Wicklow Hills

Spring has just burst out – again.  I sat on the steps outside this morning with my morning coffee and it was warm.  I mention this only because it has been so cold recently – like a six month winter.

So today I walked in the hills and got some sun and color – great.  Most of the winter we have not walked much, a combination of too tired and too busy – that does not make for good health.

But tonight I am now soooo tired.  I love the Wicklow Hills, they are my own little bit of paradise.

I will learn soon how to up load photos and share all my great photos from the hills of Ireland.

Irish Bed & Breakfast

For those who don’t want to stay in a hotel –perhaps you feel they are too impersonal, or maybe, even if you have nothing against hotels personally, you simply want a place that has a bit more character to it– an inn or a bed and breakfast may be a pleasing alternative. Whatever your reasons for choosing to stay at an inn or bed and breakfast, Ireland will be able to offer you a wide selection of these all over the island for you to choose from.

If it is luxury you seek in your accommodation, you may not think that a bed and breakfast can provide it; after all, the idea of a bed and breakfast usually implies a much smaller scale, and fewer amenities as well. However, when one takes into account the fact that a smaller number of guests amounts to more individualized and dedicated service, luxury suddenly seems a reasonable expectation.

People often choose these small, cosy places to increase their privacy as well; if it’s a small, quiet inn with a high standard and great attention to service that you seek, you may want to try one like the Ashfield B&B in County Cork; set in secluded grounds with a private salmon stream and a high standard of furnishing in the guest rooms, the Ashfield is sure to delight.

There are a wide variety of other inns as well, some of them less luxurious but no less functional. If an inn still seems too aloof for you, you may even want to investigate the possibility of booking into a guest house or even a farmhouse; Ireland, the land of a thousand welcomes, has many residents who open their guest rooms to travellers for a small fee, and in return tourists get to see close to hand what life in Ireland is like. If it’s culture you want to soak up, then a stay in a guest house may be just the ticket.