Connemara Coast Hotel

Stranded in Ireland

Go Ireland:  When the sun shines where are the best places to swim and stay along our coast? ALANNA GALLAGHER   finds out

Donegal  

The county is littered with gorgeous sandy beaches and numerous on-the-beach accommodation options. For a family holiday in beach heaven try the village of Dunfanaghy where you can stay at Arnolds Hotel and blow the cobwebs out of your hair with a gallop across Killahoey Strand or take it slow with an amble round McSwynes Gun coastal loop walk, an immersion in the raw beauty of Horn Head and Sheephaven Bay.

If country houses are more your style the lawns at Rathmullan House roll onto the beach. And if you’d like to get away from it all – perhaps with a large group – why not stay at Cuan na Rí resort, a holiday village half way between Carrigart and Creeslough. These holiday homes have access onto 2km of gently sloping sandy beach at the Inner Beach and also to Tra Mor beach, one of the county’s best beaches. You’ll probably have it all to yourself.

Cost:  two nights B&B and one dinner in Arnolds Hotel (see arnoldshotel.com or tel 074- 9136208) costs €156pps. This includes a free packed lunch and walking guide for McSwynes Gun coastal walk. Two nights B&B and one dinner at Rathmullan House is from €245pps (tel 074- 9158188, rathmullanhouse.com). Two nights self-catering at Cuan na Rí (cuannari.com or tel 087-2213768) costs from €450, seven nights €750.

Sligo  

The recently opened Strandhill Lodge and Suites is beside the county’s surfing magnet of Strandhill. The setting is spectacular with most of its 18 rooms offering balconies from which to drink in the seascape below while Queen Maeve’s tomb atop Knocknarea helps frame the scenic vista.

Strandhill is a vibrant village but the lodge and suites is better suited to couples or groups than families. There is no bar or restaurant on site but the Venue next door is an old-fashioned pub that has pints of plain and live music on weekends.

Next morning explore the megalithic sites of the Carrowmore tombs. Afterwards, you can detox in the village’s seaweed baths and just drink in the fresh air with long beach walks.

Cost  : B&B in a deluxe double room with balcony at Strandhill Lodge and Suites costs €129 per night (strandhilllodgeandsuites.com or tel 071-9122122).

The Irish Comedy Tour goes to Ireland! » It's a Big World. Travel ...

Your package includes:

Round-trip airfare from JFK/BOS (Optional – air available from all major cities) 7 nights premiere hotel accommodations Galway (2 nights): Connemara Coast Hotel Killarney (2 nights): Killarney Towers Hotel Dublin (3 nights): Jury’s Inn Hotel Welcome Party upon arrival 11 meals including 7 full Irish breakfasts and 4 dinners 3 Comedy Gala Events: Dinner, Music, and Comedy all-in-one! Galway – Paidricin’s in Furbo

Killarney – Beaufort Inn Dublin – Taylors Three Rock

Note: Venues subject to change

Airport/hotel transfers Escorted coach transportation with licensed driver/guides Amazing tours and sights include: Connemara Region including Cong and the “Quiet Man” cottage Cliffs of Moher and The Burren The Ring of Kerry Blarney Castle & Stone (admission included) The Rock of Cashel (admission included) Dublin Hop-on/Hop-off City Tour featuring the Guinness Storehouse (admission included) and much more! Your Price*: This morning you will arrive bright and early into Shannon Airport. Once you have cleared passport control you will collect your luggage, go through customs and into the arrival hall where a Tenon Tours representative will welcome you and escort you to your coach. Once we are all aboard we head north towards the lively “City of Tribes” Galway where we will have a quick stop for a coffee and a panoramic tour. Galway is known for its Arts and Culture with its many Theatres, pubs with live music and varied street artists. We then continue out to our Hotel where we check-in and rest for a while. In the late afternoon we will drive back into Galway city where you have the choice of many restaurants and pubs to explore.

Overnight: Connemara Coast Hotel, Furbo, Galway This morning, after a hearty Irish breakfast we shall explore the rugged yet serene Connemara area which John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara made famous in the classic, “A Quiet Man”. This rocky land of broad-backed mountains and pearl-like lakes is the largest Irish speaking section of the country and the old traditions and way of life are as much a part of Connemara’s attractions as is the scenery. We drive along the shores of Lough Corrib and then westward through Maam Cross to Leenane. We return to our hotel where we get ready for our first exciting show of the trip. Get ready for a fun filled night at Paidricin’s In Furbo.