Ireland Explorer Trips

The itinerary was very historic and authentic Ireland, and our tour guide was very knowledgeable and personable, and we just enjoyed the trip tremendously from both the beauty we saw and the authenticity of Irish history that we were presented

The best of Ireland was a great way to see the Republic of Ireland. The trip covered all the top spots of Ireland and even included special surprise stops along the way

The Tour, guide, Moorin and driver Dan were all excellent. Would rather have spent more time in Kilarney than Kinsale In Dublin the Ashling hotel is weak. Not 4 star We on 1st floor overlooking the park. No mesh curtains or blinds so could watch the drug dealers in the park. Not a good look!! Location however is good Not your problem but taxi driver from airport rude and expensive €63. Return trip we booked prepaid Uber. Much better €40 In Galway the Dean hotel is unsuitable for 2 nights. Rooms small, no storage inadequate amenities. Good location Overall we enjoyed the tour. It was our 2nd Back Roads tour and will do another

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip. The smaller group was great and our driver, Paul, and tour guide Colette Dennison, were consummate professionals. I swear that Colette has swallowed a couple of encyclopedias as she was so knowledgeable and added greatly to our experience on this tour. We did have issues with the original coach, even though it was brand new, where we were stranded on the side of the road, but both Paul and Colette were amazing and were on it. We did have 4 different coaches on this tour, but it never prevented us from getting from point A to B because of the hard work that Paul and Colette did to ensure that our tour was not negatively impacted. They were honestly the absolute best and would honestly want to travel with them again on another tour. Things we enjoyed on the trip: the hotels were absolutely amazing, the highlights were perfect for a quick whirlwind of a trip around Ireland, the food was wonderful and the excursions were fun. The 2 nights at Ashford Castle and doing the Hawk Walk were the highlight for us on this tour. We also enjoyed Kate Kearney dinner with the group. Things that could be improved upon. This tour needed bookends; meaning, it was missing a first day kick off to meet everyone. A simple cocktail hour at a cool venue (perhaps have wine at Trinity College or something unique) to really 'kick off' this amazing tour to "set the stage" for this premium trip where it would give us an opportunity to move around, meet and greet folks, and have an idea who we'd be with versus just starting a walking tour. It could be optional but alot of people did arrive a day or two before, so it would be highly attended I'm sure. It also felt very deflated at the end. There was no closing dinner in Dublin when we returned. It felt very much like, 'this is it' no farewell, no opportunity to say goodbyes, nothing. Just drop off at the hotel. Things that were not bad but maybe leave off or restructure would be the Moments that Matter Seaweed Foraging. The guide was very sweet and knowledgable, but because this is a fast trip, it felt forced and I don't think many people wanted to do this excursion. That time could have been better spent getting to Killarney and enjoying the Great Southern Killarney a little longer. Also, eliminate ANY excursions while at Ashford Castle. For example Kylemore Abbey, no one wanted to leave Ashford Castle, but felt that we were missing out on seeing something great. Recommendation, we were fortunate because our travel agent and friends who went on this exact trip in April told us to contact Ashford Castle and schedule our desired activities we were able to get our Falcon Walk secured. However, there were folks who were not able to get activities confirmed because it was busy season. I'm sure that was a let down for these folks. So, perhaps have Brendan notify travelers early that activities at Ashford Castle need to be scheduled 4-6 weeks prior to the trip.

I was traveling with my spouse and my two children. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip, especially our guide, Bernard Creegan and our driver Salah. Bernard is quite special: he gave us details every day that only someone who has as much experience and love for his job as he obviously does can share. The extra details and side trips made this vacation an unforgettable experience. Salah was equally wonderful! He is an amazing driver, and shared many facts about licence plates, the differences driving in various European countries, the things Bernard didn't cover! The only thing that I would improve upon would be that some of the hotels were in less updated condition than the others. Although I understand that we did travel during the busier season.

Tour guide and driver were brilliant. The tour included lots of history and geography and the scenery was astounding. We met many of the local people, who are very welcoming and very funny and stayed in first class hotels. The group of people we traveled with were lovely and there was always a lot of laughter on the bus. We sat in different seats on the bus every day and the fun we had on the bus between stops made the journey time just fly by.