IRELAND is a country located at the southern part of the island of the same name. The island of Ireland is the third largest island in Europe. It is separated to Great Britain in the east by the Irish Sea. The Ire in Ireland comes from the Greek term ierne, meaning wintry. Undoubtedly, Ireland is one of the coldest places in Europe with temperature as low as below 0 degree Celsius for more than a month during winter.

The following countries need a visa to get to Ireland – Afghanistan, Albania, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Moldova, Montenegro, Nigeria, Serbia, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. The 70,280 square kilometer island is serviced by four international airports – located in Dublin, Shannon, Cork and Ireland West. Several flights land daily although Ireland can also be accessible via ferries, trains and buses. The ferries also provide daily services from Great Britain (which houses the UK) and back. The distance between Ireland and Great Britain is only 21 kilometers. Trains and buses cross into Northern Ireland.

There are the usual five star hotels in Ireland but there also ones that can be called castle hotels. Castle hotels here are indeed authentic with their origins as far back as the Gaelic times. Their most advertised amenity is the breathtaking greenish scenery. But then again, there are also so-called budget castles and they take in the form of farmhouses. But if you really are craving to stay in a five star hotel, book as early as a two weeks’ notice at least. These hotels may be filled in already at the desired dates of your stay here for all you know. That is equally true with plane flights. So you can enjoy big discounts in plane and hotel deals, and then course your trip here through a reputable travel agency. Of course, you must have loads of cash to go with that but if your trip is sponsored by your employer, that’s a lot better. You can really splurge here for even modern five star hotels date their existence back to as far as the 19th century. Therefore, the atmosphere of your stay is combined modernity and medieval. You will enjoy the luxury of having high speed Internet access in your own room at the same time marvel at 19th century architecture and interior design. All five star hotels have a state-of-the-art gym each with stretching mats. A suite features in-room massage treatments for a little add-on amount and regular amenities include 24-hour maid service, a vault combination safe and a selection of high density disc movies if you’re bored at the cable TV shows.

Then indulge in authentic Irish cuisine like the colcannon and champ which are both made of mashed potatoes. Then there’s this Irish stew which is made from yummy lamb meat. Coddle is a similar one although it is made from pork. Serve yourself with a heartwarming Irish breakfast consisting of black and white pudding, egg, bacon or sausage, fried tomato slices as well as fried potato slices.