Traveling Ireland Wild Atlantic Way

Our visit in June 2014 was an eye opener with regard to the "Wild Atlantic Way", the western coastal route designed to showcase Ireland's natural beauty.  We've fallen in love with the West Coast of Ireland for years and Tourism Ireland is doing a wonderful job of advertising this route and making it a major tourism push.

What is the "Wild Atlantic Way"

From Donegal to Cork, the Wild Atlantic Way is the coastal route which features rugged coastline, culturally rich towns and stunning beauty of each county along the western coast of Ireland.

We've never driven the entire Wild Atlantic Way completely as it would take a good 10 days or more to really enjoy the route rather than through the car windscreen. 

County Clare offers lots of attractions so we flew into Shannon on the West Coast and drove directly to Doolin, one of my favorite towns in Ireland and known as the "Traditional Irish Music Capital of Ireland."

Now that I was aware of the "Wild Atlantic Way" marketing, we saw signs everywhere, pointing us to the coastal routes we've always taken and making sure we hugged the coast as much as possible.

Along the way you'll find many pull-offs for gorgeous ocean views, mountains and generally great scenery.  You'll pass through small towns where you can stop for a pint and chips, a little shopping or even the night. 

"Wild Atlantic Way" Road Signs

From Donegal to Cork you'll see signs similar to this one where you have the Wild Atlantic Way icon and pointing you in the direct to follow.

We even saw this sign on the Tarbert/Killimer Ferry, taking us over to our next stop, Dingle... hugging the coastal route along the way.

Overall, the Wild Atlantic Way is a marketing scheme for a route that many already follow.  We kind of like it because the signage is good and allows you to meander rather than reading a map to carefully find your next stop. 

Off-Season Ireland Just $332 per person - 13% Off Lowest Competitor's Price!

Every year we get our contracts, compare them to the prior, sign them, do our updates and then begin advertising our rates.  We know that booking everything direct with our suppliers, we can provide the best possible rate.  We see offers all of the time for "5-Nights Ireland from $359pp!" here and slightly higher rates elsewhere.

This year we did some research and found that we save our clients 13% off the lowest competitor's rate when comparing Fuji apples to McIntosh apples (we'll explain below)  That is 5-nights Irish Bed and Breakfast and a 6-day manual economy car rental.

$332pp 5-Night Irish B&B Self Drive Package Inclusions

Most people don't visit Ireland for 5-nights but for the sake of comparison, we decided to price this our to make sure our rates are competitive.  Of course you can increase the number of nights at the same discounted rate, upgrade the car rental or swap out an Irish Manor House Hotel or Irish Castle for a night.  We fully customize all packages -- direct with supplier and pass those savings off to you.

No Surcharge for 4-Star Irish B&Bs

One of the differences in the Irish B&Bs for our competitors packages is that they price it out with a standard 3-star B&B included and you'll notice the fine print requires you to pay a supplement directly to the owner for 4- and 5-star properties.  It makes sense, give the lowest price to the client and then push the additional costs off after the package is booked.

80% of the properties in Ireland are 3- and 4-star Irish Bed & Breakfasts which is why we offer both for the same price.  The supplement of €4 per person applies to upgrading to a 5-star Irish B&B which are well worth it, but very few exist.

24-Hour Irish Car Rental Period 

In the spirit of full-disclosure, we like clients to know that car rentals are for a 24-hour period so if you pick up your car at 7:00am... and your flight doesn't leave until later in the afternoon, you will have to pay for an extra day if you drop the car off after 7:00am on the return date.  Again, this is something many companies won't tell you because they can quote the lower rate car rental and when you arrive, you find out you have to pay for the additional fees direct to the rental agency -- whatever they decide to charge.

If we know you're going to return the car late, we'll add the extra time to trigger the increased rate ... which is typically lower than the rate you'll be charged when you're in Ireland.  More beneficial is knowing your charges upfront and not having to pay anything more when you get there.

Ireland-at-a-Glimpse 2-for-1 Coupon Book Included

We also include the Ireland-at-a-Glimpse Coupon Book which gives you one entrance free with the purchase of one and while you won't visit every site in the book to save €450, use it once and you've saved money!

Free Ireland Travel Advice Included

How can you put a price on travel advice?  We certainly can't but what we can tell you is that when you book with a large tour operator, you're not going to get the service that you do from a travel agent or Enchanting Ireland.  You can float your itinerary past us via email and we'll give you our input -- and email us up until the day of departure for a quick response!

Experiencing Ireland's Luxury Castlemartyr Resort and Spa

We have traveled Ireland on the meekest of budgets, staying at B&Bs along the way and renting a house.. and we've included some great properties along the way as a splurge here and there.  We know that not everyone's budget can handle Enchanting Ireland Luxury for their trip but with EnchantingIreland we can incorporate any number of properties throughout your trip and based on your budget.

During our most recent trip in June 2014, we booked in with Castlemartyr after visiting Cobh and sending our friends off to Dublin for the end of their trip.  It isn't far from Cobh so I thought we would check in early, take in the pool and the grounds with our 4-year-old daughter... some down time after traveling for 6 days to show our friends as much as we could. 

Even the best-laid plans don't always work out on vacation as we ended up driving to Waterford City for the day to show our friends Waterford Crystal and make sure they got closer to their destination. We never arrived until 6pm, hungry, tired and ready for bed.

Castlemartyr Check-In

We pulled into Castlemartyr's driveway around 6pm and rather than using valet, as we should, we decided to park and walk so Clare could get a glimpse of the horses along the way.  What we didn't realize is that parking at Castlemartyr is difficult with a small parking lot further away from the entrance and mainly full of locals utilizing the spa.  We manage to get our luggage to the front entrance despite our weariness from the day's travel.

The front desk could not find our reservation and asked if I had a confirmation.  Of course I did -- in the car.  Up until now I had carried my documents with me to each and every location but the previous five locations we didn't have an issue.  Murphy's Law kicks in and now I have to prove to Castlemartyr that we were indeed confirmed, more so for the rate than the room itself because the still had vacancies.

I ran back to the car, in the rain, to retrieve my documents and glanced at them to ensure I was there on the right day -- and right year (past experience requires this!)  Yes, I had an email confirmation and so the front desk handled it fairly quickly and got us on our way... with a bellman to help with our luggage as the journey to our room was quite long.

Castlemartyr Deluxe Room

Past the spa, Francini's Resturant... down a long hallway and past a banquet room... up the elevator... another long, quiet hallway and into the next building and we were home for the night!

Entering into the hallway, we see that there is a dressing room and closet to the right as well as the bathroom off that.  To the left is the king bed, desk and TV.  Right away we notice a computer panel in the wall for lights and one on the nightstand desk for curtains and lights.  Quite a high-tech room yet you wouldn't expect it from the luxurious decor.

Right away we noticed that there wasn't a bed for our daughter, despite noting the room was for 3 and asking her how old she was.  We called the front desk to advise that we need a roll-away cot for our daughter and they said it would be there shortly.

No worries, we were off to dinner, opting for Castlemartyr's Francini's family-friendly restaurant rather than dressing up for fine dining ... we were too tired tonight.

Castlemartyr Francini's Family-Friendly Italian

When Francini's was described as "family-friendly" and "with it's own playroom", we both conjured up images of something very fast and quick... simple fare to be quite honest.  What we got was completely different...

A nice bottle of wine and some authentic Italian appetizers.  Our daughter's entree was actually a charcuterie and cheese plate which she ate completely -- when we finally got her out of the playroom!  Needless to say the food was above our expectations and the wine was good, helping us mellow from the day's activities.  Next time we hope to eat more upscale in the dining room since Francini's was quite good.

When we got back to our room, we found a pack-n-play which wasn't going to work for a 4-year-old, despite her cries that she wanted to sleep in it.  Another call to the front desk to explain that she is 4 and we need a roll-away bed ... is when we learned a "cot" is comparable to a pack-n-play in Ireland.  When we asked for a bed, the manager brought up a twin bed, rolled it in and we helped set it up so Clare could get right in bed... and all was good.

I'd like to stress that even travel agents have issues on vacation and very few things will ruin a trip, if you don't let it.  This was just a blip on our vacation and a learning experience... we wanted nothing free from the hotel as we have seen/heard others try to bargain with.

Castlemartyr Breakfast

Breakfast is one of our favorite parts of experiencing some of the luxury Irish properties and Castlemartyr is right up there with the rest of the 5-star properties.

A separate room houses all of the cold items including fresh yogurt from a local dairy, fresh fruits, breads, cereals, etc.  The spread is quite lovely and there is no way you can try it all...

You can also order from the menu, including French toast and omelets... which we did.  Unfortunately it took quite a while to arrive and we had to gulp it down and leave as we were meeting a friend in Mallow.

While the omelet was quite nice, having the time to enjoy it would have been better.

Castlemartyr Lessons Learned

The biggest lesson I learned from our night at Castlemartyr was to get there much earlier than we did.  Check-in is a 3pm for many properties and I highly recommend you do just that.  It allows you to take a walk around the grounds and get a swim in at the pool before dinner.

I also learned to carry my documents in to EVERY property so I don't have to run back to the car... as well as confirm, at the front desk, the type of roll-away that will be brought to the room for our daughter.  Minor, but it will definitely save time and frustration for everyone.

2015 Irish Bed and Breakfast Rates No Increase!

We're happy to be back and will blog more about Ireland externally than on our own site ... as time allows of course.

Today we're happy to announce that our contract with Irish B&Bs will remain the same for 2015 -- no increases!  As always there will be minor fluctuations in currency therefore rates will change slightly with this.

Over the years the Irish Bed and Breakfast has seen many changes, most notably the merger of Town and Country B&Bs with B&B Ireland, forming the largest B&B association throughout Ireland.    Consolidation usually means less competition and higher prices for travelers but this is an instance where we have seen the opposite.

When the two associates merged, they concentrated on technology.  Where they once printed color books containing their member B&Bs with contact information, they now put everything online.  Previously clients had to contact each B&B individually by email (if they had it), fax or phone and sometimes it would take a while to get through and confirm a reservation.  Sometimes you would show up and they didn't have your reservation.  Today you make reservations on a live booking engine with a solid confirmation and no need to reconfirm.

The consolidation of B&B associations has increased efficiencies for everyone and kept pricing the same for the past few years.  We're excited to be a part of B&B Ireland and offer our clients the lowest rates available for their trip to Ireland.