My wife and I are going to Ireland for 12 days (Oct 25th to Nov 6th). We fly into Dublin and we have a car rental waiting for us when we arrive. We plan on driving out of Dublin and head west.

Would it be best to find B&B's and make reservations before we get to Ireland or should we just drive and stay the night where-ever we end for that evening?

How hard is it to find B&B's with a empty room if we do decide to just drive and explore?

I would have to imagine that B&B's are easy to find with some sort of marking on that home.

What is an average cost for two adults at a B&B anyway?

We had 2 weeks in County Kerry in September. It was absolutely beautiful. We rented a cottage so I don't know about the price of B & B's but there were plenty around. You shouldn't have any trouble spotting them. When you come to a road junction, as well as signs for towns and villages, there are signs for B & B's. It can take some time stopped at a junction to read through them all to find what you want. Have a great time and don't forget to try the Guinness.

I was in England several many years ago (14 years! You're kidding!) and stayed in B&Bs exclusively. If Ireland is anything like England, they have tourist offices in nearly every town where the clerk will call ahead and get you a B&B. It does take some time though, and if you don't mind adventuring, you can take your chances on finding something in your price line. When I was there it was about $20 to stay overnight with a good big breakfast thrown in.

Catty (who would like to go back someday)

So how was it?

Ireland was a nice experience. My wife and I both enjoyed the west side of Ireland. The Irish breakfast was good for two days at most, but after that...we became sick of them. A person can only take so much of greasy eggs and bacon. The sausage was a little different, especially after hearing it was soaked in sheep's blood. My wife and I spent five days in Dublin. We did the Dublin Marathon and explored the major attractions in and around Dublin. The most disappointing thing in Dublin was the traffic. We rented a car from Dan Dooley, (which I highly recommend), but driving in Dublin is a little crazy. If anyone plans to rent a car and drive in Dublin...get yourself a "GPS". It will help you in finding your location so much easier.

Day one to day five: We spent our time in Dublin.

Day six: We drove through the beautiful mountains of Wicklow and spent an evening at a Bed and Breakfast in Wexford.

Day seven: We drove to the city of Waterford to tour the Waterford Crystal factory. We spent our evening in a Bed and Breakfast in the town of Younghal.

Day eight: We drove to the city of Kinsale for the majority of the midday. Drove through the Ring of Kerry and we spent our evening in a Bed and Breakfast in the town of Dingle.

Day nine: We drove to the Cliffs of Moher, Ennis, Tralee, and spent an evening in a Hotel.

Day ten: We drove to Kilbeggan to tour a whiskey factory, visit a castle, and spent our evening in a hotel at the Dublin airport.

Our favorite part of Ireland was the Ring of Kerry. If we do go back in the future, we will plan our trip to the southwest side of Ireland. The towns are filled with fantastic Pubs and great traditional Irish music.

I agree with Madcatz the Traffic in Dublin is Bad Even the locals hate it.
Food as you found out is nothing special,but there are restaurants dotted about the countryside which do serve good food but it is expensive! (Pubs are your best bet for an inexpensive meal)
For lots of good info ,try the Doras search engine
www.doras.ie
It links to the www.Yahoo.co.uk and www.eircom.ie sites
FYI-I lived in Ireland for 2 years. I have been back recently to see relatives (in Wexford area)