Name
Lynn Bubley
How would you rate your trip?
Who was your travel expert?
Sean McCay
How were your accommodations?
Great. The Brooks Hotel was just lovely. It is so well situated in Dublin to reach all sorts of places on foot. Breakfast was amazing. The concierge was extremely helpful as were the front desk staff. The rooms were spacious and comfortable. The staff went over and above. I left some clothing in the closet and they without hesitancy shipped my clothing to another location that we were staying at. So wonderful. The only downside we had in Dublin, and this had nothing to do with the hotel, was we had all our money stolen out of our backpack within 2 hours of landing in Dublin! We could not check into the hotel as our room was not ready and we set out on foot to explore. Our money was in a holder on the top of one of our backpacks and by the time we got to our first place to visit, the backpack was unzipped, whilst on my husband’s back, and the money was gone. We didn’t re-organize our backpacks well enough before we set out. Hopefully, someone needed the money and we got a bad situation over and done with early on!!
Our next location was the Castlemartyr Resort. A breathtaking amazingly beautiful place. Again, wonderful breakfast. Lovely grounds to walk on and close to town. Again the staff were top notch and a really nice pool area and hot tub. Our 3rd location was the Dingle Skellig Hotel. Just a wonderfully beautiful place. Again, close to town and you could walk everywhere. The woman who checked us in had lived 20 years in the town next to us in Massachusetts and we both knew some of the same people. It was great and everyone seemed to have wonderful breakfasts. Our 4th stop was the Park House Hotel in Galway. Very nice place. Lots of history in the hotel, friendly staff, great breakfast, felt very safe, and definitely walkable to town. Parking was no issue at all even though it is right in the middle of the city. Parking lot right there. Our final stop was the Grand Hotel in Malahide. Very modern, clean, quiet hotel. It was perfect for our last night. It was very close to the airport.
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation?
Yes. We did have a tiny bit of difficulty locating our driver. We might have gotten in a bit early but once we connected it was fine. He drove us right to the hotel with no problems at all. Very nice guy and great to talk with. This was our first time in Ireland. We asked a lot of questions. He was very friendly. Our driver back to the airport to get our car was equally as friendly. He was able to get us right back to the car rental counter without any problems at all. He was ready to take us at the allotted time. Really nice person to talk with. The car that we picked up was great. We drove 1000 miles in the 2 weeks and did not have any issues with the car at all. I loved driving all kinds of different roads in Ireland. I was so pleased with myself that I did so well. No flat tires, no ripped-off mirrors, no hitting the curb, I drove like a regular (minus the speed!)
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy?
Wow, we did so much! We walked all around Dublin, Trinity College, Food Walking Tour, Emigration Museum, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Castle, walking the Liffey, GPO, the Library, National Museums, Grafton Street, William Yeats exhibition, Seamus Heaney exhibition. We stopped in Wicklow on our way to Castlemartyr and they were giving free historical tours around the town. Very informative. Toured around Kinsale, Cork, loved the Jameson tour. So informative. We drove all the way to Mizen Head which was pretty amazing. It was a very long day, but worth it. Killarney National Park was spectacular. We hiked up to the top of the waterfall. Absolutely loved the Dingle Peninsula. Fell in love with it. We actually watched “Ryan’s Daughter” last night! I was fascinated by the Blasket Islands and have already read 3 of the books by the writers. They have the most amazing heritage museum call the “Blasket Center.” You cannot miss this if you go. It is brand new renovated since Covid and gives the history of the people who lived on the islands, with such love and care and detail! And the Slea Head Drive is something I will never forget. Breathtaking! We stopped and saw the Beehive Huts, the Gallarus Oratory, and all sorts of amazing places. We tried to get through Connor Pass but it was raining, foggy, and I just chickened out. I just could not do it. It was the only road that I had to turn back on… The Sea Safari was so much fun. Collum was our guide and he took so much pride in his town and his area. He showed us all kinds of interesting sites and brought us very close to the Great Blasket Island. We drove the Wild Atlantic Way the whole route to Dingle stopping at the Cliffs of Moher. The equivalent to our Grand Canyon! Just remarkable. We walked all through Galway all the way over to Salthill. Just found Galway to be remarkably charming. The trip to the Aran Islands is so worth it. Again, the history of these places just blows me away. We toured Malahide Castle which was really nice. The garden grounds were just beautiful. There is so much more that we did, this is just some of it…
What was your favorite part of the trip?
I have to say the Dingle Peninsula. The area is steeped in history and I was so moved by the people that lived on the Blasket Islands. Somehow I felt very connected to them. The people in Ireland were also some of the nicest people I have ever met. Everyone is willing to chat with you and to help you out if you need them too.
Would you travel with us again?
Yes. The only thing that we felt like we could have skipped was Blarney Castle. We wanted to go up, but to go up, you have to wait in line with all the people who want to kiss the stone. I would forgo that the next time.
Any other comments or questions?
We just have to say working with Sean was the best decision that we made. He started by finding out what sort of people we were and what we preferred doing. He took that information and tailored it to the most personalized vacation I have ever been on. He was so responsive and so helpful with all our suggestions. He was a real gem to work with and, its great that he lives in Ireland!
