One of the destinations we were looking forward to most during our Ireland road trip was Dingle. Tucked away on the southwest end of the island in County Kerry, Dingle is a colorful and scenic town with some of the most amazing coastal views that we have seen! We were honored to spend a few nights at the Dingle Skellig Hotel, which backs into Dingle Bay and has plenty of amenities to make for a very comfortable and relaxing trip.
Dingle Skellig Hotel
The Dingle Skellig Hotel offers both luxury and comfort and is a perfect staging area for exploring the town and surrounding areas. We stayed in one of their recently renovated rooms, which offered sleek and modern decor, two double beds, and even surprised our kids with some welcome treats!
The hotel itself has everything you would expect from a four-star accommodation, and more! Morning breakfast is available and is buffet style, with plenty of Irish and traditional breakfast options. Make sure you try out the automated pancake making machine, which is something that we’ve never seen before and the kids loved! There are also lunch and dinner options at The Atrium, the Binn Ban Brasserie, and the Coastguard Restaurant.
The hotel also has a courtyard where you can enjoy picturesque views of Dingle Bay, and you can even take a short hike to Hussy’s Folly, an old watchtower at the tip of Dingle Bay. There is also an indoor pool and a well-stocked gym, with aerobic equipment as well as multiple weight-lifting equipment and machines.
One of the best things about the Dingle Skellig Hotel is also its kids club, which is open 7 days a week during summer high season and on weekends and holidays during low season. The kids club has plenty of activities and entertainment for kids 4 and older, and its drop-off services are free of charge, with the exception of paid excursions to places like mini golf or Dingle OceanWorld.
We definitely enjoyed our time at the Dingle Skellig Hotel, and it allowed us to explore the surrounding region and have a comfortable place to rest and relax as well!
Things To Do In Dingle
The Town
Dingle is located on the southwestern side of the Dingle Peninsula, where a natural bay protects the town from any rough waters. The town itself is quite colorful, and you can get some beautiful mountain and coastal views as you walk throughout the town center. The town is easily walkable and has plenty of interesting stops, like historic Irish pubs and homemade ice cream at Murphy’s (which you should definitely try out). As you walk around town, you will also inevitably hear about Fungi, the wild dolphin that has made Dingle Bay his home for decades. There are multiple boat trips that you can book that will take you to see Fungi, whom for some reason visits the same areas every day so you’re basically guaranteed to see him!
Dingle OceanWorld
During one of the days we were in Dingle, rain started to pour, so it made for a perfect opportunity to visit Dingle OceanWorld. And we definitely weren’t disappointed! The kids were entertained by multiple exhibits, countless fish, sharks, seahorses, and stingrays. They even had a heated butterfly garden as well! Our favorite part was seeing the penguin habitat, where you can see them swim around as well as walk around and socialize, which was really neat. There’s also a kids’ play area for the kids to run around and get their energy out, so it was a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon!
Slea Head Drive
Aside from walking around the town, exploring the Slea Head Drive is a must-do activity while in Dingle. It’s actually now one of our favorite drives ever, because of the sheer variety of environments and views that you go through in such a short time. The drive itself only takes under 2 hours, but when you factor in stops at the various scenic locations, it can easily turn into a whole day affair.
Last Words
If you can’t already tell, Dingle pretty much charmed our socks off! From the beautiful Dingle Skellig Hotel, to the colorful town, to the incredibly scenic Slea Head Drive, our time in Dingle somehow exceeded our expectations. We wholeheartedly recommend visiting this part of Ireland and we already know that we will be back one day!
