Into The West
Its time of the year to take a break and we decided to head back west of our lovely county to check out what it had to offer, we arrived at the furthest point, well it must be far as there was a signpost saying BOSTON 2400km.. anyhow we anchored up the jeep by the beach and made our way to Tigh TP, checked into a lovely room called the 3 sisters, called this as it was facing the 3-pointed peaks of the 3 sisters far in the distance on the Dingle Peninsula, a most beautiful view. TighTP’s is a family run bar and restaurant overlooking Smerwick Harbour in Ballydavid Dingle, a welcoming atmosphere where locals and visitors mix and mingle, the evening sunshine added to the atmosphere for sure, for dinner I had Scampi, Chips and Salad, huge portions of fresh scampi with a tossed salad, whilst himself opted for the catch of the day ‘smoked hake’ equally delicious.
Sunday morning was time for our seaweed bath where host at Dingle Wellness Orla had our room ready and waiting, my first time ever embarking on a seaweed bath, I have to admit that as a child I dreaded walking on it at Ballyheigue and Derrymore beaches, probably as my older brothers had told me that it housed many species of strange sea creatures that would be a danger to my then small life… however I am a big girl now so I braved it.. am I glad I did, it was the most amazing experience, I could feel the oils from the seaweed soaking into my skin listening to the waves crashing outside, it certainly is a piece of heaven if you want to switch off and think about nothing for a while, After a relax and a sip of peppermint tea we headed for the 
bustle of Dingle town, taking the slea head route, we came across a little gem called ‘Café an Tra’ it was like walking into someone’s living room and for a minute I thought I was imposing until the most pleasant girl appeared from the kitchen and said would you like to order, We had a delicious tomato and basil soup, definitely homemade, and of course you couldn’t not try the rhubarb crumble, I often think these small home industries are missed and passed by for the bigger names and it truly is a shame as they are thriving and providing some delicious home made produce.
Finally arrived in Dingle and checked into the lovely Benners Hotel, the room was divine, spacious and an amazing window that the sun shone through. We relaxed for a while, and decided it was time for dinner, we went to Paul Geaney’s pub, had some delicious chicken wings with a blue cheese dip and a tipple of Sauvé Blanc, as it would be rude not to.. we took a little walk around Dingle town to savour the atmosphere of tourists mulling around the streets, a site we haven’t seen in some time it was so good to hear all those strange accents once again,
We decided to finish the night by paying a visit to the Dingle Pub, a lively pub on main street run by Tom Geaney, on arrival there was an amazing atmosphere with a trad session in full swing, shortly after this performance World champion Irish Dancer David Geaney casually stepped out from behind the bar where he was serving and did an amazing 
display of Irish Dancing, it was breath taking and I thought to myself if this is your regular Sunday night in Dingle town no wonder people travel from all over the world. We stayed there until it was time to call it a night.
So as an overview, I looked at many counties and to be honest the cost of the hotel rooms was just so shocking it wasn’t a runner, I couldn’t justify paying €550-600 for a bed for a break away for no particular occasion.. whereas Tigh TP Is listed at 130 per night and we got Benners Hotel Dingle for 160 including breakfast which is not too bad considering the times we are in. two nights away with accommodation coming in at under
€300.00.
So, my advice is yes you need the break we all do, but shop around and get your value, don’t jump at all the online offers talk to a person and get your price.
It often pays to holiday at home and enjoy what’s on our doorstep, we will be checking out more parts of the county over the coming weeks so keep an eye out for us
Happy Holidays!
