Holiday ideas in Ireland-Aran-Galway?

never_enough

Hi
Thinking of a trip to Ireland next year. I've just heard a programme about Aran & it sounds lovely. We had thought about the Galway area anyway
so it sounds a nice idea to spend some time there. Does anyone have any recommendations? Open to any type of accom from self catering to hotel.
We like walking, archaelogy, riding, eating, shopping & spas!
TIA.

The_Lambton_Worm

Galway is a fantastic place. Its about 10 years ago (on a pre-season tour and was comatose most of the time) so i can't recall where i stayed. Galway races are worth a visit if its on when you're there.

Its a major destination for the Irish when they have their Bank Holidays so there should be plenty of things to do.

never_enough

The_Lambton_Worm wrote:

Galway is a fantastic place. Its about 10 years ago (on a pre-season tour and was comatose most of the time) so i can't recall where i stayed. Galway races are worth a visit if its on when you're there.

Its a major destination for the Irish when they have their Bank Holidays so there should be plenty of things to do.

It looks amazing, I'm checking out lots of websites at the mo. Thanks for the tip on the races.

bobsmum

We had a quick break in Galway in late August, flew with Ryannair from Bristol to Shannon (99p each + taxes), hired a car for 4 days etc. Got into Shannon late evening so had booked a hotel room there, then set off via the coastal route to Galway next morning.

Stayed in Days Hotel Galway City -slightly out of the centre but a bargain from laterooms.com. Nice hotel although some buiding work going on that didn't really affect us. All in all we had a wonderful time - Galway is a great city to explore on foot, being compact and fairly easy to find your way round. There is an amazing range of bars and restaurants and the whole place has a real buzz to it, with very friendly locals as well!

We did a day trip over to the Aran Islands - there are a couple of companies offering ferry services. They all leave from about 30 miles up the coast from Galway - we drove to the ferry pick-up but they will also transfer you by coach from central Galway. We had a wonderful day on Inishmore, despite drizzly weather. You can explore on foot, take a minibus tour, hire bikes (which we did - hadn't ridden a bicycle in 25 years, but managed fine as the routes are fairly flat) or take a ride in a jaunting car from the end of the pier.

HTH

briona

never_enough wrote:

Hi
Thinking of a trip to Ireland next year. I've just heard a programme about Aran & it sounds lovely. We had thought about the Galway area anyway
so it sounds a nice idea to spend some time there. Does anyone have any recommendations? Open to any type of accom from self catering to hotel.
We like walking, archaelogy, riding, eating, shopping & spas!
TIA.

Hi Never Enough

Ireland's great – especially around the West coast [though I might be slightly biased cos I'm from Galway!] – and I would definitely recommend a trip there!

Obviously whenever I go back, I stay at my mum's but if I were booking a hotel, I think The G Hotel – Galway's newest hotel designed by hat designer Philip Treacy – is THE place to stay! Complete with spa, bar and restaurant, it looks fab! [Probably NOT that cheap though!]

http://www.theghotel.ie/g/

Galway is a fab and lively city – with nice bars and shops and a great vibe BUT contrary to other people's comments, I would AVOID the city like the plague in July/August when the place is mobbed with ridiculous numbers of people all descending on the city for the almost back-to-back extravaganza of the Oyster Festival, the Galway Races and the world-renowned Galway Arts Festival... Accommodation needs to be booked months in advance, places are at a premium and the rates reflect that! Also Galway is a popular weekend/bank holiday destination for the Irish themselves [August bank holiday in ROI should be around Aug 6 next year].

Another bonus to Galway's location is its proxmity to both the Aran Islands and Co Clare, which plays host to two of the Country’s natural attractions. Firstly, the Cliffs of Moher and secondly the Burren "whose geology, flora, caves, archaeology and history set it apart as a place of great mystery and beauty".

For more info on these [among others] see the link to another thread on this forum [I've included relevant links in my posts there to anything mentioned in this one!]

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=250933

Hope that helps

Briona

never_enough

briona wrote:

Hi Never Enough

Ireland's great – especially around the West coast [though I might be slightly biased cos I'm from Galway!] – and I would definitely recommend a trip there!

Obviously whenever I go back, I stay at my mum's but if I were booking a hotel, I think The G Hotel – Galway's newest hotel designed by hat designer Philip Treacy – is THE place to stay! Complete with spa, bar and restaurant, it looks fab! [Probably NOT that cheap though!]

http://www.theghotel.ie/g/

Galway is a fab and lively city – with nice bars and shops and a great vibe BUT contrary to other people's comments, I would AVOID the city like the plague in July/August when the place is mobbed with ridiculous numbers of people all descending on the city for the almost back-to-back extravaganza of the Oyster Festival, the Galway Races and the world-renowned Galway Arts Festival... Accommodation needs to be booked months in advance, places are at a premium and the rates reflect that! Also Galway is a popular weekend/bank holiday destination for the Irish themselves [August bank holiday in ROI should be around Aug 6 next year].

Another bonus to Galway's location is its proxmity to both the Aran Islands and Co Clare, which plays host to two of the Country’s natural attractions. Firstly, the Cliffs of Moher and secondly the Burren "whose geology, flora, caves, archaeology and history set it apart as a place of great mystery and beauty".

For more info on these [among others] see the link to another thread on this forum [I've included relevant links in my posts there to anything mentioned in this one!]

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=250933

Hope that helps

Briona

Thanks for all the info Briona, I'm slowly going through it all. [EMAIL="I'@ve"]I've[/EMAIL] just looked at the hotel web site but the booking function was down, so no idea on prices. It does look lovely, but maybe a bit too bright & shiney for us! It would be nice to be somewhere a bit more quiet, although I wouldn't mind a day in the spa! :j I'm getting really excited, it looks FAB!