Many people come to Ireland with the intention of seeing as much of the country as they can in a week or 10 days. This is understandable if it is your first visit and is likely to be your only one. There is a drawback to this approach though which you may have gathered from the article above: all that driving can prove quite tiring and perhaps even stressful. Maybe your idea of a vacation is to slow down, relax and unwind. Well then self-catering is for you. Don’t let the “self-catering” put you off. This simply means you will have to make your bed each morning if you want it to be made when you climb into it again that night. And if you want a Full Irish each morning you will have to cook it yourself. But let’s be honest consuming a plate of fried bacon, eggs, sausages, black and white pudding, mushrooms and beans is probably not the healthiest way to start the day.

The big advantage of self-catering is that you have your own home in Ireland for a week or longer. Come and go as you please, sleep in, read the paper, watch the tv, eat in one night just because you feel like it, or eat in every night because you are on a budget. Instead of unpacking and repacking every day you do it just once. You can do as much or as little exploring of the surrounding area as you like so you are not forced to cover X amount of miles each day. And instead of zipping through a town, you live there for a week, get to know your neighbours, find your favourite local pub and discover what makes the place tick.

There is a huge variety of self-catering accommodation in Ireland, from remote cottages to modern houses to lavish country mansions and even castles. Whatever your taste and whatever your preferred location there is a property out there to suit you.

Self-catering is also great value. Where four or more are sharing the price can be half what you would pay for bed & breakfasts. This makes it ideal for families with kids. And since the house is yours the kids have the run of the place. No need to worry about disturbing guests in the room next door!

Since you are spending a week or longer in one place you want to be sure about the area you are staying. In my opinion you cannot go wrong in Wicklow, West Cork, Kerry, West Clare, Connemara, West Mayo, Sligo or Donegal. If you would like more information ask any of the Authentic Ireland team, we would be delighted to help.

This article appeared in this issue of our newsletter: issue 04
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