Dingle Peninsula ‘superior’

This item appears on page 39 of the January 2008 issue.

For the first part of our trip to Ireland (Nov. ’07, pg. 65), Aug. 27-Sept. 1, 2007, we used the “Emerald Package” from Dooley Vacations (Lynbrook, NY; 877/331-9301, www.dooleyvacations.com).

The package, at $899 per person, included round-trip air from New York to Dublin, a hotel for the first night, five nights’ vouchers for B&Bs and rental of an economy-class car (manual transmission).

Upgrading the car from manual to automatic (we would suggest that for U.S. drivers) and upgrading the B&Bs to en suite rooms cost about $150 per person, total. With the upgrades plus air from Los Angeles direct to Dublin, our package cost about $1,500 per person.

Dooley gives you the choice of going to either Shannon or Dublin from the U.S. at the same price. We chose to go on to Shannon the first day, so in essence that leg of the flight was at no extra cost. Also, we picked up the rental car at Shannon Airport and were able to return it at Dublin Airport after our trip at no extra charge.

We used the package to visit the town of Dingle and the Dingle Peninsula. This area is not covered by a lot of the bus tours, but we think it is the very best of Ireland and should never be missed. Stays of at least two to three nights are needed to take in all that this area has to offer.

We feel that the scenery on the Dingle Peninsula is superior to the better-known Ring of Kerry. In addition, there are several outstanding archaeological sites, and the Blasket Centre, on Blasket Island, is a must-see stop. Rick Steves highly recommends this area, and his very informative and accurate book “Ireland 2007” is what we followed.

Ard-Na-Mara Country House (Co. Kerry; phone +353 066 9159072 or e-mail annmurphybnb@ hotmail.com), at €34 (near $49) per person per night, is an excellent B&B overlooking Ventry Harbour, two miles from Dingle — great location.

The rooms and food were excellent, and owner Ann Murphy and her husband were very helpful with local sightseeing. Their B&B is very popular, so book ahead by e-mail.

DAVID REEVES

Banning, CA