I'm on Orange and going to Ireland for a week, the prices seem to be scandalous, £12 for 10mb The hotel only has wifi in the reception area and obviously no BT Openzone, I can see this being a major issue For calls i'm not really bothered its data I need. I am thinking the best option is to get a O2 Ireland sim card but then my iPhone is locked to Orange on base band 5.15.04 which can't be unlocked.

Any help appreciated

Try and find somewhere else that has a wifi network, I was at Vienna airport in transit over Christmas and got the internet for free abroad using the airports own wifi network. I'm not suggesting that you should go to Dublin airport to find it though.

Well thats not ideal, I doubt the only way though is to sniff out free wifi spots.

Well, you know what the alternatives are. Pay the international data rate, or buy a pre-paid package for international data.

Or pick up an unlocked mifi type device and pick up a local payg sim with a reasonable data tariff.

The roaming data charges on Orange (and probably the others as well) are utterly ridiculous. Chronically overpriced.

The cheapest way (and only option from my money saving point of view) is to use the hotel's WIFI.

If the hotel only has WIFI in reception, it can't be a very good hotel, so I would choose another.

Having internet on holiday is quite important to me, so I would actually do that.

Alternatively, I hear Vodafone have reduced data roaming considerably.

Not necessarily the case. But I accept it's more important to some people than others.

Choosing another hotel might not be an option.