Without a major hotel franchise presence in Killarney, Ireland, our travels took us to the Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast hotel. The Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast is peacefully located on the River Flesk. I don’t typically make a habit of staying at bed and breakfast hotels but I was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying the experience. Read on to see how we found our stay…

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This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Review: Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland

After visiting the Cliffs of Moher, we eventually arrived to Killarney. I didn’t have much luck in locating chain hotels in this part of Ireland, having somehow missed the sole Holiday Inn property in town.

We ended up at the Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast. The Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast was endorsed in the Lonely Planet guidebook and booked through Expedia. While I don’t typically say outside of chain properties where possible, it ended up being a great option for us and more than fit the bill.

Locating the Crystal Springs:

The Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast Hotel is situated just a little ways out of central Killarney, Ireland.

On arrival, we checked in to Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast. The friendly host gave us a choice of two available double rooms. We ended up choosing the room closer to the water.

The Room: A Double Room

The first thing that I noticed about the Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast was that it was immaculately clean and well maintained. It was much better on the cleanliness standard than many commercial hotel rooms that I’ve stayed in.

Our Double Room was configured with a twin bed along with an additional single bed which was perfect for family needs.

The bathroom also included a stand up shower. The bathroom, following the theme of the living area, was exceptionally clean and well maintained.

Around the Property:

The property is located on the peaceful River Flesk. The Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast was right on the river and you could angle fish from the property if you were so inclined. It made for a peaceful setting and a nice mix up from my usual cookie cutter chain hotel stays.

Food and Beverage:

Bed and Breakfast

With any bed and breakfast hotel, the morning breakfast is an integral part of the experience. The next morning, we were given a great selection form for breakfast. Jr pleased as he could choose his breakfast, which contained old fashioned American Eggs.

We later had very good breakfast at the hotel in their charming and very traditional breakfast room. In addition to hot entrees, they offered the usual cereals meats and cheeses available from the hutch.

Around the Property:

The Town of Killarney, Ireland

After we had arrived, we dried off from the wet Cliffs of Moher visit earlier in the day. We eventually headed into town. Although the town is walkable from the Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, given the weather conditions we took the car to be safe and dry.

Killarney was a charming two street town. It felt very touristy but it seemed to also be a tourist hub for this area. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a wet afternoon out and about today. There were stacks of souvenir shops on every corner and restaurants until the end of the street.

With many dining options close – by, we ended up having dinner at Salvatore’s where we split a margarita pizza and calamari. I got to try the local Killarney Helles Beer. I would link the restaurant webpage to the report, but the restaurants seem to turn over quite frequently since most of the recommendations in the version of the Lonely Planet that I had with me had already disappeared by the time we visited.

After that, it was a quiet walk back to the car parked in the local car park. The ambience of the town felt a little more intimate at night as the sun fell for the day.

Having the town with near proximity to the Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast made dining options very convenient to the bed and breakfast hotel itself.

The Bottom Line: The Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast

Overall the Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast was a pleasant place to stay in Killarney and we would easily stay there again. Killarney was a neat little town that had almost everything you’d need for a stopover in this area.

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If you have based yourself in Killarney, Ireland, what type of hotel did you end up staying at ?

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