Welcome to the Travel Forums


Why join TravelBlog?

  • Membership is Free and Easy
  • Your travel questions answered in minutes!
  • Become part of the friendliest online travel community.
Join Now! Join TravelBlog* today and meet thousands of friendly travelers. Don't wait! Join today and make your adventures even more enjoyable.

* Blogging is not required to participate in the forums
Advertisement


Traveling without reservations...

Advertisement
First time to Ireland, have reservations in Dublin, but would like to travel randomly after that. Is that a big risk, traveling without hotel reservations?
15 years ago, March 6th 2009 No: 1 Msg: #65092  
We would hate to find ourselves having a good time in one town, only to have to leave and drive to whatever hotel we booked, if another is closer and potentially more cool...Anyone have any advice on that? Reply to this

15 years ago, March 6th 2009 No: 2 Msg: #65096  
Hello Megan 😊

I think how much of a risk it is, would depend on the time of the year and if anything special like a football match or a wedding or a tour bus full of tourists is happening in the particular towns you are going to be in. Many places are booked up in July and many are closed for Christmas which can last for a few weeks.

Mel Reply to this

15 years ago, March 7th 2009 No: 3 Msg: #65238  
B Posts: 277
Hello, what we did was to get a Lonley Planet guide book, and phone the places mentioned there for reservation as we travelled (the day before or in the morning). That way we also got the sort of information of how difficult it was to find a room (like it is booked up because of...), and when they were full we asked if they had some other place they would recommend. This way we always found something after a few phone calls. We stayed at Bed and Breakfast places they were all nice and with friendly owners. Wonderful country and great for spontaneous travel - distances are short also. Enjoy your trip. Reply to this

14 years ago, May 27th 2009 No: 4 Msg: #74112  
Beside Dublin I haven't got any reservations and I always could find a place to sleep even in a small town. I travelled in May, so maybe that's why😉 Reply to this

14 years ago, July 7th 2009 No: 5 Msg: #78764  
I would definitely travel around the rest of Ireland without booking. You will have no problem finding a place this year with the recession. B&Bs and hotels will be crying out for business. To experience the warm welcome of Ireland I would stay in bed and breakfasts. We are planning a similar typre of trip at the end of July. We are mainly going to travel around the Shannon waterways and hop from town to town as we feel free. I don't want the feeling of being stuck in one place. There are great drives all over Ireland (not just the Shannon waterways). Ring of Kerry is fantastic. Galway is equally as good. This is real Ireland. If you are renting a car try www.carrentaldublin.ie. Maps and route planners are provided in this site so you can organise your trip. Public transport is not great in Ireland. Good luck Reply to this

14 years ago, July 7th 2009 No: 6 Msg: #78772  
Thanks for the tip on the car and the maps. I'm leaving at the end of Aug. I am traveling much as you are, loosely planning the trip south to the ring of kerry and trying to decide what to take in (Cork, Killarney, Kilkenny?) but knowing that I definitely want to return to Wicklow, Cliffs or Moher and Connemara especially. We only have one week and want to be able to show my husband more of the real Ireland you mention, the pub life, the music, the people, the simple beauty of the meandering roads, the quiet country side, the coast, bogs, and ruins. I hope he will fall in love with the place too, and not to have to wait 14 years before I return again!

Please keep me posted- - if you have any tips when you return I would love to hear more about what you'd recommend as worth seeing if I have a limited amount of time.

Oh and for anyone else wondering where to stay near Dublin I recommend Glen na smol in Howth. It was the first place I did book for our first 2 nights. Sean is a wonderful host and Howth a nice quiet town with spectacular cliff walk, and close proximity to DART. Reply to this

14 years ago, July 27th 2009 No: 7 Msg: #81029  
hey there, I just got back from Ireland. absolutely loved it. I have to agree that you should definitely spend some time in Howth (its on the north coast of dublin), the scenary is amazing, but you could knock out howth in a day. When I was in Dublin I stayed at the annandale BnB its about a 15 minute bus ride outside of the city centre. it was perfect, because it was close enough to the city centre, yet it is in a quite peaceful neighborhood that was very relaxing. from there I went to galway, and stayed at a hostel right in the middle of town, but the name is escaping me right now. it was great, I know I found it on hostelworld.com. I took a bus ride on the paddywagon tours to the cliffs of moher. I then took, went to Killarney and found a bnb (there are so many, it was so easy to find one for about 35 euro/night). from there I took another paddywagon tour of the ring of kerry, then headed to Cork, but I only took a day trip to Cork and checked out the Blarney stone. it was great, I then headed back to Dublin, where I stayed for another week doing paddywagon tours of the wicklow mountains, and belfast, giants causeway, and Derry. I spent a month in Ireland, and I guess I did more traveling than vacationing. but it was well worth it! Ireland is good CRAIC!!!enjoy the people and pubs! Reply to this

12 years ago, October 13th 2011 No: 8 Msg: #145025  

12 years ago, October 13th 2011 No: 9 Msg: #145026  
My husband and I want to visit Ireland next year and wonder about traveling there in April or May. We assume May is warmer, but is it rainier? We want to go without reservations because we like to play things by ear, but wonder if that is a good idea. Also, do you have good websites we can plan our trip by? Really don't want to take itineraries from tour companies.Thanx Rosecmj Reply to this

12 years ago, October 16th 2011 No: 10 Msg: #145308  
B Posts: 277
There is no season in Ireland without rain, and the temperature can fluctuate wildly in a day. From fairly warm weather to ice cold drizzle. In August. Ireland isn't that big so it is easy to travel, especially if you rent a car. For me the highlight was the West coast, Cliffs of Moher and Aran islands. Wild and beautiful. But almost everywhere are cute villages and the Pub where you can take shelter from the rain.
Irish people are very friendly and they will happily give you recommendations for the special restaurant or place to go. Staying in B&Bs also is a great intro to Ireland. Enjoy Reply to this

Tot: 0.044s; Tpl: 0.005s; cc: 5; qc: 34; dbt: 0.0217s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1020.5kb