Discovering Irish Mythology: A Family Vacation in Ireland

Our agent and her travel company were wonderful to work with for both our trip planning stage and during the actual travel.  This was a 10 day trip for a tour of Ireland.  Our agent asked the appropriate questions to understand what we were seeking to both do and to gain from this travel experience.  She then planned an excellent itinerary for our travel to Ireland.  This vacation was a driving tour of Ireland with a mixture or stays in hotels/resorts and B&Bs.  The exploration on our trip was a mixture of self-guided exploration and expert guided sight-seeing.  She managed to get the balance of these perfect for our trip.  We started in Dublin staying at the O'Callahan Davenport Hotel.  An excellent location allowing us to explore Dublin without the need of a vehicle.  We spent two days walking the parks in Dublin (St Stevens Green, Merion Square), shopping on Grafton Street, touring Trinity College with the Book of Kells and the old Library, exploring Christ Church and the history, visiting St Patrick's Cathedral, and also a visit to the Guinness Storehouse with its beer making history and views across Dublin from the panoramic bar on the 7th floor.  Our trip next involved driving from Dublin cross country to the western coast for a stay in the smaller village of Doolin.  On the way, we stopped in Athlone on the river Shannon.  We took time to visit the Athlone Castle with it's museum and explore central Ireland history.  Also a stop in Sean's Bar the oldest pub in Ireland for a drink was a must. We then continued on to Doolin for a wonderful stay in a beautiful B&B with an exquisite restaurant.  We had a wonderful meal in the restaurant that evening.  The next day was a trip by ferry to Inishmor, the largest of the Aran Islands.  That morning was rainy and windy, so much so that we were concerned about the ferry boat trip to the island and being out there on such a poor weather day.  That was a rough ferry ride in ~1.5 meter seas.  However, we got to the island and within a half hour the skies cleared.  Our agent had arranged an expert guide for our island visit.  That was wonderful!  We explored the island for a few hours getting a lot of history and information from our guide.  This included a great hour spent walking up to the ancient Cliffside fort of Dun Aonghasa.  Beautiful views, along 300 foot cliffs, and amazing history.  We also spent time in the Aran Sweater market and purchased some beautiful wool sweaters before our island departure.  The ferry ride back to Doolin was a wonderful boat ride with scenic views of the Cliffs of Moher from the water.  We dined that evening in another local restaurant.  Nice meal.  But the hotel restaurant from the previous night was one of the two best meals on this trip and well worth the dining if in Doolin.  Then we spent some time walking around Doolin and having drinks in a local tavern. The next day our journey continued driving south to Killarney.  We visited the Cliffs of Moher on the way.  Beautiful sunny day made for spectacular views.  We got there early which is highly advisable.  Crowds were low upon arrival and made it a much more enjoyable experience.  By the time we were leaving later morning all of the tour buses and crowds of people were pouring in.  Then onward to Killarney and a visit to Muckross House.  A wonderful view of the aristocracy lifestyle and history of the 1800s through early 1900s period in Ireland.  We then went to our lodging for the next 3 nights at the a guesthouse, a wonderful small hotel in the center of Killarney.  This was one of the two nicest rooms in which we stayed in during this trip, which was great as we were there for 3 nights.  The following day, our agent had arranged for us to have a personal guided tour of The Ring of Kerry.  It was just us and the driver traveling in a nice Mercedes touring the peninsula.  He was extremely knowledgeable, took us to all the keys sights, provided a lot of historical and local perspective, and just made this day wonderful.  Even a side trip requested by myself to Waterville to see the seaside golf course and purchase a hat, logo ball, and ball mark was fit in.  No golfing this trip, but got to visit a beautiful course.  Maybe next visit.  There was clouds this day in the mountains, which made views from some of the high peaks less than ideal.  But the rest of the day was fantastic.  We even visited a small town (forget the name) and interacted a man with his pet goat (a large male with big rack) just hanging out in the park in the center of town.   Also we stopped at the gap of Dunloe for some spectacular scenic views.  That evening we walked downtown in Killarney to have a meal and visit all of the shops.  Killarney is a neat and bustling Irish town.  The next day was self exploration around the Dingle Peninsula. Very scenic!  We had lunch in the seaside town of Dingle, visited Inch Beach with great views across to the Ring of Kerry peninsula, a neat ride on very narrow Slea Head Drive to the tip of the peninsula, checked out some of the ancient beehive huts, and had a nice afternoon coffee/tea/pie break at a local woman's home along Slea Head Drive (she serves folks each day until the pies she has baked are all gone).  We returned to the guesthouse for our last night's stay in Killarney.  The next day was a visit to Ross Castle in Killarney (neat restored Tower House for the old aristocrats in the 16th-17th century period) on the way out of town and then a drive to the seaside town of Cobh.  We had lunch in Cobh, visited the Cobh Cathedral and the Heritage Museum which had extensive coverage of the Irish emigration periods and of the Titanic and Lusitania disasters.  We then drove to the Jameson Distillery in Midleton.  Not enough time for a tour, but viewed the history in front museum area and a wonderful sales associate gave us a tasting experience as we selected a few spirits for purchase.  Then onward to the small fishing village of Youghal for our stay at a guesthouse for the night.  Another lovely guesthouse in a smaller town.  We walked the town and viewed the history, but the highlight was the wonderful dinner in the restaurant at the guesthouse.  Fantastic restaurant with fresh seafood in this relatively small town.  Just great.  And topped with an after dinner spirit provided by our agent.  Thanks to our agent, that was a nice touch!  The next day was a drive up the eastern side of Ireland.  We stopped in Kilkenny on the way and visited Kilkenny Castle.  Wonderful tour with so much history.  Love the castles in Europe.  This one so well restored/maintained and great presentation of history.  We then ventured on to Glendalough, an ancient monastic sight.  Some amazing structures that date to the 11th century still present.  Apparently a Sunday pilgrimage site, as it was very crowded with visitors on this day.  Nice time on a beautiful sunny day exploring the site.  Then on to Brookview Lodge for our last night in Ireland.  This was a wonderful place!  One of the two best rooms in our whole trip.  This place is hidden away, took an interesting drive to get there.  They have restaurants, bars, spa, golf, and ducks and chickens walking around.  Very nice setting and relaxing place.  We had dinner and then a spa visit in the morning before our drive to Dublin airport to complete our trip.  Seems a nice place to stay for a couple of nights and relax.  We just had the one, but a perfect finish to our trip lodging experience.  The next day was a drive to Dublin airport for travel home.  What a wonderful trip.  I know this review is very packed, but that was our trip.  Hard to believe we did all of that in 10 days.  Was busy, but did not seem so.  Relaxing as well.  This agent and her company did a fantastic job to find lodging and locations that fit what we were seeking and to plan an exquisite mixture of self guiding what we would do in locations together with professional guides for key locations.  And especially the stays arranged in some of the smaller towns in wonderful guesthouses with great restaurants!  That really fit our desire for this experience.  Thanks to our agent!!  I raise my glass of Jameson in toast to you.

Travel Agency staff were always kind to deal with, but did not proivde accurate knowledge of critical information when booking our trip.  First off, they provided the wrong information regarding the age limitations to drive a 5 passenger rental car in Ireland.  The info may be in their handout, but I expected an accurate response.  Ultimately, if they had told me the correct information before we booked flights, we would have booked a trip to a different European location. However, once our airfare was booked, there was not much we could do but proceed with the trip.  While their error caused a great deal of stress, luckily Hertz granted us an exception at check-in.  Hertz recommended we rent a GPS unit  -- this was a total waste of money, as there wasn't even viable reception in Dublin, let alone the outlying areas. Will have to dispute this with Hertz.    

The hotel in Dublin was nice and in a great area with easy access to many attractions (Guiness, Museums, nice pubs).  The Leprechaun Museum (not recommended by our travel company), was a silly toutist trap, but inexpensive and fun none-the-less.  Guiness Tour was a great way to start the trip.        

One resort that we stayed at was a beautiful, isolated, country spa - great if you want to sit out in a spa and relax.  Not good if you want to see sites and experience the culture.  The hotel in Clare, was our favorite stay.  The city was fun and had easy access to nice local venues.  The Cliffs of Moher, were the most scenic, beautiful, memorable part of the trip.  The medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle was extremely over-priced.  The entertainment was OK and cute fun, but the food was so ridiculously bad that I would not recommend this to anyone.  We have these venues at home, and both the food and entertainment are much better at half the cost...but they're missing the authentic castle vibe.  

Then we arrived at the Lodge at the Ashford Castle -- the second part of the trip where we were led to believe the travel agency failed and provided very wrong misrepresentations about our lodging.  Originally we were suppose to stay at the castle, but that option filled before we could book (due to rental car confusion), so we were diverted to stay at the Lodge at Ashford Castle.  I was told it was another facility on the Castle grounds with full access to the Castle and the only difference would be where we slept.  Luckily our itinerary stated "The Lodge at Ashford Castle, overlooking Lisloughrey Quay with a spectacular view of Lough Corrib, offers an exemplary boutique country house experience in Cong, Co. Mayo. This hotel has so much to offer in terms of its stunning location and allows guests to enjoy all the amenities at Ashford Castle itself. The Lodge at Ashford Castle offers plenty of space to relax and unwind, cleverly maintaining the tradition of a fine Country House combined with the contemporary luxury and style of today."  While the Lodge was beautiful and overlooked the castle, we were not allowed to even walk around on the castle grounds without a scheduled tour and escort.  We were stopped at the bridge and asked if we had a reservation. The Manager at the Lodge was so upset about the information provided by the travel agency that he arranged for a 30 minute escorted tour of the castle for us.  However, we were not allowed to see or use the gym, pool, pub pool table bar.  There no or really late PM reservations for dinner and no openings to have drinks in the bar (this required a reservation too).  Other than a 30 minute tour of the lobby and a few dining rooms, we were not allowed to see any of the Castle.  While the Lodge was very nice, we were made to feel like the "peasants" staying at the Lodge - it became the running joke of the stay there. The manager tried to make up for the misrepresentation, but several other guests were quite put off by this as well.  Apparently there are miscommunications coming out from Ashford Castle and the Lodge about their relationship --- it appears the rules change daily and on a whim.  If you want the Castle experience, I suggest you demand to stay at the Castle to avoid any issues.  The Falconry, archery, and clay shooting were great fun.  Dinner at the restaurant on grounds was very nice.  

Our last stay was at a castle back in Dublin, it is owned and operated by the same company that owns the Lodge.  It was nice, but not a true castle experience as it is primarily a commercialized facility with standard hotel rooms and venues attached  -- not comparable to staying in an authentic castle.  It was close to the airport, but not really amendable to any other site seeing unless you had a car.  

Overall, Ireland was beautiful and I am happy we went.  I felt the travel agency misinformed us on critical issues that reduced the overall happiness and enjoyment of the trip.  

From the first line of communication to boarding our plane in Dublin, our travel agency's perfection in planning made our vacation a perfect dream.  

I found this agency through Zicasso, and after filling out our wish list, our agent emailed me back with the PERFECT itinerary. I didn’t have to make one change, and she nailed all areas I wanted to see, and offered several options for dining, excursions, sites, and must-see and do things. (They were also extremely patient, as it took us about 3 months to actually book due to busy schedules!)

The agency did not book flights but was helpful in helping us find flights and then worked with our flight schedule to finalize our itinerary. When we arrived in Dublin, we were met by our representative who was truly wonderful in making us feel welcome. He was friendly and chatted with us about things to do and see in Ireland, and made us feel very comfortable and relaxed, especially after traveling for about 25 hours. He advised us on the best way to get out of Dublin when we got our rental later in the week and pointed out places of interest on our drive to the hotel.

Upon arriving at the hotel (AMAZING), we were met by friendly staff, and since it was 9am, our room was not yet ready, so they sat us down so we could relax and enjoy breakfast. They provided us with a place to store our luggage and freshen up so we could explore Dublin a little while our room was being readied. Our stay at the hotel was simply outstanding, and made even better by a welcome gift from our travel agency, a chilled bottle of Sparkling wine, handwritten welcome card, and a scented candle!

Our rental car was delivered as promised (wonderful) and the process was simple and easy. From Dublin, we headed to Galway for a two-day stay (stayed at a modern and posh hotel with a spa and edgy and fun décor), had dinner at an Inn, which was spectacular and then spent an evening out in Galway City Center with the locals. An amazing place with tons of fun pubs and live music. We then headed to Killarney (stayed at a 5 stars, and luxurious resort again with a spa). In Killarney, we went to the Ring of Kerry and explored St MAry's Cathedral and Ross Castle. The town is beautiful, and the Muckross was in the Killarney National Forest-Absolutely beautiful.

After Killarney was Kinsale, where we stayed at a seaside boutique hotel and just gorgeous. On our first night, we stumbled into a restaurantand pub, great food, neat ambiance. We were also able to find laundry services as we were beginning to run low, and the town was easy to explore on foot. In Kinsale, our agent arranged dinner at a restaurant that was by far some of the best we had (and that’s pretty good, considering all the food in Ireland was fresh, locally sourced, and simply outstanding).

After Kinsale, we headed to Kilkenny for our last night. My only regret was not adding one more night to fully explore Kilkenny. It is a beautiful medieval town with some pretty amazing scenery, and we just didn't have enough time to see it all. We stayed at a very luxurious and nice hotel, and our last dinner at was delicious. I had fish and chips, and can still taste them!

All of our wishes, desires, and hopes were fulfilled during our trip. Our agent and the travel company team somehow knew exactly who we were and what we wanted, and then delivered perfectly. I would absolutely recommend this company for all of your booking needs. Thank you Zicasso for connecting us with them, and thank you to the team at our travel company for the vacation of a lifetime!

 Our trip was fabulous and made even more so memorable by the wonderful & exquisite hotels that our travel planner recommended and booked us into.  Our travel planner and I worked out our itinerary and her suggestions were  perfectly thought out and it was a pleasure knowing that she had seen all these places in her travels. I suggested a night or two at Ballymaloe and asked for her feedback and she thought this would be a wonderful place given the fact that my wife and I are foodies and this was a very memorable dining & lodging experience.  There was several places I wanted to see that we’re not on the original itinerary but my travel planner said that it would be no problem and I should discuss it with parent guide. Indeed, he was able to fit all my desires into the itinerary during our trip. The only unfortunate instances were we were totally fogged in at the Cliffs of Mohr so the picture postcard had to make do as the visibility was nonexistent And we couldn’t get to Ashford Castle for afternoon tea or even a view of the premises because supposedly the prince and princess were staying at the castle and security was too tight.  When we go back to do Donnegal and Sligo and Northern Ireland I expect one of the first stops will be Ashford Castle!