they have no room, they'll often call around for you and find another of their folk that does.*p*There's only one distinction you might want to pay attention to:  Board-approved vs non-approved accomodations.  The Irish Tourist Board will review B&Bs for cleanliness, service, price, etc., if the B&B requests.  Those that pass review get a little shamrock sign, which indicates that they're "Board-approved".  People that don't pass, or don't request review, don't get a shamrock.*p*Tour-guides will invariably tell you that the non-approved places are dives you should avoid at all costs.  I've stayed at a couple, and there's definitely a difference between them and their approved cousins.  If you're neat, if high levels of cleanliness are important to you, you'll want to stick to approved sites.  (I usually do.)  But the non-approved can be hilarious adventures, if you're in the mood for them.  You never know what you're going to get...*p*At the first one I stayed in, the proprietress clearly did NOT get tourists.  She sort of stared at me when I asked for a room (it was way late, after a horrible day and an unpleasant misunderstanding with British troops in Northern Ireland -- so I was desperate).  But she recovered.  Stomped into her eight-year old son's room, told junior to move it to the couch (he was excited;  he got to watch tv till midnight, he told me later).  And I got the boy's bed (slightly used <g>).  *p*The next morning we had breakfast with her and her family, and it was just like visiting friends.  Got a chance to ask all the silly questions that had been rolling around in our heads.  (Like, who's this lady on the one-pound note?  Turns out it's Queen Medhbh -- but our hostess didn't know that.  Her opinion:  "Damned if I know.  She's probably somebody's wife.  Probably somebody important...  Maybe Mrs. Yeats.")*p*Like I said, I can get a bit fussy if my room's out and out dirty, so I generally stick to approved accomodations.  Non-approved are definitely a crap-shoot.  But it's up to you, and if you're ever having trouble finding a place to stay, you might want to take a chance with one of the non-approveds.*p*The Irish Tourist Board puts out a book listing all approved B&Bs (and hotels, I think).  Give them a call, and they'll send you one, along with a bunch of other interesting literature.  They used to be free -- don't know if they still are -- and they're incredibly handy for finding the nearest B&B at the end of a long day.*p*Jenny*br*
Re: Tours of Ireland
Patricia
419
Sat Apr 10 07:56:36 1999