Kinsale was a short drive from the Cork Airport which is why we selected this location and I heard great things about the town.
We got a later start to the town because the rental car place gave us a “van” which was HUGE for the tiny Ireland roads and we kindly requested to have a smaller vehicle. The woman at the rental car place was super sweet and gave us a stylish ride (Volvo). It had a heated steering wheel which came in handy with the damp cold. This was my first experience driving in Ireland and it was quite interesting driving on the opposite side of the road especially in the misty rain nearing dark. But hey, I am always up for an adventure.
The town of Kinsale in November is pretty quiet and quaint. It was misty and cold during the night but the town itself is very cute with lots of colors and right along the coast (which we couldn't really see until the morning). Since we were visiting in November the daylight was limiting but it didn’t stop us from exploring the city at night. It is also a very quiet time of year where a lot of places are closed or have very limited hours.
Kinsale is known for their food and it did not disappoint! We ate at Jim Edwards for dinner which was recommended by everyone we asked. We all had bacon cheeseburgers and chips (fries). After dinner we headed back to the hotel because we hadn’t slept for what seemed like ages! In the morning we had breakfast at the hotel which was phenomenal. My favorite was the chocolate croissants and the French toast was delicious too. I was traveling with my mom and sister who must eat gluten free and the hotel had a whole section set up for gluten free. Ireland is extremely accommodating for those that cannot eat gluten. This was a great experience for our first night in Kinsale.
