Ireland Christmas Vacation and a Lucky New Year

This travel agent arranged a six day trip of Ireland for my husband and myself, and it was just wonderful.  I provided her with some loose parameters and a general travel route, and she put together a great trip,  We began in Dublin with a walking tour and plenty of free time, as requested, and then travelled southwest to Cork where we stayed in Kinsale and Killarney.  We ended on the west coast near Shannon where we stayed in the fantastic Dromoland Castle.  Our accommodations were exactly what we had hoped for, a mix of guest houses and fine hotels.  Our agent arranged for a private driver/guide who made great suggestions and adjusted the sights we visited based on the weather.  He was a friendly and fantastic host, and I would highly recommend this form of touring. Our agent was quick to respond to all phone calls and messages, and provided us with a packet of informative travel materials at our first hotel.  Every detail was handled and we had a worry free trip. Our agent provided friendly, excellent service and we would recommend her highly. 

The travel company's contact was helpful and responsive. 

I provided a detailed review for them and I am copying you on it. 

In regard to our Dublin hotel:First, our cab driver from the airport had NO IDEA, never heard of this property, we had no address and neither did he and was annoyed. We finally found it but it was difficult. Putting the address of all properties on the final itinerary would be very helpful!!That said the staff was very friendly, we arrived at 11a.m, they served us tea and then had our room ready by 12:30.They were very helpful, made a dinner reservation at a restaurant which was excellent.  The chef/women who prepared the breakfast was very friendly and the food was excellent!! everything, the tea from tea leaves, the homemade brown bread, all of it.The first thing of note negatively was the cleanliness of the property from the lobby on. The floors were not swept,  and the overall feel was definitely not up to standard. We were in the back building and it was dark hall to our first floor room and the hall steps and area out side our room, where there are 2 chairs and large table had not been swept, cleaned in awhile. The bed for comfortable, good pillows but again not real clean and we had a leak in the ceiling from a problem shower on the second floor. Fortunately it leaked down in the entrance just inside the door to the room. The apologized profusely and thought they had fixed the leak. It was then found to be from another location and we had not more problems. I have notes at home on the rest of the trip that I do want to share but this is as you requested, specific to this property.

Hi again,I am curious what your other clients complained about in regard to their stay at the hotel in Dublin?That said the rest of my review:Dublin:We like the Pig's Ear for dinner very goodNever used tickets for Kilmainham Gaol, timing was not good to get there and back to get ready for dinner. Just didn't work for us. In fact we never used any reservation you made for us for the whole trip. Timing and where we were just never synced up. Did buy a Dublin tour and enjoyed a short tour but then bought a tram pass for a ride.Visited Trinity and the Book of Kells which we really enjoyed and lines were not that long.Ate at a restaurant night 2 on the recommendation of the hotel and it was excellent and we could walk there. Picked up by our driver at 9 AM on Sunday. He had a difficult time locating the hotel but everyone helped him get there!Headed to CORKEnjoy the Kilkenny Castle tour.Did go to Rock of Cashel, disappointed other that the view. We definitely could have skipped that other than a brief stop at the local pub!The hotel in Cork was a nice hotel although tough to walk anywhere due to the location. We ate there first night and it was very good. View was greatBreakfast was good but powdered eggs! Good buffet choices otherwise.Went to downtown Cork for dinner the second headed in a taxi to a cafe when the driver told us it was an ALL VEGAN restaurant and the chef was well known but my husband was NO WAY and we needed to get a recommendation from the driver and then chose one of his restaurants in the area which was good. Off to Kenmare:Loved the hotel--room was really nice, big comfortable. Would go there again. Great breakfast and could order from the menu. Very accomodating. Walked to everything. Nothing opens early!Did not kiss the Blarney stone my husband didn't want to waitDid not tour Muckross but took in the beauty and took photos of both places.Drive thru Killarney and walked aroundWent back to Kenmare. Ate at hotel first night and then a restaurant the next night which was very good. Enjoyed some Irish music in one of the pubs in Kenmare. Nice town much quieter than Killarney. Loved the Beara Peninsula, stopped in Castletownbere and shopped. Left for Galway;Cliffs of Moher beautiful but after 35 years so different and commercialized. The hotel in Galway nice good location. Room very small and the shower did not work properly only had boiling hot water. No maintenance on site to repair and after a bit of a struggle they moved us to a suite on the 5th floor, so hot, windows don't open wide. Would have been great if they did not have a heat wave. Breakfast was very good. Ate at a restaurant on the Corner which was very good. Next nigh at a local place. Local pub was nice to stop in and get a drink. Went to Croagh Patrick and walked just up to the statue. Beautiful views. Westport is very nice.We loved Connemara. Stopped in Cong so my husband could see John Wayne, and the site of the Quiet Man filming. He loved this. Beautiful area.Stopped at Kylemore again beautiful. Would go back to this area.Never used the boat tour tickets. We wanted to head back and the tour was not for another 1.5 hrs and we were done!We ate breakfast and headed toward Malahide and we would have had to hang around to go to the Monastery so we just drove past and did not use these tickets either. Malahide. Like the hotel BUT in a front room and all we heard were buses pulling up to the front door off and on at night and music so loud from the down the street until 1:30 AM! We could sing along that is how clear the words were thru our window. Easy drive to the airport, pretty town, nice shops and we ate in a local  pub NOT the tourist pub because the hotel staff recommend another place that is more local and not so crowded. So it was a good trip and the hotels were good, all the tickets were a waste, and while we stayed 2 nights everywhere ( which worked very well) I still think my husband got tired with the driving a couple of the days. We even cut off 70 miles by paying to take the ferry across the Shannon. The driver was good, informative and the car was comfortable.I hope this helps you improve the experience for others. Regards, Pat

This travel company provided exactly what I asked for in my Ireland vacation.  My agent was very responsive and listened to our preferences as she designed the perfect stops.  The hotels were in good locations for exploring the highlights of Western Ireland.  Three nights at the Dromoland Castle was the highlight of the accommodations.  The property and the service was top notch.  It was a great way to wind down after a lot of touring earlier in the week.  The next hotel was very nice and the service was excellent. The Malton was a bit disappointing.  Other than the Front Desk, the service was consistently bad.  We were also unlucky enough to be in the room closest to the local carnival.  Overall, we are very happy with our trip and loved Ireland!

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!

Just returned from our chauffeured trip in Ireland and Scotland (last night) that was designed by this travel agency and we had a great time!  What I liked most working with this travel agency was that they were attuned to our budget and our interests and were very successful in adhering to both.  It was so relaxing knowing that we had a pickup at the airport after a long flight from the states (Seattle) to a wonderful hotel in Edinburgh and we just needed to be ready at the beginning of each day and the rest was taken care of for us.  

First hotel in Scotland in Edinburgh was a perfect accommodation and a very nice hotel that was centrally located in the city for sightseeing and walking.  Edinburgh deserves at least two or three days to explore and is a very manageable city to walk. The hotel is a laid back relaxed hotel that is lovely and historical but not overly "high end".  After two days in Edinburgh (Edinburgh Castle is fantastic, The Scottish National Museum, Scott Memorial, Highly recommend Holyrood Castle!! and Brittania were worthwhile).  We were then picked up by our driver and we then moved on to the Scottish Highlands to a country home that was equally wonderful but very different. Don't miss Stirling Castle (much has been a bit overrestored but has re-enactors who give great historical background or Urquhart Castle which was my favorite with great history also and still owned by the same family since the 15th century!!)  Back to the hotel:  We loved the huge deluxe room to spread out in and the pastoral views from the rooms of the sheep grazing in the nearby fields and the cloud covered hills.  I was also startled in the middle of the night with the call of a Western Screech Owl right outside our open window!  (I am an owl fanatic so that was a very fun addition to our trip!).  After a trip to the Isle of Skye in the pouring rain we moved on to Inverness.  Talk about unique boutique hotel, it was just BEAUTIFUL and deserved its 5 star status.  Huge bathroom, lovely sitting room and wonderful breakfast in the morning!  It was heavenly.  Wish we could have at least one more day in Inverness to explore the little town and have another birthday celebration at Hootenany!  (Highly recommend if you are in the mood for great pub food, a little craic, and GREAT music!!!).  If nothing else, we will be back just for that! 

Ireland started in Dublin where the hotel was historic and gorgeous.  For the money, this was the smallest room of all our hotels but it was gorgeously appointed and also centrally located in Dublin.  It deserves at least 5 stars and their restaurant was lovely for a great dinner and breakfast.  We hopped onto the bus and toured the city of Dublin...hopping off whenever we wanted and saw the entire city.  Fun place for dinner is the Bank on College Green.  Beautiful old bank building and great food (and fun wait staff!).  Dublin Castle was fun and quite beautiful as were the apartments.  The accommodation in Killarney was a very nice hotel and the town was adorable!  Lots of shops and shopping and bars.  Unfortunately my husband was quite sick so we laid low those two days missing our opportunity to explore.  But then... was Ashford Castle... WOW (see below).  Do whatever you can to spend as much time there as you can!  Contarf Castle situated close to the airport is quirky and a bit odd but was find as a final day of lodging.