Already Dreaming About the Next One

The dw (Curly Montana) and I enjoyed our last Windstar trip so much we want to go again on another small ship adventure. :D We never repeat the exact same itinerary, so next time we want to go to Northern Europe, probably on the Wind Surf on "Gaelic Explorers" (Dublin to Edinburgh, or vice versa).

I'd love some advice on pre- and post-cruise lodging and exploration. Ideally, we'd stay about three nights both before and after the cruise, which will give us a wonderful 14-night land-cruise vacation. We would probably adore something low-key and charming, such as an old cottage B&B out in the countryside. Something right downtown in either city wouldn't work for me; I'm more of a 'Green Acres' kinda fella. But there certainly is a lot of merit to finding something within walking distance of nice attractions. I'm not too keen on driving on the wrong side of the road using a rental car. :p So I'd like a balance between something low-key/quaint/attractive and something convenient/near the action. A charming B&B might be lovely, but if it's totally lost out in the boondocks it might become pretty boring pretty fast.

What do you think folks? We have a long time to figure this out, but if anyone has discovered some lovely lodging gems out there somewhat near Dublin and Edinburgh I'd like to hear about it. I can start daydreaming. :)

A few years ago, for my husband's 60th birthday, we took the family on a trip to London and Ireland. We rented a car and drove from Shannon, through the south of Ireland ending in Dublin.

For wonderful heritage type accommodations check out http://www.irishlandmark.com/

We rented the Georgian Townhouse in Dublin right in the Temple Bar area. It was a wonderful location and fascinating place complete with a friendly (at least we thought friendly) spirit. The worst part of the location was the location since it was in the Temple Bar area it was pretty noisy. But I would stay there again in a heartbeat.

That being said, they have many different types of properties throughout Ireland and you might find something special for your stay in Dublin.

We did rent the car and I will say I couldn't handle being in the passenger seat or the back seat. I couldn't handle being so close to the stone fences! I had to drive the entire time. It made me feel better but it took my husband and one son to help navigate especially on the roundabouts! Driving is doable but a bit nerve wracking too.

The dw (Curly Montana) and I enjoyed our last Windstar trip so much we want to go again on another small ship adventure. :D We never repeat the exact same itinerary, so next time we want to go to Northern Europe, probably on the Wind Surf on "Gaelic Explorers" (Dublin to Edinburgh, or vice versa).

 

I'd love some advice on pre- and post-cruise lodging and exploration. Ideally, we'd stay about three nights both before and after the cruise, which will give us a wonderful 14-night land-cruise vacation. We would probably adore something low-key and charming, such as an old cottage B&B out in the countryside. Something right downtown in either city wouldn't work for me; I'm more of a 'Green Acres' kinda fella. But there certainly is a lot of merit to finding something within walking distance of nice attractions. I'm not too keen on driving on the wrong side of the road using a rental car. :p So I'd like a balance between something low-key/quaint/attractive and something convenient/near the action. A charming B&B might be lovely, but if it's totally lost out in the boondocks it might become pretty boring pretty fast.

 

What do you think folks? We have a long time to figure this out, but if anyone has discovered some lovely lodging gems out there somewhat near Dublin and Edinburgh I'd like to hear about it. I can start daydreaming. :)

Hello, I sent an email to your email address given on your post about Slovenia.

Subject: Cruise Critic Member.

Has it ended up in your Spam box, perhaps?!

Cooee.

Hello, I sent an email to your email address given on your post about Slovenia.

Subject: Cruise Critic Member.

Has it ended up in your Spam box, perhaps?!

Cooee.

Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry I missed your message, Cooee. By now you must think I snubbed you. I just wrote back with a bunch of information that'll help you out.

I almost always respond to my work e-mails within 24 hours, but my wife is much more active on the personal e-mail site. I tend to let her give me a heads-up when there's a message awaiting my attention. Not this time. She was buried with work-related stuff recovering from our vacation, so she didn't see your message drop in the mail box. Oops. Still my fault. :o

If you want to knpw anything else about that shuttle service, you can write straight to my work e-mail, danny.w.hassell.nfg@mail.mil.

A few years ago, for my husband's 60th birthday, we took the family on a trip to London and Ireland. We rented a car and drove from Shannon, through the south of Ireland ending in Dublin.

 

For wonderful heritage type accommodations check out http://www.irishlandmark.com/

 

We rented the Georgian Townhouse in Dublin right in the Temple Bar area. It was a wonderful location and fascinating place complete with a friendly (at least we thought friendly) spirit. The worst part of the location was the location since it was in the Temple Bar area it was pretty noisy. But I would stay there again in a heartbeat.

 

That being said, they have many different types of properties throughout Ireland and you might find something special for your stay in Dublin.

 

We did rent the car and I will say I couldn't handle being in the passenger seat or the back seat. I couldn't handle being so close to the stone fences! I had to drive the entire time. It made me feel better but it took my husband and one son to help navigate especially on the roundabouts! Driving is doable but a bit nerve wracking too.

Ski Mom 2, this is fantastic!! The Irish Landmark website looks perfect, and seems to be chock full of the historical gems that really float my boat. It'll be a really good website to help me zero in on several good selections. And I'll also study up on the Georgian Townhouse in the Temple Bar area. And of course Rick Steves' guide books always are a good primer, and will help me get a feel for various options at hand.

LTC Dan - We finished our Mediterranean cruise with 3 days up in Dublin. We had been to Dublin before and decided to try something a little different. We used Air BNB to find a place in a town called Howth. It is about 15 miles north of Dublin but has a train station. We used that to get into Dublin to sightsee. It was only a 20 minute ride and we were able to take in the highlights of Dublin very easily and then escape back to Howth. It was a very scenic spot with some great trails and views. It is very hilly but that is what makes the views so spectacular. It also has a small village feel to it, filled with great people and neat shops and pubs. We took a chance on it and it really paid off. A great way to finish the trip.

You should consider removing or changing that email address to something spelled out, i.e."dot com" as this is a public space and you're likely to get some

spam or other unwanted messages by leaving it here.

Thanks for the tip, pudgesmom. Can't figure out how to edit/undo the damage now, but I'll be more vigilant next time.

Howellmc, that sounds absolutely perfect. I will definitely check it out. THANKS!

Thanks for the tip, pudgesmom. Can't figure out how to edit/undo the damage now, but I'll be more vigilant next time.

Click on the red triangle and ask a mod to make the change.

Thanks Milepig. Made the request as suggested -- we'll see what comes of it. By the way, you are a frequent contributor and your advice is fun to read and greatly appreciated. Hope we meet someday.