To say B&B’s are a dying art is certainly not the case in Ireland. For a more personal touch to your holiday why not try a B&B for a change? Experience a hearty welcome, good wholesome home cooking, and a feeling that you’re in a home away from home! We’ve put together a list of things you should know about booking a B&B.

· B&B’s are a family run business. For that personal touch and a feeling that you are in a home away from home, they’re a fantastic option. Experience how the whole family contribute to the smooth running of the B&B. From the biggest to the smallest each is an essential cog in a well-oiled machine.

· Such a hearty welcome awaits you from the owner of the house. The minute you’re across the threshold you’re made feel like one of the family. Add to this inviting smells of delicious home cooking and you’ll probably start to think home was never like this.

· Hotels seem to be springing up all over the place, so the humble B&B has to be just as competitive when it comes to availability and pricing. Rooms on offer are fewer, but most premises have single, double/twin and double single rooms available.

Note: the term double single or double and single always causes a bit of confusion. What it is, is a room with a double and a single bed in it!

· These days almost all B&B’s are totally en-suite and offer tea/coffee making facilities and a TV in the rooms. Some have access to broadband, and fresh home baking is a popular feature in many.

· Most B & B’s are either located outside towns and villages or on the outskirts. This is a definite plus point for city dwellers and people from large towns, as they have the opportunity to experience our lovely countryside. Walking down country lanes getting all that beautiful fresh clean country air into your lungs – what could be better!

· TAA (Tourism Accommodation Approvals) approve B&B’s on behalf of Fáilte Ireland - so you have peace of mind as regards the quality and standard of your chosen B&B.

· A B&B is not at all anonymous, right from the very word go, you are part of this open family.  At the end of the day you are a guest in someone’s home and the experience all feels very personal with everyone on first name terms.

So there you have it, plenty of reasons why you should choose a family run B&B. If you do decide you want to book one take a look at our Ireland B&B page.

As always we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line if you have any comments, or indeed if you’ve anything you’d like to ask us.