Before you book, decide what type of bed and breakfast best suits your budget. A guest house is the most basic of the bed and breakfast accommodations in Ireland, although they are not at all basic in the types of services they offer. Most include bedrooms with a connecting bathroom, and all offer a full Irish breakfast -- eggs, bacon, sausage, black or white pudding, and of course the popular Irish soda bread.
A variety of websites offer information on bed and breakfasts in Ireland. Check out the Town and Country Homes Association website at (townandcountry.ie), which claims to be Ireland's leading bed and breakfast accommodation provider, and has been around for years. Others include Guide to Ireland (guide-to-ireland.com), Travel-Ireland-Hotels.com (travel-ireland-hotels.com), and B&B Network Ireland (ireland-bnb.com).
Look into taking a guided tour of Ireland with accommodation included. Check myguideireland.com (myguideireland.com), an all-service travel agency in Ireland. The company works with the Town and Country Homes Association, offering vouchers for over 2,000 bed and breakfast establishments in Ireland.
You can also consult a book such as "Bed and Breakfast Ireland: A Trusted Guide to Over 400 of Ireland's Best Bed and Breakfasts" (Chronicle Books) to gain more insight. The guide includes rates, addresses, and phone and fax numbers, as well as a selection of maps.
