Where to stay on The Wild Atlantic Way – A complete Local’s guide guide

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The biggest question we tend to see when it comes to the Wild Atlantic Way is whether to choose a base to travel from or to book hotels in each location.

Where you choose to stay on the Wild Atlantic Way will ultimately come down to the length of time you have available.

If you only have a few days available, we would recommend choosing a central base like Galway and planning your day trips around that base.

However, if you plan to cover a larger part of the route and have more time available, the only real way is to book individual hotels one each location.

Because Ireland is relatively small on paper, visitors often underestimate how long it takes to navigate these road trip routes.

Quite often however, covering 50km can take significantly longer than you think along the notorious rural roads of Ireland that provide the entry route to these stunning locations.

The other consideration is budget. The Wild Atlantic Way is home to some of Ireland’s most incredible hotels, from castle stays like Lough Eske in Donegal, to huge estates like Parknasilla in County Kerry and Glenlo Abbey in Galway.

Equally, Ireland is renowned for its homely hospitality so you can find great Bed & Breakfast’s and unique homes all over the coastline.

We have travelled this route several times and spent time in each of the counties located along the route so we have developed an extensive knowledge of the best places to use as a base to make your itinerary flow from one day to the next. Our focus will be on the where to stay in West Cork, Kerry, Clare, Galway and Donegal to help you plan the perfect stay in Ireland.

Where to stay on The Wild Atlantic Way – at a glance

• West Cork – We have two main recommendations for hotels in West Cork. For a beautiful setting, we would recommend the Gougane Barra Hotel, set in stunning surroundings and for a luxury option we also love Hayfield Manor.
• Kerry – We would recommend choosing Killarney as your base for the trip to Kerry. The town is full of atmosphere, has a beautiful national park and provides easy motorway access for your day trips to areas like Dingle. In Killarney we would recommend staying at . Outside of Killarney, we also love Aghadoe Heights, Parknasilla Resort and Ballyseede Castle.
• Clare – Home to the Cliffs of Moher, Clare doesn’t have a huge range of hotels but it is home to possibly Ireland’s best hotel at Dromoland Castle. We also love the Fiddle & Bow Collection; The Armada and Doolin Inn – perfect bases for visiting the iconic cliffs.
• Galway – If we could only recommend one city in Ireland to visit, it would be Galway. Great music on the streets, lively atmosphere and some great coffee spots too. Our hotel picks in Galway would be Glenlo Abbey for a luxury stay or the Dean for a hotel in the heart of the city.

Our top picks for things to do on The Wild Atlantic Way

While you may deliberate over where to stay on The Wild Atlantic Way, you will have no shortage of things to do while you’re there. Your attention will be caught by the Cliffs of Moher but this stunning coastline offers so much more.

You will have a lot of flexibility in where you choose to visit on the Wild Atlantic Way. We would recommend having a nice blend of guided tours where you can get local insights and tips and self guided where you simply get in the car and enjoy the scenery.

There are certain guided tours on the Wild Atlantic Way that we consider to be unmissable from our experience, many of which are sea based rather than land.

Firstly, in Kerry if we only had to choose one guided tour it would be the Dingle Dophin Tours, where you can explore the Great Blasket Islands and get up close to some incredible wildlife including dolphins.

For land based options we would highly recommend this tour of the Ring of Kerry where you will get to see some of our favourite locations in Kerry.

We also loved this tour of Slea Head and the Dingle Peninsula which takes in one of our favourite locations in Ireland at Dunquin Pier.

Further up the country, we think the best way to experience the Cliffs of Moher is from below, rather than above. This guided boat tour offers a completely unique perspective of the cliffs that is otherwise inaccessible.

Again, if you get a bit sea sick, the best alternative is to take this guided walking tour from the picturesque village of Doolin. This tour is done at a nice leisurely pace but also helps you access some of the best photo spots to capture the iconic cliffs.

In Galway, the main tour we would recommend is this one of Connemara National Park, leading to Kylemore Abbey. The tour also takes in the colourful village of Clifden, which we did ourselves just last week.

Best Areas to stay on The Wild Atlantic Way

West Cork (The starting point)

Kinsale in West Cork marks the starting point of the Wild Atlantic Way and West Cork provides some of the most dramatic and rugged scenery along the route.

We think West Cork is actually underrated with so many visitors often tending to skip it in favour of spending more time in places like Kerry.

To us, that is a huge mistake and West Cork should absolutely be on your itinerary. This area includes Ireland’s only cable car in Dursey; unique locations like Bantry House and Garnish Island and some of Ireland’s most beautiful villages/towns like Alihies and Kinsale itself.

You will also find Ireland’s most Southerly point at Mizen Head in West Cork as well, passing through the beautiful countryside long the way.

Where to stay in West Cork

There are several hotels we would recommend staying at in West Cork. For a hotel set in stunning surroundings our recommendation would be Gougane Barra Hotel. The hotel is also perfectly located for visiting the locations above, as well as moving into the Ring of Kerry area.

If you’re looking for a luxury stay in this area, our recommendation would be Hayfield Manor, though this hotel is much closer to Cork City centre so do keep that in mind. That being said the hotel itself is stunning.

Two other options we would also highly recommend in West Cork would be Fernhill Hotel & Gardens, which is set on a stunning estate close to the South Coast and also Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa which sits directly on one of Cork’s most beautiful beaches.

Kerry

Following a visit to Cork, your next destination is most likely going to be Kerry, home to arguably Ireland’s best road trips and most impressive scenery

The main things we would recommend doing in Kerry are the Gap of Dunloe, the Ring of Kerry, the Dingle Peninsula and a boat tour to the Skellig islands.

With that you will want to make sure you choose the best base to provide easy access to all of these locations.

Recommended hotels in Kerry

There are a few great options in terms of where to stay in Kerry. Our personal pick would be to use Killarney as your base and navigate your way around from there.

Killarney is easy to access from Cork and you can do the Ring of Kerry, Gap of Dunloe and Dingle Peninsula quite easily as well without being too far removed.

Equally, Killarney itself is a great town, full of atmosphere, great food options, a beautiful national park and the widest range of hotel options to choose from in Kerry.

Our top pick in Killarney for a luxury stay would be Aghadoe Heights, which is set just a couple of miles outside the town centre. The hotel has stunning views of the countryside, with an on site spa, fitness centre and swimming pool.

Alternatively, for a budget friendly option, we would recommend Hotel Killarney, which is within walking distance of the train station and is a great option for families with lots of great activities like mini golf and playgrounds available on site.

If you decide not to stay in Killarney, our favourite hotels in Kerry are Ballygarry Estate and Ballyseede Castle in Tralee, Sheen Falls Lodge in Kenmare and Muckross Park Hotel outside Killarney.

You can get much more detail our complete guide to where to stay in Kerry to help you choose your accommodation.

Clare

Almost all Wild Atlantic Way itineraries will ultimately lead through Clare at some point. This is because Clare is home to the routes most famous landmark, the Cliffs of Moher.

That being said, Clare has so much more to offer and we would really recommend not just using it as a quick stopping point to see the cliffs. Clare has other beautiful cliffs like the ones on Kilkee, which leads to a stunning drive around the Loop Head peninsula.

It also has lots of great towns like the surfers paradise of Lahinch, which is perfect for a sunny day (make sure to stop at Hugo’s bakery), the centre of Ennis and the colourful village of Doolin, as well as Spanish Point, where the Spanish Armada landed in the 16th Century.

Recommended hotels in Clare

Dromoland Castle – If you want the ultimate luxury castle experience in Ireland then it has to be Dromoland Castle. Set just a short drive from Bunratty Castle, this place has everything from tennis courts, swimming pools and incredible gardens to fine dining restauarants. Dromoland Castle is possibly the best place to stay in Ireland.

The Armada – This beautiful hotel is set right on the beach at Spanish Point, around 25 minutes South of Doolin and has amazing views looking out over the Atlantic Ocean.

Fiddle & Bow Collection – This stylish collection of cottages set beside the ocean are perfect for anyone looking for a home from home feel to their stay. Particularly if you haven’t visited Ireland previously, the cottages will really make you feel like you’re staying in an Irish home.

Galway

If you only plan to spend a few days on the Wild Atlantic Way, our recommendation would be to choose Galway as your base.

Galway has lots of great hotels, easy access to the motorway, as well as both Shannon and Dublin Airport and has a thriving hospitality scene with the streets filled with music from morning to night.

While you are in Galway we would recommend spending some time in the city itself, particularly around the Latin Quarter, grab a pizza at Dough bros and listen to some traditional Irish music at any number of pubs dotted around the city centre.

We would also suggest taking the short drive out to Salthill on a summer’s evening to take a walk along the promenade and you can also stay here at the Galway Bay Hotel here if you would prefer to be out of the city.

For day trips, take the road south to Roundstone before visiting Gurteen Bay and Dogs Bay and then take the epic driving trail along the Sky Road before heading to Kylemore Abbey and Connemara National Park.

Recommended hotels in Galway

Glenlo Abbey – This is the best luxury hotel in Galway, set on a large estate overlooking Lough Corrib. The hotel offers Michelin star dining experiences, huge cycling trails that you can explore on complimentary bikes and a renowned golf course and driving range.

The G Hotel – If you’re looking for a spa break style hotel in Galway we would recommend the G Hotel, a luxury 5* hotel just outside the city centre.

The Dean – For a hotel in the heart of Galway city centre, we would recommend the Dean. The hotel is walking distance to the main bars and restaurants in the city and has a great swimming pool on site as well.

Donegal

Similar to Kerry, Donegal’s main attractions are quite sparsely located with places like Slieve League located in the Southern area and scenic drives like the Inishowen 100 largely in the Northern part of the county.

Donegal has no shortage of things to do, from the epic cliffs at Slieve League to some of Ireland’s most beautiful beaches including Murder Hole Beach (not as threatening as it might sound) and Portnoo.

It is also home to Ireland’s most Northerly point at Mizen Head and a beautiful national park at Glenveagh.

Our recommendation would be to spend two days in Donegal, one based in the Southern part of the county near Slieve League and the other in a more Northern area like Dunfanaghy or Moville.

Recommended hotels in Donegal

Lough Eske – If your plan is to check out the best castle hotels in Ireland, then Lough Eske should be high up on your priority list. Set on a huge estate at the foot of the mountains, you can spend time fishing n the lake, relaxing at their luxury spa or exploring the 43 acre estate.

Harvey’s Point – Harvey’s Point is also just outside Donegal Town, just under an hour’s drive from the Slieve League cliffs. It has won numerous awards in recent years and has a number of great dining options on site as well.

Shandon Hotel & Spa – At the other side of Donegal we would recommend the Shandon Hotel & Spa. This hotel sits right on Dunfanaghy beach and provides easy access to the Inishowen 100 driving route, as well as Glenveagh National Park.