Toasting the Moon in Ireland!

Travel for 2 cost breakdown (at the time of writing this post):

Marine Hotel – Sutton/Howth – $87 per night
Temple Bar Hotel – Dublin – $139 per night
Clontarf Castle – Dublin – $231 per night
Return Flights from SFO to DUB – $750 pp
Food/Drinks/Entertainment/Tours/Souvenirs for 6 days – $1,000
GRAND TOTAL FOR 2 TRAVELERS – 6 days: $3414

***At this time, we are not endorsed by any outside affiliates. That said – when booking our trips, we have had a lot of success with Hotels.com, Skyskanner, and Tripmasters.

Before Booking Our Trip

Before launching into booking our own trips abroad, we called several tourism companies and travel agents. Everyone we spoke with thought that we were crazy when we said our budget was $4000 for Ireland. They all advised us that we would need a minimum of $10,000 to plan a trip to Europe for a week.

After living in Germany for eight months and spending only $5000 total as a student, I knew that it was possible. What I didn’t realize was how MUCH is possible! When we travel we stay in 3-5 star hotels, book tours, eat REALLY well, and have a beautiful time! Travel has never been easier OR cheaper than right now – so book your next adventure soon!

Booking

Booking a trip to Ireland is easy for Americans! The US passport allows US citizens to enter Ireland visa free for up to 90 days. All you need is a flight and accommodations and you’re good to go!

What we did

Ireland is a small country, so we stayed in the Dublin area for the whole week and took two day trips to explore other parts of the country. We didn’t see everything, but we did adventure through quite a bit of the Isle of Winter! Here’s our itinerary:

Day 1: Arrived in Ireland, Took the DART train to Sutton/Howth, Checked in at the Marine Hotel in Sutton, Dinner and Drinks at “The Bloody Stream”

Day 2: Exploring Dublin’s Southside – Jameson Distillery Dublin, Guinness Storehouse, Arthur’s Pub, Grafton Street, Ha’penny Bridge, Quays

Please go to the Jameson Distillery Dublin and Guinness Storehouse. Even if you aren’t a fan of their products, the history about Ireland’s economic history, the value of these companies to the country overall, and the pride that the Irish have in their history around these two integral families is irreplaceable. Our trip wouldn’t have been complete without these tours.

Day 3: Cliffs of Moher, The Burren, Galway City

No trip to Ireland is complete without getting out in nature. We took three days to be outside of Dublin and exploring the rugged, unique, and breathtaking landscape. The Cliffs of Moher were astonishing, but the highlight of this day-trip, to me, was actually the Burren. Miles and miles of stretched rock. It was haunting and foggy and filled my soul with endless stretches of possibility and creativity. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Day 4: Kilkenny, Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough, and Annamoe Farm

There are three over-arching generalizations, that, for better or worse, we will always state with conviction: 1) There is nothing like the light in Ireland. Everything is so green because the light is so magical. 2) The people are the most welcoming and friendly of anywhere we’ve ever been. And, vegetarians look away – 3) We have never eaten better meat in our lives.

Noah’s life changed forever after Day 4 in Ireland. Noah hasn’t been satisfied with a burger since we ducked into a small sports pub in Kilkenny called “The Field.” The Irish are very proud of their meat – all grass-fed, humane production, and according to several locals who were eager to talk to us about their food production- Ireland has never had an outbreak of meat-related mass food poisoning. I’m not entirely sure that’s true – but that was the story. (***Sometimes Irish locals become so competitive with England that they may or may not stretch the truth about their own country to prove a point that they are superior to their neighbors to the east. After their troubled past with England, can we really blame them?)

Days 5 & 6: Back to Dublin, Temple Bar, and Clontarf Castle – Because when in Ireland, why not stay in a castle???

Afterthought regarding where to stay — The DART train from Sutton only takes about 20 minutes to drop you into the center of Dublin. After staying in the fishing villages, we really wished we would’ve spent longer than two nights. It’s more affordable, so much more peaceful, and absolutely stunning with scenery. It’s always hard to tell how nice a suburb will be for tourists, but Noah and I HIGHLY recommend Sutton or Howth for couples looking for relaxation, beauty, “hygge,” comfort and romance.

Toast the Moon Rating: