Reader Travel Awards: Ireland’s best B&Bs, campsites and sun breaks for 2023 revealed!

Travel is back.

f I had some doubts before reading your nominations for our Reader Travel Awards, now I have none.

From the 10 best hotels in Ireland to the 10 best beaches, from pet-friendly stays to the island’s best walks and coolest campsites, this makes for a magical selection of holiday picks for 2022.

The winners and results give a tantalizing sense of how our holidays have rallied over the past year and will continue to move forward in 2023.

** SEE ALL WINNERS ON OUR READER TRAVEL AWARDS HUB **

Her joy of traveling is contagious again.

Covid has clearly hit the hospitality industry, but your nominations show how the best pandemic pivots continue to pay off – from alfresco dining to a growing network of greenways, improving pet-friendly stays and accelerating trends like cashless stays.

Co Kerry is a prime example of using challenges to your advantage, offering not only your number one Irish holiday this year, but also your favorite hotel, B&B and Irish breakfast. We also see evolutionary leaps in the quality of camping, cabins and hiking trails.

It is clear from your comments that cost of living and sustainability will become increasingly important in 2023. “Value” was a word that kept coming up.

But value doesn’t necessarily mean cheap. They are willing to pay for quality, which is reflected in repeat winners such as Monart or this year’s Best Hotel – The Europe in Killarney.

‘Craic’ is another word used countless times and Irish holidaymakers clearly love companies that show attention to detail and strike the right balance of friendliness and professionalism.

As an example you gave The Europe “high class without being snotty”.

This year saw a record number of nominations, giving our judges plenty to talk about and invaluable insight into your holiday habits.

You’ll find that we’ve changed our categories (e.g. adding ‘Best Walk or Trail’), welcomed a new vote on our judging panel in Roz Purcell and reintroduced overseas holidays – including Best City Break, Fly’ n’ Flop and Travel Agency Categories. We strive to evolve like your travels.

As always, our quotes include as many of your comments as possible. Thank you for taking the time to write them!