Long Beach Lodge

Stranded in Ireland

Go Ireland:  When the sun shines where are the best places to swim and stay along our coast? ALANNA GALLAGHER   finds out

Donegal  

The county is littered with gorgeous sandy beaches and numerous on-the-beach accommodation options. For a family holiday in beach heaven try the village of Dunfanaghy where you can stay at Arnolds Hotel and blow the cobwebs out of your hair with a gallop across Killahoey Strand or take it slow with an amble round McSwynes Gun coastal loop walk, an immersion in the raw beauty of Horn Head and Sheephaven Bay.

If country houses are more your style the lawns at Rathmullan House roll onto the beach. And if you’d like to get away from it all – perhaps with a large group – why not stay at Cuan na Rí resort, a holiday village half way between Carrigart and Creeslough. These holiday homes have access onto 2km of gently sloping sandy beach at the Inner Beach and also to Tra Mor beach, one of the county’s best beaches. You’ll probably have it all to yourself.

Cost:  two nights B&B and one dinner in Arnolds Hotel (see arnoldshotel.com or tel 074- 9136208) costs €156pps. This includes a free packed lunch and walking guide for McSwynes Gun coastal walk. Two nights B&B and one dinner at Rathmullan House is from €245pps (tel 074- 9158188, rathmullanhouse.com). Two nights self-catering at Cuan na Rí (cuannari.com or tel 087-2213768) costs from €450, seven nights €750.

Sligo  

The recently opened Strandhill Lodge and Suites is beside the county’s surfing magnet of Strandhill. The setting is spectacular with most of its 18 rooms offering balconies from which to drink in the seascape below while Queen Maeve’s tomb atop Knocknarea helps frame the scenic vista.

Strandhill is a vibrant village but the lodge and suites is better suited to couples or groups than families. There is no bar or restaurant on site but the Venue next door is an old-fashioned pub that has pints of plain and live music on weekends.

Next morning explore the megalithic sites of the Carrowmore tombs. Afterwards, you can detox in the village’s seaweed baths and just drink in the fresh air with long beach walks.

Cost  : B&B in a deluxe double room with balcony at Strandhill Lodge and Suites costs €129 per night (strandhilllodgeandsuites.com or tel 071-9122122).

Vancouver itinerary suggestions | Canada Forum | Fodor's Travel ...

So, how would you do it? We fly into to Vancouver around noon on a Saturday. Would you spend about four nights there and then go to Victoria for one or two? If there is availability should we make the effort to drive to Tofino? Should we spend a night on Whistler? Or, is there some other nearby city we should spend two nights in? Someone suggested that making day trips from Vancouver would be the most relaxing way to do this trip. Should Vancouver be the last stop since we will fly out of it? I want to enjoy, but I also want to avoid stress.

Update: I'm thinking that we should go right from the airport to Victoria. it seems hectic. But, since we fly out of Vancouver, I think it might make sense. So, this would mean two nights or three nights in Victoria and 5 in Vancouver with a day trip to Whistler. Is that too much? Should I do two nights in Victoria, make the trek to Tofino stay there two nights and then spend the last four nights in Vancouver?

Thank you, thank you, thank you! It all seems more manageable now. So, you would spend three nights in Tofino and give up a night in Vancouver, right? I figure we are more likely to go to Vancouver again, whereas Tofino is so much harder to get to. Where would you stay in Victoria? I have similar prices for Abigail's and the Marriot. Any Vancouver hotel or neighborhood favorites. Sludick, you have made my life over these next few days and for the trip so much better!

Alright, the Marriot it is! Could we do Grouse Mountain and the suspension bridges in one day? They were on my list and I love that we can do them on our way in. I will drop Whistler. Can you tell me more about the Middle Beach lodge. I have read the reviews and they are great. However, we will be in Tofino over my husband's birthday and I wonder if it is worth the splurge to go to Long Beach Resort. (Big Gulp) Do they include guides hikes etc, there? I'm considering getting him surf lessons or something.

Hmmm. I imagine it's possible, although you would be pushed. If you leave early am from Tofino and were able to catch a ferry right away, you would have the afternoon into evening. You could visit Lynn Canyon or Capilano first - maybe just Lynn Canyon - since it's free - and then go up to Grouse. Of course you spend all day at Grouse Mountain... There's a lumberjack show, a Birds of Prey show, grizzly bear habitat, and of course the zipline. You could have dinner there, or burgers on the desk of the casual place by the lumberjack show and look out over the city. I haven't stayed at Long Beach Resort, although many here are fans. Middle Beach is a nice mix of upscale and woodsy/rustic that we like, and we eat at least one of the staff-prepared dinners (salmon roast, etc., all served buffet style). Not sure what is available in July, but Middle Beach offers packages (kayak, surf, whale watching). Long Beach does the same, and they both have spectacular locations. Long Beach Resort would certainly have more of a fine dining experience. Turning off the main highway, you wind through some woods for just a bit. There are two main check-ins, the Headlands and the Beach. The Beach is less formal, and you would notice that there are yellow raincoats on pegs as well as galoshes next to the door. They are for your convenience, in case you want to walk along the beach or the woodland paths in the rain or mist. No TVs in the rooms (love that), but there is a TV room. Of course, both buildings have floor-to-ceiling windows in the lounge area overlooking the ocean, as well as balconies, comfy seating, etc. If you make a reservation for one of their dinners, go early to enjoy some nice wine. You'll find your table has a card with your name on it. Once again, the staff makes the food. It's homestyle, not fancy, but fun.

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History of Long Beach Lodge No. 327, Free and Accepted Masons, 1896-1961