Places to Stay - Activities/Outdoors

Thinking of a family get-together in Ireland, or want to meet up somewhere interesting with old friends? Destinations that can cater separately for families and other groups often offer a particularly relaxing stay. Here are just a few of our favourites to tempt you…

With lengthening days and spring in the air, a short break away from cities can lift the spirits without breaking the bank. A hotel is a good bet early in the year, offering plenty of comfort and facilities if the weather is disappointing. To get the best rates, travel midweek if possible, give the special offers pages on hotel websites a good browse - and book direct. Here are some of our favourites to try.

10 of the very best places to eat, drink & stay throughout Ireland. We are blessed with some outstanding places to eat and stay in Ireland and these are unquestionably some of the very best – and they’re all beautifully located too.

Spring may be a clichéd time for all things romantic, but there can never be a bad time to plan a twosome break. Here are just a few of our favourite romantic destinations in Ireland to get you thinking...

What better way to spend a few days away in some of Irelands most stunning landscapes than a short break at one of our famous fishing hotels? And, by a happy chance, they are all lovely places for non-fishing partners to visit too….

With soaring fuel prices affecting everything - and especially travel costs -picking a destination that's an hour or 90 minutes from home means better value for your break, as well as less stress and more chilling time. So if you're based in Dublin why not try one of our picks for a quick break within easy striking distance of the capital?

Not quite decided on your holiday plans yet? Consider the simplicity, relaxation and - if chosen wisely - better value, that airport-free home holidays offer. Parents holidaying with their kids will find there is plenty to choose from in many of the most beautiful and interesting areas of Ireland, and you’ll be made especially welcome this year.

10 of the best destinations for Gourmet Golfers

10 of the Best....for Romantic Weddings & Honeymoons

Avalon House Hotel, Castlecomer Recently renovated to create an elegant and chic hotel with classic Georgian features retained alongside its modern amenities, this elegant privately owned four-star is the perfect destination for a romantic escape...

Whether a treat for yourself or a St Valentine's gift, a Winter Stay at Richard Corrigan’s lovely property Virginia Park Lodge is the perfect opportunity for a weekend getaway in the heart of the Irish countryside...

Escape to Belleek Castle for a Fairy Tale Getaway and step into a world full of history and artefacts...

Ard na Sidhe Country House is an intimate hideaway set on 32 acres of natural woodland on the shores of Caragh Lake on the Ring of Kerry. Inviting lounges with an open log fire, intimate dining and 18 luxurious guest rooms, it really is possible to feel a world away in this magical gem. Come and share the dream.

A great opportunity to enjoy wonderful locally-focused cooking by chef Danni Barry and to see the changes that have been taking place at Ballynahinch Castle recently – the beautiful new Library for example (reimagined by Bryan O’Sullivan Studios) and, next to it the Conservatory and Morning Room Terrace, which provide more comfortable and cosy space to enjoy the long evenings that spring has delivered.

Enjoy an overnight break with dinner at Great Southern Killarney. This package includes Overnight accommodation, Gourmet 4 course evening meal in the award winning restaurant, The Garden Room and full Irish Breakfast.

The SmokeHouses Dinner is a unique dining event, on Sunday 28th May. Five Irish Smokehouse Artisans with a combined knowledge of over 180 years of smoking foods are coming together to celebrate the art of smoking.

3, 4 or 7 night stays are offered at the Holiday Homes at Great Southern Killarney. Just 4 minutes walk from reception in the Great Southern Killarney hotel, the Great Southern Killarney Self-Catering Homes are ideal for families, groups or visitors for whom extra privacy, comfort and space is a must.

The summer months bring a great opportunity to enjoy the warm hospitality and everything that The Lodge has to offer.

With a rich historical and maritime legacy, East Cork has a truly unique variety of attractions to offer the visitor. It is a haven for family holidays with a huge range of activities and attractions to keep the whole family entertained for hours.

In this extensive county, the towns and villages have their own distinctive character. In West Cork, their spirit is preserved in the vigour of the landscape with the handsome coastline where the light of the famous Fastnet Rock swings across tumbling ocean and spray-tossed headland. The county is a repository of the good things of life, a treasure chest of the finest farm produce, and the very best of seafood, brought to market by skilled specialists.

The town of Killarney is where the Ring of Kerry begins and ends for many, among the lakes and mountains where they are re-establishing the enormous white-tailed sea eagle, has long been a magnet for visitors. Across the purple mountains from Killarney, the lovely little town of Kenmare in South Kerry is both a gourmet focus, and another excellent touring centre. As one of the prettiest places in Ireland, Kenmare puts the emphasis on civic pride.

That Galway Bay coastline in Co. Clare is where The Burren, the fantastical North Clare moonscape of limestone which is home to so much unexpectedly exotic flora, comes plunging spectacularly towards the sea around the attractive village of Ballyvaughan.

Connemara, the Land of the Sea, where earth, rock and ocean intermix in one of Ireland's most extraordinary landscapes, and is now as ever a place of angling renown - you're very quickly into the high ground and moorland which sweep up to the Twelve Bens and other splendid peaks, wonderful mountains which enthusiasts would claim as the most beautiful in all Ireland. Beyond, to the south, the Aran Islands are a place apart.

The wonderful northwest

Rivers often divide one county from another, but Fermanagh is divided - or linked if you prefer - throughout its length by the handsome waters of the River Erne, both river and lake. Southeast of the historic county town of Enniskillen, Upper Lough Erne is a maze of small waterways meandering their way into Fermanagh from the Erne'e source in County Cavan.

Co Cavan shares the 667 m peak of Cuilcagh with neighbouring Fermanagh. No ordinary mountain, this - it has underground streams which eventually become the headwaters of the lordly River Shannon, Ireland's longest river that passes south through many counties before exiting at the mighty estuary in Limerick. A magnet for tourism now with boating, fishing, cycling and walking-a-plenty.

Between the sheltered bays at the foot of the Glens of Antrim, the sea cliffs of the headlands soar with remarkable rock formations which, on the North Coast, provide the setting for the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and the Giant's Causeway.