Jewels of Ireland - 13 Days/12 Nights (including Ardara)

Traveler Reviews

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  Kenneth

  June 28th, 2023
  Excellent tour. Enjoyed the sights.
  Traveled in June 2023

  Review collected by CIE Tours
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  Gerald

  June 29th, 2023
  We hit many 'hot spots'. 1) Five Star - The driver, Tony Byrne was knowledgeable, entertaining, and safe on the...
  We hit many 'hot spots'. 1) Five Star - The driver, Tony Byrne was knowledgeable, entertaining, and safe on the winding back roads. 2) Four Stars- Most of the hotels were very nice, with pleasant staff & nice amenities. The Kinsale hotel had exceptional vistas, although dinner was the most mediocre included meal on the trip. The Skellig Dingle hotel was great top to bottom. I would not stay at Treacey's Oakwood Hotel in Shannon again - dirty, unresponsive staff. Galway Bay Hotel & The Mill Park Hotel in Donegal were very nice & had great locations & staff. While the Knightsbrook resort was a very fancy hotel, we could have skipped it & spent another night in Belfast. The Croke Park Hotel was great & a 15 min walk to the river. 3) 4.5 Stars - The sights we did hit were fantastic. - Dublin speaks for itself. - *The 'Walking Tour of Kinsale' was OUTSTANDING, led by historian & author Barry Moloney. - A pass by Rock of Cashel & a visit to Blarney Castle were awesome. - *The Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry was breathtaking, & the Blasket Islands museum was great. - Cliffs of Moher were 'as advertised'. Dinner & show in Knappogue Castle was great! Sheep dog demonstration in the Burren in County Clare was surprisingly fascinating. - the cruise on the Killary Fjord was incredible as was the trip to Kylemore Abbey Castle - STUNNING - The Cliffs of Sliabh Liag (Slieve League) were amazing. - Walking tour of Galway was a waste of time - horrible guide (I drink here. I drink there. There used to be a store here.). _ *Walking tour of Derry" was OUTSTANDING - historian Sorcha Donner was our guide & told us facts about Derry past & present. UNESCO World Heritage site - The Giant's Causeway was awesome. Tour of Croke Park Skyline tour was excellent! - * The FOOD everywhere was great - from fresh seafood to lamb to brown bread. (Special shout out to the Oslo Tavern in Galway that had the most fantastic seafood chowder EVER & in Dingle at the Reel Dingle Fish Co for INCREDIBLE choices of fresh fish for lunch). 4- Downside - We were rushed. We did NOT see "Brú na Bóinne". Many people on the tour had looked forward to this & we were not told before the day that we were supposed to visit (according to the itinerary provided) that they could not fit it in. - We did NOT see "The Nine Glens of Antrim". - We spent a total of 13 hours in Belfast including sleep. - We only had 2 hrs at Blarney Castle & there was a 1 1/2 hr wait to see the Blarney Stone. Only a drive by the Rock of Cashel for photo shot. - We had 2 "Stop & Shop" stops at "preferred shopping partners" - prices were higher than in any of the towns for the same brands. On balance this was an excellent tour. The knowledgeable driver guide, 2 GREAT walking tours in Kinsale & Derry, Great food across the country, gorgeous scenery & castles, free time to interact with friendly Irish people all over, & all the side tours included in the price - all made this very enjoyable.Show more
  Traveled in June 2023

  Review collected by CIE Tours
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  Bomi

  June 29th, 2023
  The tour director, Allister Hetherington was outstanding. He genuinely cared about his group. He was on top of all...
  The tour director, Allister Hetherington was outstanding. He genuinely cared about his group. He was on top of all situations. He was patient, polite, and he made the the bus time go by quickly with his humour. The driver, Mike was courteous and very efficient. He handled every mile on this trip with outmost profiency and safety.Show more
  Traveled in May 2023

  Review collected by CIE Tours
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  Judy

  July 11th, 2023
  The guide and driver were fantastic. The group as a whole was extremely compatible. Nicck the driver maneuvered...
  The guide and driver were fantastic. The group as a whole was extremely compatible. Nicck the driver maneuvered that bus line it was an extension of himself.Show more
  Traveled in May 2023

  Review collected by CIE Tours
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  Judy

  July 11th, 2023
  The places we visited were on my list. The accommodations were almost all very nice, there were a few places that I...
  The places we visited were on my list. The accommodations were almost all very nice, there were a few places that I would suggest you remove from your list. I understand that to see all the places we did we needed to get moving, so the early mornings are understandable. Some of the hotels were so off the beaten path that there was nothing to do or walk to. The golf resort was one of them, no one was golfing and there was absolutely nothing around to go to. Another one was Treacy's Oakwood Hotel, I had to ask them to clean the bathroom and they seemed very put out. Also, our last hotel The Croke Park was across from an 82,000 seat stadium that had quarterfinals for footbal games and they closed the streets, so our taxi could not reach us. That seems like very poor planning.Show more
  Traveled in June 2023

  Review collected by CIE Tours
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  Edith

  June 13th, 2023
  Great tour with a wide variety of experinces. Accomodations were good with some being great, food was good, driver...
  Great tour with a wide variety of experinces. Accomodations were good with some being great, food was good, driver was excellent. Our tour guide gave us lots of information about the area along with just funny tidbits that weren't at all useful but were entertaining. .It was a good balance; I learned a lot about the history and culture and had a great time doing it. I spent a lot of time deciding which tour to take and I felt like I made the right decision.Show more
  Traveled in May 2023

  Review collected by CIE Tours
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  Debra

  June 21st, 2023
  CIE tours went beyond my expectations. The tour guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and cared about our tour...
  CIE tours went beyond my expectations. The tour guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and cared about our tour experience. He let us know where the good pubs and music were at night. We had 3 course dinners and banquets with music and entertainment. At some stops, we were offered a treat.... warm wiskey, Irish coffee, scones. Also there was an ill person on our trip and the tour guide and driver did everything to keep him comfortable. At one time, we saw a sheep that was stuck in a fence. The driver stopped and the tour guide released the sheep. Also, the driver was very talented getting the large bus thru very tight places. It was a great time for us all.Show more
  Traveled in April 2023

  Review collected by CIE Tours
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  Mr.

  June 23rd, 2023
  Everything was very organized. The tour director was nice and informative.
  Traveled in May 2023

  Review collected by CIE Tours
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  Cindy

  June 24th, 2023
  I'll NEVER take another CIE Tour ! Why? Because it could never match/live up to the perfectly woonderful experience...
  I'll NEVER take another CIE Tour ! Why? Because it could never match/live up to the perfectly woonderful experience we shared recently via CIE ! Our tour navigator Brendan Henehan and coach driver Dan (the Man) were outstanding and straight out of "central casting." Agenda, hotel accommodations, sights, dinners, breakfasts, evening entertainment, information was 100% awesome ! Thank you for everything! It was the journey of a lifetime! Peace & Blessings, Doug DrapalShow more
  Traveled in May 2023

  Review collected by CIE Tours
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  Mr.

  August 1st, 2023
  We loved our tour guide, Brendan he was so much fun. The hotels were all very nice. The places we visited were great!...
  We loved our tour guide, Brendan he was so much fun. The hotels were all very nice. The places we visited were great! Even the short guided tours with the whisper box were very well done and enjoyable.Show more
  Traveled in July 2023

  Review collected by CIE Tours