Ireland: B&B or Airbnb?

(Full disclosure – as a self proclaimed Introvert I do not want to share a room, or a bathroom with other guests. I want the privacy and security of my own room with a private bathroom.)

The line between B&B and Airbnb is dissolving, because almost all B&Bs in Ireland are on Airbnb – so the question is almost a moot point. Almost.

If you are a true Introvert then staying at an Irish B&B may be a draining experience, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. But the Irish knack for hospitality is typified in those who chose to open a B&B or host a spare room on Airbnb. Across my many trips to Ireland over the years I have yet to meet the owner of a B&B who did not want to chat over tea and a biscuit upon arrival.

So short of staying in Hotels, or choosing Airbnb’s ‘entire place’ option, be prepared for a bit of chitchat because the Irish are all born with the gift of the gab.

That being said, I have had some of my most enjoyable and memorable stays, in any country, on my road trips around Ireland, in both B&Bs and Airbnbs.

My trip was late September, after North American and European kids have all gone back to school, and therefore, off peak. Great for fares, but some of the family run and beachfront B&B’s were closed for the season.

One B&B I stayed in, with a view of Skellig Michael from the beach right across the road, was only a B… since it was off peak season there was no Breakfast – only the Bed. But knowing that, and willing to sacrifice my breakfast for the ability to walk across the road and take a photo at sunset, I grabbed some groceries before checking in.

B&B Owners and Airbnb Hosts can be a wealth of information and knowledge of the surrounding areas – the back road where I had to stop for the cows to go by, I never would have found without the helpful advice of my host.

I had planed to go to the Seaweed Baths in Sligo, an all around fancy affair – but was convinced to try the Seaweed Baths in Enniscrone instead. The Kilcullen Seaweed baths have been a family business for more than a 100 years. A gem I would have missed without some local advice.

Availability

The great thing about Airbnb and various hotel search websites is you can use them to search Availability. Booking through Airbnb always means paying that Service fee, and maybe a Cleaning fee, and I have happily paid both – but sometimes there’s another way.

I’m a researcher, I like to know about the places I’m going, and potentially staying. I spent more hours than I care to admit finding the “perfect” ocean front accommodation on Airbnb, but ultimately, I found it and I paid those fees with a smile on my face.

But… A trick I first used in Australia on the Great Ocean Road was to arrive in the town I wanted to stay in that night and use my iPhone to search for B&B/Hotel Availability. This trick doesn’t work on Airbnb’s unless they appear on other sites as well, sites that will give you the physical address before you book.

Once I found a B&B I liked, I would drive there, check for the Vacancy sign out front and then say “I was looking on <insert website name here>.com and saw you had a Queen room available for €50. Is it still available, and if so would I have to pay that price if I pay you directly?” And every single time I’ve tried this trick I’ve been given the room at a discount. Every booking site charges a fee, so by giving you a discount they’re actually saving themselves money as well.

This trick only works for traditional accommodation. Obviously if you’re on Airbnb and find an old Lighthouse Keeper’s cabin on an island overlooking the Atlantic you can’t exactly rock up and negotiate. And I didn’t. I paid the Airbnb fees with a smile on my face – because the joy of Airbnb is that you can find a Lighthouse Keeper’s Cabin on the Atlantic and call it home for a few nights. All by yourself.

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