"Where to Eat, Sleep & Play in Ireland 2012" - get the inside story on traveling in Ireland this year

"Susan Bryon exploring the highways and byways of Ireland"

I have written an eBook, "Where to Eat, Sleep & Play in Ireland 2012", in response to the hundreds of emails I receive daily from potential visitors asking those same questions.

With over 100,000 bed options available daily in Ireland, how is the independent visitor supposed to choose much less get it right? Sure, you can trawl through the maze of discount hotel sites or you can take the easy route and trust my advice gathered over four years of independent travel and research throughout Ireland.

Would you like to know the top ten posh places to stay in Ireland for peanuts? Thought so. Yes, the upside to the recession is that there are some truly amazing deals to had in Ireland right. I have handpicked and listed the very best of them for you in this eBook.

The lists are tight and limited to the top ten for a reason, to ensure that these establishments are at the top of their game, that you get the most bang for your buck, and the best possible experience of Ireland.

Visitors assume that we have great food in Ireland and yes we do, but it is certainly not everywhere and it can be expensive, very expensive. As anyone who follows my blog or Facebook page will know, I love and appreciate good food and I am a great champion of those restaurants, listed in my eBook that are making a serious effort at producing top class food at affordable prices daily.

Although there is already a full, and free, listing of the top ten visitor attractions on the website, within the guide I have again simplified matters by selecting the cream of the crop in terms of the top ten festivals and events this year as well as my own personal favorites that I think offer exceptional value for money and top quality experiences.

For more information visit http://www.irelands-hidden-gems.com/ireland-travel.html

By Susan Byron author of www.irelands-hidden-gems.com

Irelands Hidden Places enchanting hideaways...

I am not sure I should really be telling you about the Hidden Places of Ireland, an amalgamation of five of the nicest self-catering properties you will find in the Midlands, as I seem to have stumbled upon a little corner of paradise tucked away in North Tipperary that I would rather keep to myself. Previously I had only imagined what treasures might lie at the bottom of those seemingly endless driveways that wind their way through grassy parklands, studded with magnificent mature trees with only the odd racehorse lazily lifting his head to see who it is that has interrupted his bucolic peacefulness. For this is Aga-land darlings, where life in the big house rubs off nicely on the little houses this nice group of people let out on occasion to the savvy few. There isn’t a sound in these quiet back waters, apart from the rhythmic slushing of the watermill or the butterflies dancing through the flowery borders. Or the buzzing of bees in the organic gardens filled to bursting with exotic varieties of vegetables, asparagus peas anyone....

Not only are each of the properties totally unique like the Manhattan meets Moneygall style stone loft at Ballylina or the rose strew romantic Cottage by the Well at Fancroft . But really clever piece is that the owners each bring something, other than delicious food to the table, that they are happy to share with you. Roderick has a passion for classic cars, Tessa and Wink have horses and love all things equestrian, you can even stay with one of Ireland’s most acclaimed garden designers Angela Jupe and enjoy free access to her beautiful walled garden! how cool is that? There are breakfast packs of organic rashers and sausages from Oldfarm available if you fancy? not to mention brown bread homemade from locally milled flour and fresh eggs from the curious chickens that wander about freely, including vegetables and fruit in season. It’s a little peak at paradise and how the other (wise) half live, that can be yours for a week or a few days at a time....

For more information and details about price and availability visit

http://www.irelandshiddenplaces.com/


By Susan Byron author of http://www.irelands-hidden-gems.com/

Surfing in Ireland - where to find those killer waves?

Read more: Surfers discover new wave off the west coast of Ireland

News this week of a new 'killer' wave off the west coast of Ireland, had surfers here bristling with excitement. All the more so, as the exact location was being kept secret?. We have our suspicions though, Mullaghmore or Easkey perhaps?

Obviously not for the faint-hearted or amateur, waves like this 'monster prowler' first captured our imagination and respect in a TV advert for a bank, that was released a couple of years ago. The incredible footage, you can watch it at the
link below, featured Irish surfing champions Fergus Smith and John McCarthy, tackling the 80' high Ailies wave beneath the Cliffs of Moher, which are scary enough in their own right.

A remnant of the last ice age, these 600' cliffs have become Ireland's premier visitor attraction with almost a million visitors annually? A new state of the art visitor center The Atlantic Edge Experience not only explains the geological background, flora and fauna using interactive media, but also local history, music and folklore and is an excellent addition, in that it keeps children of all ages informed, amused and entertained, in what could otherwise be a disappointing experience as often the cliffs are shrouded in mists, fog and rain or as a visitor described it recently 'flying weather'.

But if that isn't 'edgy' enough for you there are plenty of surf schools in nearby Lahinch and indeed all along the western seaboard from Cork to Donegal. In fact we might owe our economy in the future to our wonderful coastline on the westernmost tip of Europe and the vagaries of the weather, which has led to Ireland being promoted as a premier surf destination.

But then that is something these cool dudes have known forever.

You can watch 'that' video here http://www.irelands-hidden-gems.com/cliffs-of-moher.html

By Susan Byron author of www.irelands-hidden-gems.com

Read more: Surfers discover new wave off the west coast of Ireland

Advice on planning your own trip to Ireland - Don't!

It’s a minefield out there and while Ireland is truly a wonderful country to visit for any or all of the reasons and places mentioned in Irelands Hidden Gems.com we have our share of rotten apples. I take my hat off to those of you who are doing just that, judging by the amount of enquiries I get daily about where to go and what to do and while I am happy to help if I can, I would be the first to admit I certainly don’t know it all.....

The people that do, are Authentic Ireland.com. they have been putting packages together for people travelling to Ireland for over ten years, so they have handled just about every enquiry you can imagine. And if the thought of tailor made packages being expensive frightens you think again.....

Did you know that if there are nine or more of you in a group, they can have you chauffeur driven for the same price as carhire, now you are talking , how's that for peace of mind, someone who knows the road systems and all the best places to go, watering holes included. But that is only one perk?

These guys have long term relationships with the best hotels, castles and restaurants so their business is about keeping each other sweet. So you the client are automatically going to get any free upgrades that are going, plus the most coveted tables by the window or fireside.

It’s a no brainer if you ask me, why spend hours trawling the net in search of a good deal, I cant tell you how many ‘good deals’ I have heard about that I would consider rubbish. For example an email from a honeymoon couple whose ‘tour operator’ had almost exclusively booked them into B&Bs?

Why would they do that when you could get a deal in a romantic castle (we’ve dozens of them) for the same money or less. Not that I am knocking B&Bs we have some excellent ones, but these were dives altogether in the middle of nowhere and that wasn’t an isolated case.

Seems to me these ‘tour operators’ are charging a mighty mark up and ripping off the American public. My advice go to the experts Authentic Travel, it is in their interest to give you the best possible experience of Ireland and yours in getting the most bang for your buck.

And if that isn’t enough to convince you? Think on? As an independent traveller, what happens if your flight is delayed, cancelled, you get ill, or heaven forbid you have any kind of mishap while you are here.

Wouldn’t you like a 24/7 back up service, to a real person, never a machine, who's on the ground, ready to make all the necessary alternative arrangements and meet you at the airport with a hot water bottle and a brandy?

Thought so, or if you are like me and change your mind 50-100 times before finally settling on a plan, having someone hold my hand through that wont lose their patience and cut me off mid demands....well that kind of service is priceless and as they say for everything else there's visa…..

For a stress free holiday of a lifetime visit http://www.authenticireland.com/

By Susan Byron author of http://www.irelands-hidden-gems.com/