Accommodations in Ireland fall under five general categories: Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, Hostels, Self-Catering and Camping/Caravan.

There are also a number of ways to book rooms.

Below, each are listed with their descriptions and amenities. Scroll down for the listing.

1) BED & BREAKFASTS
B&Bs in Ireland can be broken down into three categories: Family Homes, Farmhouses and Guesthouses.

Hotels come in about as wide a variety as bed and breakfasts ranging from from old-world inns to luxurious castles to stately manor houses and the more common modern hotel.

Hotels offer two room types...room only and B&B.

3) HOSTELS
Hostels come in two varieties, Holiday or Family Hostels and Youth Hostels.

Holiday/Family Hostels cater mainly to families traveling on a budgets as rooms can accommodate anywhere from two to ten people. There is a common room for socializing with other guests of the hostel and a common kitchen They provide clean, simple accommodation at a budget price.

Youth Hostels is confined to members of An Óige or other hostel associations affiliated with the International Youth Hostel Federation. These hostels provide simple accommodation generally to single people or young adults. Multi-bedded rooms are clean and comfortable and facilities are available for cooking one's own meals.

4) SELF-CATERING

Self-catering accommodation range from everything between modern purpose-built apartments and houses to traditional thatched cottages. These are ideal for people who want to spend a week or more in one area and want all the conveniences of home. Self-catering accommodation operates under a four-star rating system similar to that of Guesthouses.

5) CAMPING & CARVANING

This is the probably the least expensive way to see Ireland. Many sites are located near beaches, parks or lakeside and have laundry facilities, public showers and toilets and sometimes recreation rooms with TV's and gaming rooms. There is no rating system for camping and caravan sites but if you chose one near a Blue Flag Beach or national park you can usually be sure that the site will be up to excellent standards.

BOOKING ROOMS

Reservations can be made many ways...

1. Phone directly yourself - Keep in mind that there are long distance phone charges that will apply. Check your carrier for rates before phoning.

2. Travel agent - Travel agents will rarely book B&Bs and smaller accommodations because there is no commission offered. You may be pushed into booking a more expensive hotel.

3. Bord Failte/Tourist Board (BF/ITB) - The BF/ITB will charge you up to 20% deposit for booking rooms. This is actually their commission imposed on the accommodation. If you need to cancel your accommodation this "deposit" will be non-refundable to you and non-transferable.

4. Central Reservation Service (CRS) - A CRS for a hotel chain is a good option for booking because you have the option of choosing from a number of hotels under that hotels ownership/management. CRS's also operate for services that manage bookings for a number of hotels, regardless of ownership. All CRS's will have a booking charge of up to 20%, as above. Keep in mind that there may be long distance charges to phone from where you are. When placing your booking, be SURE to get a confirmation number, the cancellation policy, check-in policy, the reservationists name and directions on booking.

5. ALL IRELAND TRAVEL - We're the best option for booking your accommodations because we have a more personal report with the accommodation than a CRS would have. Often times we've stayed with the accommodation so can give you our personal experiences. We only book BF/ITB approved accommodations so you know that wherever we suggest will meet or exceed government set standards. And if we recommend an accommodation you know that it exceeds OUR standards. We are not a free service however. Being a non-commission based service we may impose a small 10% service charge, which is nonrefundable, and covers our expenses for placing your booking...phone charges, staff fees, incidentals.

NOTES ON HANDLING YOUR OWN BOOKING
If you are booking your own reservations, confirm your reservations by...

1. Posting a letter of intent to the accommodation and them asking for a confirmation letter to be sent to you in reply. This can also be done by email if the accommodations has email.

2. Be SURE to include your name, dates of your stay and contact number.

3. If you gave your credit card number over the phone it is only necessary to note which card you gave in your letter but not the number.

4. If you are required to submit a deposit be sure to complete the check including either the accommodations name or the owners name, and any confirmation number you may have been given.

Please note: It's courtesy to add 5% on top of your country's currency to cover the cost of the foreign exchange in Ireland.

** If you're booking well in advance, a call to the accommodation about one month before your arrival date to confirm the reservation is strongly advisable.

CHECK IN AND CANCELLATIONS
Check-in times are after 2pm and before 6pm.

Early arrival - If you are arriving into the location earlier than 2pm you can certainly drop your luggage at the house then go off to see the sights. Your luggage will be put into your room when it's ready. If the innkeeper has a spare set of keys available, he/she will tell you your room number that way you can come back later when you're ready without having to be there before 6pm.

This is only required on the day of check in. If you are staying more than one night you can come and go at will.

Late arrival - If you are going to be later than 6pm you are required to phone the accommodation as soon as possible to let them know when you will be in. Do this BEFORE 6pm.

• Most of the smaller accommodations are family run, so it's much appreciated to arrive before 6pm so that the innkeepers can spend the evening time with their families and tend to personal business.
• Keep in mind that your innkeeper is also the one making your breakfast and needs to be up in the early hours to prepare, which means getting to bed early, so try to arrive no later than 9pm when possible.

Check-out times are generally no later than 11am. Late check-outs can be arranged, but prepare to pay at least a half day charge if you are asking to stay past noon.

Cancellations vary between accommodations so be sure to ask when booking the room. If you're required to post a deposit be SURE that you adhere to the rules of that accommodation if you want a refund. Some places may require a written notice of cancellation. If there is a deposit made to the room and there is a problem getting the refund it will help to have documentation. It would not hurt to have the cancellation policy in writing as well. Innkeepers can often times email the details to you.