For the Love of Food

We all have to have the fact that sometimes we only think of ourselves when we plan our vacations and forget to account the little ones in our planning. who would think that they would get bored spending 14 days in a car traveling around a huge Island?? – any logically thinking parent.

I have to say that I, as most parents probably are who are booking their next get-away, are only thinking about their extreme need to get away from the daily routine that is stressing us out.

It wasn’t until my son kept asking to go “ome” (home) every single day that I realized how terribly board he was. That is when we started to plan our vacation more around him and less around all the “cool” places we could see that we just couldn’t enjoy because we felt we had to rush.

A castle is just a big boring rock you can’t pick up and throw to a little kid.

To top it off, many hotels or bed and breakfasts and even some hostels are not young-child friendly.

So, for those of you parents with young children planning your next trip to Ireland, I have some great tips for you. For those of you planning on going somewhere else on your next vacation, I have some good tips for you as well.

1. Stop as often as you can to look at animals – especially when they’re doing silly things like chewing on a sign.

2. “Moo” and “baah” are great sounds of distraction with unhappy children in a car.

3. Stop at as many play grounds as you can find – seriously. They need their exercise and love to play with other children.

4. If there is a beach, and it’s not raining, stop and go for a walk and discover new things…like what sand feels like in between your toes for the first time!

5. Go to the zoo. The Fota Wildlife Park just outside of Cork was the highlight of our Irish vacation for our son. Getting really close to the animals was so invigorating for him, and it was worth every cent we paid to get in (€13/adult)!

In many areas you can, literally, get up close and personal to the animals as they freely roam around the park.

6. Visit an aquarium. We were very impressed by the Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium which only takes 30-45 minutes to go through.

7.  Take a horse-drawn carriage.  We took one through the Killarney National Park where no motorized vehicles are allowed.  Our son was thrilled by the “or-ee” (horsey) ride, and we got a great tour from the old Irish man who was driving us around.

So, after all the driving, walking, and chasing after your little ones, you are going to want to stay someplace over night where you can truley relax.  I do have to say that we did not find as many of these places as we would have hoped on our trip, but the 3 that we did find are really worth mentioning.  Please do keep in mind that we traveld to Ireland in the Fall, and Spring and Summer times may be more chaotic and less relaxing.  Most places close around the end of October, so in the Winter it will take some more hunting to find a place to sleep.

(sorry, no picture!)

1.  The first child-friendly place we stayed was a hostel in Leenane called “Sleepzone Connemara“.  They have a layed-back, but very organized staff as well as excellent cooking facilities, a relaxed dining area, and a nice TV lounge with plenty of board games to choose from.  Most importantly, for those of us with really young children, the main living areas are all on the ground floor and there any stairs leading up/down are off to the side.  I was really able to just let go here and not have to be on the constant look-out for my son going up and down and up and down and up and down the stairs….you know what I mean moms and dads!

2.  The second child-friendly place, and best place we stayed on our entire vacation, was Stanley House in the small sea-side town of Schull.  It was like going home to mom’s house.  Nancy, the owner, is a beautiful and young-looking grandmother who gives such a warm welcome to all her guests that we decided to stay an extra day just because. She was even kind enough to get out some toys for our sone to play with.  We were all really sad to have to go.

There are always beautiful candles lit at all hours of the day, and her home is kept in pristine condition.

And, she makes the most amazing breakfasts.  There is a menu to choose from, and in one meal you can eat anything from cereal, to fruit, homemade bread (to which I have been promised the recipe) traditional Irish breakfast – or have it all.

3.  The third child-friendly, and last place, we stayed on our vacation was Finnegan’s Holiday Hostel in Tralee.  The Town of Tralee is just as close to the Kerry Airport as Kilarney is, but the accomodations in Tralee, as well as the town, we far more pleasant.  Don’t be fooled by the “B&B” sign outside – it’s a hostel and the only breakfast served in tea/coffee and toast with an assortment of jams.  The rooms here were adequate, the price was nice, the kitchen was fabulous, and the living room was cozy with a nice big fire place.  Not to mention that the architecture was just really facinating.

And, do remember some general rules when you take your little ones on trips away from home over night:

1.  Feed them their meals at the same times they would usually get them at home

2.  Keep their sleeping/napping scheduals in tact

3.  Bring a comfort toy for each of them so every new place has something familiar in it.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS