Hotels in Ireland are the cheapest in Western Europe according to a new survey of rates across 44 countries by the world’s largest independent online booking company, expedia, owners of hotels.com.

The hotel price index, compiled from bookings made through Hotels.com at 130,000 hotels around the world, found Ireland had the sixth cheapest hotels out of a total of 44 countries surveyed with an average room rate of €79 (approx $107).

No other Western European country had lower rates. In Eastern Europe, only the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary were found to be slightly lower than Ireland making Ireland the 4th cheapest in the entire European continent.

Hotel prices in the capital, Dublin, were even lower than the national average at just €73 (approx $98), dropping 6% in 2010 versus 2009, making it one of the best value capital cities in the world in which to stay. Of 95 cities surveyed around the world, Dublin ranked 18th cheapest and cheapest in all of Europe.

Average hotel prices in Dublin in 2010 were significantly lower than in neighboring European capitals. In London, average hotel prices stood at €135 a night; Paris – €120; Amsterdam – €115; Rome – €113; Edinburgh – €109; and Lisbon – €83.

Kilkenny remained the most expensive place to stay in Ireland, despite a fall of almost 20 per cent in average room rates from €138 in 2009 to €112 in 2010. The southeast also had the second most expensive destination, with Wexford at €109. Third most expensive was Galway at €100, followed by hotels in Killarney at €96 and Tralee at €95. The lowest cost place to stay in Ireland, the survey found, was Waterford, with an average hotel price of just €56.

Seamus Mac Cormaic of Expedia Inc said: “Despite having a reputation as an expensive destination, Ireland is now one of the most affordable destinations in the world and Dublin one of the least expensive major cities.”

In past blogs we have covered the list of 5 and 4 star hotels in Ireland and now we figure its time to come down to the list of Bord Failte and highlight the 3 star hotels which are available upon booking with myguideireland.

The following 3 star hotels are as follows.

Dublin city and suburbs
Camdon Court Hotel in Dublin 2 in the city centre
Grafton Capital Hotel in Dawson Street, Dublin 2
Mont Clare Hotel in Merrion Square in the city centre
Pembroke Townhouse in the city surburbs
Grand Canal Hotel in Dublin city centre

Meath
Headford Arms in Kells town in Meath

Wicklow
Lawless Hotel in Aughrim in Wicklow

Carlow
Seven Oaks Hotel in Carlow countryside

Waterford
Granville Hotel in Waterford city centre

County Cork
Radisson SAS Cork Airport by Cork Airport in the city suburbs
Vienna Woods Hotel in Glanmire in the Cork city suburbs
Actions Hotel in Kinsale town
Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery town
West Cork Hotel in Skibbereen town
Casey’s of Baltimore in Baltimore town
Glengarriff Park Hotel in Glengarriff town
Gougane Barra Hotel in the Gougane Barra countryside

Kerry
Castlerosse Hotel in Killarney countryside
Dingle Benners Hotel in Dingle town
Lansdowne Arms Hotel in Kenmare town
Glencar Hotel in Glencar in Kerry

Limerick
Fitzgeralds Woodlands House in Adare in the towns outskirts
Lakeside Hotel in Killaloe town

Tipperary
Dundrum House Hotel in Dundrum in Cashel town

Clare
Armada Hotel in Milltown Malbay countryside
Bunratty Castle Hotel in Bunratty countryside
Hylands Burren Hotel in Ballyvaughan town
Old Ground Hotel in Ennis town
Park Inn Shannon Airport by Shannon airport

Galway
Ardagh Hotel in the Clifden countryside
Carna Bay Hotel in the Carna countryside
Claregalway Hotel in Claregalway in the city centre
Forster Court in Galway city centre
Arnolds Hotel in Dunfanaghy countryside in Clifton

Mayo
Cill Aodain Kiltimagh in Kitimagh town in Mayo
Clew Bay Hotel in Mayo town centre
Park Hotel Kitimagh in Kitimagh town in Mayo

Sligo
Mackree Castle in Collooney town in Sligo

Leitrim
Bush Hotel in Carrick-on-Shannon town

Armagh
Armagh City Hotel in Armagh city centre

Londonderry/ Derry
Brown Trout in Aghadowney, Coleraine
City Hotel Derry in Derry city

Antrim
Bushmills Inn in Bushmills town
Londonderry Arms Hotel in Carnlough Antrim
Ramada Portrush in Portrush town in Antrim

And that is the main list of 3 star hotels available throughout Ireland which offers hospitality at decent value rates.

Traveling to Ireland as a Group in 2011?  Let myguideIreland assist you.

Now, more than ever, Group rates in Ireland are better and cheaper than any other time and the perfect time to plan for your  2011 Group Travel is NOW!

At myguideIreland, our Groups department caters for all types of groups and assists with everything from Flights, Accommodation, Coach hire and Attractions -all inclusive.  See what previous groups have said about our service by clicking here

Do you have a group who wish to travel for early, middle or Late 2011?.  Send us your dates, your numbers and any other specific requirements you have and we we can send you a free costing/quotation. Then, all you have to do is gather your friends/family to make a group. We even give a free place for the organizer of groups of 20 or more!!

We are based in Ireland (West Cork) as well as USA (Boston). We meet all groups (20 or more) when you arrive to Ireland. We are on hand  every step of the way from the time you enquire to the time you arrive and right through until you depart for home.   We pride ourselves on our Customer Service care to our Guests. See some of the Group Testimonials below.

Contact our Groups Manager, Suzanne Byrne for your Free Quotation we hope to welcome you and your Group to Ireland in 2011.

The shuttle bus service for the Croke Park Stadium Tour is to be relaunched on Tuesday April 13th and will run for the Summer Season until Spetember.

The service evolves from the very successful introductory service last year; and the 2010 Shuttle Bus will include an extended service to the new Glasnevin Museum.

The service will take tourists from the centre of Dublin city to two landmark venues deeply embedded in Irish history. Starting out from Trinity College, the bus will stop at three ‘pick-ups’ along the way –  at Trinity College, Suffolk Street and Parnell Square before reaching the Croke Park and then onto the new Glasnevin  Museum.

The extension of the shuttle service to Glasnevin will allow tourists and the public greater access to two of Dublin’s “must see” attractions. The Croke Park venue hosts the Stadium Tour and the GAA Museum, both of which are a fantastic celebration of the history and heritage of Ireland’s native sports. Glasnevin Trust Museum located at the famous Cemetery site is also host to a fully interactive exhibition highlighting the lives of those buried within the walls of the famous cemetery and historical details of the workings of a Victorian Cemetery.

“Last year the shuttle bus service to Croke Park was a resounding success as it facilitated access for a large number of visitors to one of Ireland’s premier and most celebrated venues. We are delighted to bring back the service for the forthcoming year, whilst also welcoming the extension of the route to the Glasnevin Trust Museum. The premise behind the shuttle bus is again to provide a quick, direct and inexpensive trip to both of the popular venues for tourists and the public alike. We hope the extension will encourage even more people to take advantage of the service this year” said Mark Dorman, GAA Museum Director.

The service from Dublin City Centre to both Croke Park and Glasnevin will run daily from Tuesday to Saturday each week. While there are currently no plans to arrange pickups at Dublin Hotels, the extension of the service to hotels near the shuttle route or near the start and end points has not been ruled out.

If one wishes to stay in the area there are also a number of accommodation options available, just checkout our page on Hotels Near Croke Park

From Yesterday, St. Patrick’s Day, all senior tourists (aged 66 or more) are entitled to travel on the Irish Rail Network completely free of charge.

The scheme, known as the “Golden Trekker” applies to train travel in Ireland on the Iarnród Éireann (Irish rail) network.

Golden Trekker Tickets take the form of a four-day Trekker ticket, or a sequence of four-day tracker tickets for longer stays, providing senior visitors with unrestricted rail travel within the republic of Ireland.  Each four-day Trekker ticket is worth at least €100 ($140) per person.

The scheme makes Ireland vacations even more affordable for seniors. Any of our selfdrive Ireland vacation packages can be purchased excluding the rental car and you can get around using your free rail pass and take a bus or taxi to your hotel.
Alternatively choose from our list of hotels near Irish train stations to make that vacation even more convenient.

To get your Golden trekker ticket you must contact your local Tourism Ireland representatives:

For visitors from the USA the process is:

Call Tourism Ireland on 800 SHAMROCK (1-800-7426-7625) at least 48 hours prior to your arrival in Ireland, and provide the following information:

- First and last name
- Date of birth
- Passport Number
- Date you wish your Golden Trekker Pass to commence (each pass is valid for four days. If you intend to travel for longer periods, you have to apply for more than one pass.)
- Country of residence
- Email address and/or Postal address
- Origin of first rail journey

Once you have provided this information, your Tourism Ireland agent will process your application for a Golden Trekker, and a confirmation will be delivered to you in time for your trip to Ireland.

 For visitors from other countries visit www.discoverireland.com for details.

Hotels in Ireland are now among the cheapest throughout Europe with only Hungary, Poland & the Czech Republic having lower average rates. According to the Hotels.com Hotel Price Index, the average price of an Irish hotel room fell by 21% in 2009 with the cost per night falling from €101 to €80, the steepest decline in Western Europe.

The index also shows that Killarney hotels are the most expensive rooms in the country while the cheapest are in County Waterford. The largest percentage fall was in Galway where prices were highest in 2008 but fell by 24% in 2009.

The changes by town/city are set out in the following table:

You can download the full report at hotels.com:
http://www.hotels.com/press/hotels.com-hotel-price-index-ireland-2009-h2.pdf

We are delighted to announce the top 10 hotels in Ireland rated by genuine Guests; Unlike some rating sites where anyone can set up an account, our ratings are gathered only from people who we can verify have stayed at the property in question….because they booked it through us!

For quality control purposes, we have been gathering information on the properties we sell since our foundation over 10 years ago. Properties are rated on 7 distinct criteria: hospitality, accommodation, food, exterior, facilities, location  and value.
We have always displayed this information on the individual hotel page on our website, but we have never published a ranking showing the best hotels……until now:

The hotels with the highest ratings on our website are:

#1 Lough Eske Castle, County Donegal

#2 Glin Castle County Limerick

#3 Dromoland Castle, County Clare

#4 Westin Hotel, Dublin

#5 Waterford Castle, County Waterford

#6 Adare Manor, County Limerick

#7 Markree Castle, County Sligo

#8 Carrig House, County Kerry

#9 Ashford Castle, County Mayo

#10 Mount Juliet, County Kilkenny

Congratulations to Lough Eske Castle, a new hotel only open  a couple of years, for achieving a level of consistency of quality and service that has propelled it to the top of the list.

Following last week’s listing of 5 Star Hotels in Ireland , the full Fáilte Ireland list of Irish 4 Star hotels is below.

4 Stars Hotels in Ireland

County Carlow
BALLYKEALEY MANOR HOTEL
MOUNT WOLSELEY HOTEL SPA & COUNTRY CLUB
RAMADA HOTEL AND SUITES AT KILLERIG
TALBOT CARLOW
THE LORD BAGENAL INN
County Cavan
CABRA CASTLE HOTEL
CAVAN CRYSTAL HOTEL
RADISSON SAS FARNHAM ESTATE HOTEL
SLIEVE RUSSELL HOTEL GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB
County Clare
ARMADA HOTEL, Spanish Point
BALLINALACKEN CASTLE
CLIFFS OF MOHER HOTEL
GREGANS CASTLE HOTEL
HOTEL DOOLIN
LAHINCH GOLF & LEISURE HOTEL
OLD GROUND HOTEL
SHEEDYS COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL
TIR GAN EAN HOUSE HOTEL
VAUGHAN LODGE
WOODSTOCK HOTEL
County Cork
AMBASSADOR HOTEL BEST WESTERN
BAY VIEW HOTEL
BLARNEY GOLF RESORT
CARLTON HOTEL KINSALE
CARRIGALINE COURT HOTEL & LEISURE CENTRE
CASTLE HOTEL
CHARLEVILLE PARK HOTEL
CLARION HOTEL
CORK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT HOTEL
GARRYVOE HOTEL
IMPERIAL HOTEL WITH ESCAPE SALON AND SPA
INCHYDONEY ISLAND LODGE AND SPA, Clonakility, West Cork
JURYS CORK HOTEL
LONGUEVILLE HOUSE HOTEL
MARITIME HOTEL
MARYBOROUGH HOTEL & SPA
MONTENOTTE HOTEL
ORIEL HOUSE HOTEL LEISURE CLUB & SPA
RADISSON SAS HOTEL & SPA CORK
ROCHESTOWN PARK HOTEL
SEAVIEW HOTEL
SILVER SPRINGS MORAN HOTEL
THE RADISSON SAS HOTEL, CORK AIRPORT
TRIDENT
County Donegal
AN CHUIRT, Gweedore
BALLYLIFFIN LODGE & SPA
CARLTON REDCASTLE HOTEL & SPA
CASTLE GROVE COUNTRY HOUSE
GREAT NORTHERN HOTEL
HARVEYS POINT COUNTRY HOTEL
MILL PARK
RADISSON SAS HOTEL
RATHMULLAN HOUSE HOTEL
ROSAPENNA HOTEL AND GOLF RESORT
SANDHOUSE HOTEL, Rossnowlagh
SHANDON HOTEL SPA AND WELLNESS
VILLA ROSE HOTEL, Ballybofey
County Dublin
BROOKS HOTEL
BURLINGTON HOTEL
CARLTON HOTEL DUBLIN AIRPORT
CASTLEKNOCK HOTEL & COUNTRY CLUB
CITYWEST GOLF HOTEL
CITYWEST HOTEL & GOLF RESORT
CLARION HOTEL DUBLIN AIRPORT
CLARION HOTEL DUBLIN IFSC
CLARION HOTEL DUBLIN LIFFEY VALLEY
CLONTARF CASTLE HOTEL
CROWNE PLAZA BLANCHARDSTOWN
CROWNE PLAZA DUBLIN NORTHWOOD
FITZPATRICK CASTLE DUBLIN HOTEL
GRAND HOTEL
GRESHAM HOTEL
HERBERT PARK HOTEL
HILTON DUBLIN
Hilton Dublin Airport
HILTON KILMAINHAM
Jurys Croke Park Hotel
Louis Fitzgerald Hotel
MALDRON HOTEL CARDIFF LANE
MORRISON HOTEL
O CALLAGHAN ALEXANDER HOTEL
O CALLAGHAN DAVENPORT HOTEL
O CALLAGHAN STEPHENS GREEN HOTEL
PARK PLAZA TYRRELSTOWN
PLAZA HOTEL
PORTMARNOCK HOTEL AND GOLF LINKS
RADISSON SAS HOTEL DUBLIN AIRPORT
RADISSON SAS ROYAL HOTEL DUBLIN
RED COW MORAN HOTEL
ROGANSTOWN HOTEL & COUNTRY CLUB
Royal Marine Hotel www.royalmarine.ie
SCHOOLHOUSE HOTEL
STILLORGAN PARK HOTEL
The Beacon
THE CLARENCE
THE MORGAN
TRINITY CAPITAL
County Galway
ABBEYGLEN CASTLE HOTEL
ARDILAUN HOTEL & LEISURE CLUB
BALLYNAHINCH CASTLE HOTEL
CARLTON SHEARWATER C SPA & CONFERENCE CENTRE
CASHEL HOUSE HOTEL
CONNEMARA COAST HOTEL
COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT
GALWAY BAY HOTEL CONFERENCE AND LEISURE CENTRE
HOTEL MEYRICK
JOHN GLYNN’S CLAYTON HOTEL
LOUGH INAGH LODGE HOTEL
MENLO PARK HOTEL
ORANMORE LODGE HOTEL,CONFERENCE & LEISURE CENTRE
PARK HOUSE HOTEL
RADISSON SAS HOTEL & SPA GALWAY
ROCK GLEN COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL
ROSLEAGUE MANOR HOTEL
ROSS LAKE HOUSE HOTEL
THE HOUSE HOTEL
THE TWELVE
THE WESTWOOD
ZETLAND COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL
County Kerry
ARBUTUS HOTEL
ARD NA SIDHE COUNTRY HOUSE
BALLYGARRY HOUSE HOTEL & SPA
BALLYSEEDE CASTLE HOTEL
BROOK LODGE HOTEL
BROOKLANE HOTEL
BUTLER ARMS HOTEL
CAHERNANE HOUSE HOTEL
DINGLE SKELLIG HOTEL
DROMHALL HOTEL
EARLS COURT HOTEL
Fels Point
Kathleens Country House
KILLARNEY AVENUE HOTEL
KILLARNEY PLAZA HOTEL & SPA
LAKE HOTEL
LOCH LEIN COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL
Manor West Hotel Spa & Leisure Club
MEADOWLANDS HOTEL
PARKNASILLA HOTEL
RANDLES COURT CLARION HOTEL
RIVERSIDE HOTEL KILLARNEY
ROSS HOTEL
SNEEM HOTEL
THE BREHON
THE KILLARNEY ROYAL HOTEL
THE MALTON
THE VALLEY SUITES
County Kildare
BARBERSTOWN CASTLE
CARLTON ABBEY
Carton House
Clanard Court Hotel
COURTYARD HOTEL
KEADEEN HOTEL
KILKEA CASTLE HOTEL
KILLASHEE HOUSE HOTEL & VILLA SPA
MAUDLINS HOUSE HOTEL
Moyvalley Hotel
OSPREY HOTEL & SPA
THE WESTGROVE HOTEL
County Kilkenny
HOTEL KILKENNY
KILKENNY HIBERNIAN HOTEL
KILKENNY ORMONDE HOTEL
KILKENNY RIVER COURT
MOUNT JULIET CONRAD
NEWPARK HOTEL
County Laois
CASTLE DURROW COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL
PORTLAOISE HERITAGE HOTEL
THE KILLESHIN HOTEL
County Limerick
ABSOLUTE HOTEL & SPA
CARLTON CASTLETROY PARK HOTEL
CLARION HOTEL & LEISURE CENTRE LIMERICK
CLARION HOTEL SUITES LIMERICK
DUNRAVEN ARMS HOTEL
MUSTARD SEED AT ECHO LODGE HOTEL
RADISSON SAS HOTEL AND SPA, LIMERICK
STRAND HOTEL
THE CARRIAGE HOUSE
County Louth
BALLYMASCANLON HOTEL
CROWNE PLAZA DUNDALK
THE D HOTEL
County Mayo
ARDMORE COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL
CARLTON ATLANTIC COAST HOTEL
DAYS HOTEL CASTLEBAR
HOTEL WESTPORT, Leisure, Spa and Conference
KNOCKRANNY HOUSE HOTEL & SPA
MOUNT FALCON COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL
NEWPORT HOUSE HOTEL
PARK INN MULRANNY
Ramada Ballina
STELLA MARIS COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL
The Ice House Hotel
The McWilliam Park Hotel
WESTPORT PLAZA HOTEL
County Meath
MARRIOTT ASHBOURNE HOTEL
BELLINTER HOUSE
BETTYSTOWN COURT HOTEL
CITY NORTH HOTEL
DUNBOYNE CASTLE HOTEL & SPA
KNIGHTSBROOK HOTEL, SPA & GOLF RESORT
MARRIOTT JOHNSTOWN HOUSE & SPA
TRIM CASTLE
County Monaghan
HILLGROVE HOTEL LEISURE & SPA
NUREMORE HOTEL
The Hunting Lodge at Castle Leslie Estate
County Offaly
BRIDGE HOUSE HOTEL, SPA & LEISURE CLUB
COUNTY ARMS HOTEL
KINNITTY CASTLE HOTEL
TULLAMORE COURT HOTEL
County Roscommon
ABBEY HOTEL CONFERENCE AND LEISURE
KILRONAN CASTLE
County Sligo
CASTLE DARGAN HOTEL
CLARION HOTEL SLIGO
CROMLEACH LODGE COUNTRY HOUSE
DIAMOND COAST HOTEL
Glasshouse Hotel
Radisson SAS & Spa
SLIGO PARK HOTEL AND LEISURE CLUB
County Tipperary
Baileys of Cashel
BALLYKISTEEN HOTEL & GOLF RESORT
CASHEL PALACE HOTEL
CLONMEL PARK HOTEL
HORSE AND JOCKEY HOTEL
MINELLA HOTEL AND LEISURE CENTRE
County Waterford
ARLINGTON LODGE COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL
ATHENAEUM HOUSE HOTEL
FAITHLEGG HOUSE HOTEL
The Fitzwilton Hotel
WATERFORD CASTLE HOTEL & GOLF CLUB
County Westmeath
Annebrook House Hotel
ATHLONE SPRINGS HOTEL
GLASSON GOLF HOTEL
HODSON BAY HOTEL
MULLINGAR PARK HOTEL
RADISSON SAS HOTEL, ATHLONE
SHERATON ATHLONE HOTEL
THE PRINCE OF WALES HOTEL
County Wexford
AMBER SPRINGS HOTEL & HEALTH SPA
ASHDOWN PARK HOTEL
BRANDON HOUSE HOTEL AND SOLAS CRA SPA
CEDAR LODGE HOTEL AND RESTAURANT
DUNBRODY COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL
FERRYCARRIG HOTEL
KELLYS RESORT HOTEL
MARLFIELD HOUSE HOTEL
Seafield Golf & Spa Hotel
TALBOT HOTEL
THE CARLTON MILLRACE HOTEL
WHITES OF WEXFORD
WHITFORD HOUSE HOTEL HEALTH & LEISURE CLUB
County Wicklow
BROOKLODGE HOTEL AND WELLS SPA
GLENVIEW HOTEL
TINAKILLY COUNTRY HOUSE AND RESTAURANT

This list is correct as of 30/11/09 – The 2010 list will be added asap

Ashford Castle in Cong, County Mayo, will celebrate 70 years as a hotel in May of this year.

The majestic Ashford Castle, set on 350 acres, is located in the beautiful west of Ireland north of Galway and dates back to 1228.
Situated on the confluence of Lough Corrib and the River Cong, and once a summer home of the Guinness family, Ashford Castle has captivated visitors since being converted to a hotel in May 1939.

While the Equestrian Centre is over-rated, the 350 acre estate is renowned for having Ireland’s first Falconry School offering a rare opportunity to handle birds of prey and the grounds provide ample opportunity to wander and relax.

Dining at Ashford Castle is an unparalleled culinary experience. The George ‘V’ Room offers elegant dining amid period decor with a world-class menu.  For a more traditional and casual dining experience, Cullen’s Cottage is located within the grounds less than a 2 minute walk from the Castle’s main entrance.