Staycation honeymoon 2020

woodchuck

I'm looking for recommendations for a honeymoon in Ireland. We're planning to get married in mid-September this year. We're hoping(!) this will still go ahead, but with the current coronavirus situation, we're not optimistic about going abroad for the honeymoon.

We'll have a fair bit of annual leave to use (up to 3 weeks). It might be nice to stay in a luxury hotel briefly, but I know we'd get bored after a few days! Our holidays are usually much more adventurous and we wouldn't want to spend weeks on end pampering ourselves in fancy accommodation.

So would anyone have any recommendations? In particular:
- A rough 2-3 week itinerary. Ideally including West Cork and the Ring of Kerry.
- Fun activities to do in late Sept / early Oct. Would whale watching be realistic?
- Quirky accommodation that won't break the bank. E.g. cottages, cabins, BnBs, farms, boathouses etc.

Open to any/all suggestions!

Chivito550

woodchuck wrote: »

I'm looking for recommendations for a honeymoon in Ireland. We're planning to get married in mid-September this year. We're hoping(!) this will still go ahead, but with the current coronavirus situation, we're not optimistic about going abroad for the honeymoon.

We'll have a fair bit of annual leave to use (up to 3 weeks). It might be nice to stay in a luxury hotel briefly, but I know we'd get bored after a few days! Our holidays are usually much more adventurous and we wouldn't want to spend weeks on end pampering ourselves in fancy accommodation.

So would anyone have any recommendations? In particular:
- A rough 2-3 week itinerary. Ideally including West Cork and the Ring of Kerry.
- Fun activities to do in late Sept / early Oct. Would whale watching be realistic?
- Quirky accommodation that won't break the bank. E.g. cottages, cabins, BnBs, farms, boathouses etc.

Open to any/all suggestions!

Get yourself to the Aran Islands! Inis Mor and Inis Oirr are stunning (haven't been to Inis Meann). Also go to Doolin for great trad Irish music (in particular the trad session in O'Connor's).

Electric Nitwit

Two unrelated things...

If you're driving by Adare to get to Kerry then a night or two in Adare Manor is amazing, but very pricey

And if you're in West Cork the night canoeing is a great (and, dare I say, romantic) experience...
https://www.atlanticseakayaking.com/booking/the-moonlight-starlight-experience/

satguy

If this virus thing is died down..

Then start your Staycation in Dublin or Shannon for your first night,, then when its lashing down with rain, your only 30 minutes from an airport.

woodchuck

Thanks for the advice guys! How long would you recommend for the Aran Islands?

5p9arw38djv2b4

You could do a fabulous road trip on wild Atlantic Way, or just a section of it, and do loads of great activities. A poster above mentioned the night time kayaking - only offered in 2 places in Ireland (mentioned above + Kenmare). Time it right for the black moon and the water is full of bioluminescence.

And yes, you can go whale watching in West cork weather permitting still in november, 2 operators, both are very good. Start checking out the operators Facebook and you'll see videos - there are loads of types of whales and dolphins off our coast.

Depending on when the open/ end the season this year you could go out to Skellig Island - far better than the Ring of Kerry, but you can go to the Kerry Cliffs on the same day. Lots of activities like Falconry now offered in Kerry. Would suggest the Ring of Beara over the Ring of Kerry.

Several places along the WAW now doing seaweed baths with Irish seaweed.

I'd suggest picking cool activities from the WAW website and building an itinerary. Aran Islands are ace also, (I'd say 2 nights, you want a day to cycle round, go to Dun Aenghus and the diving hole, do some hiking) but you could get the ferry over from Cliffs of Mother after doing the Cliff Walk and touring the Burren, going to the Burren perfumery, etc.

Depending where you start/ end you could tie in the Waterford or Mayo greenways? Keep an eye out for escape rooms, there are loads across the country now, good fun.

Quite a few really beautiful glamping sites open in Ireland now, they could be an option. I assume the hotels will be cheaper this year so you could splash out (I'd always choose The Europe in Killarney if I was splashing out), but I'd keep an eye on Airbnb, some beautiful places around the country, real kooky ones in treehouses, or with hottubs and bars etc - also giving you the option to self cater a bit and keep costs down.

I think you'd have an amazing time with a honeymoon in Ireland.