I've been following this thread but have held off on saying anything because I feel you are pretty much overwhelmed by now & didn't want to stress you out any more. But anyway, here's my 2 cents, for what it's worth.
I was robbed in March staying on the west end in an older, reputable hotel surrounded by a stone wall and locked gate at night. Crackheads scaled the wall, dismantled my louvred window and unlocked my door and came in and cleaned me out - while I was sleeping! After that incident, I was much more observant and yes, it's true, the crackheads are all over the West End. Not saying this would happen to you, but you must be very vigilant at all times, and is that really how you want to spend your long-awaited vacation?
My advice would be to go with Westport Cottages on the beach road. I have friends who have been staying there long term for many years and have nothing but good things to say about it. It also has a locked gate and the owners watch out for their guests. You would be central and can get to any place you need to go easily from there. Easy and cheap to catch a cab up to the W. End for swims if you prefer it over the beach. Easy to go out to dinner in the evenings and grab a cab back after dark. If Westport has all the amenities you need, that would be my choice.
Whatever you decide, Medi, I hope you have a wonderful, stress-free vacation.