What to Pack for a Self-Catering Holiday in Ireland (The Things People Always Forget)
Self-catering means freedom — but it also means remembering things hotels handle for you. Here's the list we'd give every guest before they arrive.
Self-catering holidays are brilliant. You eat when you want, you come and go as you please, and nobody's hovering around at breakfast. But there's a reason hotel guests don't pack corkscrew — hotels handle all of that. When you're self-catering, you do.
We've hosted enough guests at Tully's Home to know exactly what people wish they'd brought. Here's the list.
The things most people forget
A good travel adapter
Ireland uses the same plugs as the UK — three-pin, not the continental two-pin. If you're coming from mainland Europe, you'll need one. Even if you're from the UK, a multi-way adapter is useful when there are more phones and laptops than sockets.
Universal travel adapter on Amazon
A portable power bank
Long days out in Wicklow — hiking, driving the coast, exploring Glendalough — mean long days away from a socket. A decent power bank means you don't come back to a dead phone at the end of the day.
Portable power bank on Amazon — get one with at least 20,000mAh if you're running multiple devices.
A waterproof dry bag
For kayaking on the Blessington Lakes, a rainy hike, or just keeping your phone dry in an unpredictable Irish afternoon. Small enough to pack flat, genuinely useful when you need it.
A reusable water bottle — insulated
The Wicklow water is genuinely good. An insulated bottle keeps it cold all day on a hike or warm if you fill it with tea before heading out on a cold morning. One of those things you wonder how you ever managed without.
Insulated water bottle on Amazon
For outdoors days
A good picnic blanket — waterproof-backed
Russborough House, the Blessington Lakes, the grounds at Powerscourt — all brilliant picnic spots. But Irish grass is almost always slightly damp. A blanket with a waterproof backing means you actually sit on the ground rather than hovering awkwardly.
Waterproof picnic blanket on Amazon
Binoculars
Underrated on a Wicklow holiday. Red kites soar over the lakes, herons stand motionless on the river, and the views from the mountain tops are the kind where you want to be able to pick out detail. A compact pair takes up almost no space in a bag.
A small Bluetooth speaker
For evenings in, music while cooking, or sitting outside on a rare warm evening with a glass of wine watching the sun go down over the lakes. The ones worth buying are waterproof and genuinely loud enough to fill a room.
Portable Bluetooth speaker on Amazon
For the kitchen
Self-catering homes are equipped — but people's own coffee habits vary wildly. If you're particular about your coffee (and honestly, who isn't these days), bring:
- A small bag of good ground coffee or beans
- A hand grinder if you travel with beans
- A travel coffee dripper if you're serious about it
Everything else — pots, pans, knives, chopping boards — will be there. But your specific coffee setup won't be.
The boring-but-essential stuff
- A small first aid kit — plasters, painkillers, antihistamines. The nearest pharmacy to Blessington is in town but it's a 10-minute drive at minimum. Worth having basics with you.
- Sun cream — Irish summers can surprise you. The UV index on a high-pressure day in Wicklow is higher than you'd expect.
- A head torch — Wicklow is dark at night. Genuinely dark, in a way that cities and suburbs aren't. If you're walking back from the local pub or heading out early for a hike, you'll want one.
Everything at Tully's Home is there waiting for you. Bring these things and you'll have everything else you need too.
