Should I be booking rooms for Ireland travel in April?

April 8, 2009 8:04 PM

To book or not to book? Hotel rooms for end of April in Ireland. I want to travel without booking but always fear finding only expensive rooms.
posted by kturner to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

This is a weird question.

If your fear of finding only expensive rooms is stronger than your urge to travel without booking, you should book in advance. If not, take the risk.

Where in Ireland will you be traveling? Some places will be easier to just show up in others.

Can you book a room without paying, and cancel with a few days notice if you find somewhere else to stay?
posted by nitsuj at 8:09 PM on April 8, 2009

If you're planning to stay in city centre of Dublin or Galway (or any of the larger cities), it'd be helpful to book in advance. For smaller locations, unless there's an event going on while you're in town, you should have no problem finding a place to stay.

I've always had my best luck in Ireland with B&Bs. I'd recommend looking into those. They're usually less expensive than hotels, and hey -- breakfast!

And while I haven't used the site for Ireland, I have also used VRBO.com to find accommodations elsewhere with pretty good success. Their Ireland listings are here, if you want to browse around.
posted by aine42 at 9:39 PM on April 8, 2009 [1 favorite]

I'd recommend having the first and last nights pre-booked, but otherwise wing it. Schedules change, and being inflexible in your travels will mean you have no time for the unexpected sites/activities you will invariably stumble across (which in my experience are far more rewarding and fun than the stops written on any itinerary).

Make full use of the Visitor Centres (Tourist Information Centre's if you're in Northern Ireland). They will have a list of accommodation available in the surrounding area, and they will even call and make the booking for you while you wait. They generally cover the gamut of accommodation options, from bunk-beds in a dorm to 5-star suites.

Google the locations where you are planning/hoping to visit and make sure there are no events on, as if there are you will need to stay further afield if booking at short notice/on the day.

Most importantly: relax, have fun, have a blether with the locals, and have a Guinness for me.
posted by ihunui at 9:40 PM on April 8, 2009

Seconding B and B's in Ireland. Loved my trip though.
posted by Ironmouth at 10:05 PM on April 8, 2009

Go for B&B's when you're outside the big cities, they'll usually be cheap and friendly. They'll also be able to tell you a lot about the local area and point you at interesting places to go.

But in the larger cities if you fancy a proper hotel go to Laterooms.com where you can get bargains for some pretty swanky hotels if you're lucky.
posted by invisible_al at 3:12 AM on April 9, 2009

Always works for me.
posted by BadMiker at 5:06 AM on April 9, 2009