Kinsale and Cobh - Ireland 2014 - page 281

$$$ Commodore Hotel is a grand 150-year-old historic landmark with 42 rooms. This
place was once owned by the Humbert family, wealthy Germans who opened it up to
Lusitania refugees after the 1915 sinking. Its high-ceilinged rooms creak with Victorian
character (Sb-€59-65, Db-€115-130, Tb-€170-190, Westbourne Place, tel. [phone],
www.commodorehotel.ie , [e-mail] ).
$$ Waters Edge Hotel, located 50 yards from the Queenstown Story, has 19 bright,
modern rooms and a pleasant harbor-view restaurant (Sb-€70-100, Db-€80-150, Tb-
€100-160, Wi-Fi, Yacht Club Quay, tel. [phone], www.watersedgehotel.ie ,
[e-mail] ).
$ Ard na Laoi B&B is a friendly place with five fresh rooms in a great central location
(Sb-€40-50, Db-€60-70, Tb-€90-105, cash only, 15 Westbourne Place, tel. [phone],
www.ardnalaoi.ie , [e-mail] , Michael O'Shea).
Eating in Cobh
I like the Jacob's Ladder restaurant in the Waters Edge Hotel. Along the waterfront,
you'll find a variety of pubs serving decent grub. Taste is a hip little sandwich joint, a
couple of doors down from the Titanic memorial. For picnic fixings, there's the Centra
Market (Mon-Sat 8:00-22:00, Sun 9:00-20:00, facing the water on West Beach Street).
Cobh Connections
By Car: Driving to Cobh from Cork or Waterford, leave N-25 about eight miles (13 km)
east of Cork, following little R-624 over a bridge, onto the Great Island, and directly into
Cobh.
Kinsale to Cobh is 25 miles (40 km), takes an hour, and involves catching a small ferry.
Leave Kinsale north on R-600 toward Cork. Just south of Cork and its airport, go east on
R-613. You'll follow little car-ferry signs, but they ultimately take you to the wrong ferry
(Ringaskiddy—to France). Instead, after you hit N-28, take R-610 to Monkstown and then
Glenbrook, where a (poorly signposted) shuttle ferry takes you to Carrigloe on the Great
Island (€5, 5 minutes, daily 7:00-22:00). Once on the island, turn right and drive two miles
(3 km) into Cobh. In Cobh, follow the Heritage Centre signs to The Queenstown Story,
whereyou'llfindeasyparkingatthemuseum(firsthourfree,secondhour-€1,2-hourmax-
imum).
By Train: Cork's Kent Station has frequent short-hop service to both Cobh and Mid-
leton,whichareonseparatelines(€7.70round-trip,25minutes,usuallydepartonthehour,
return on the half-hour, www.irishrail.ie ).