Day 1:  Dublin for 3 nights

Meet & greet private transfer from airport to hotel

1 double deluxe room, breakfast & taxes included at Hotel Brooks****

Brooks is a 4-star designer boutique hotel in Dublin city centre, 5 minutes’ walk from Grafton Street, St Stephen’s Green and Trinity College. The beautiful rooms feature en suite bathrooms.

Francesca’s Restaurant serves a mouth-watering range of innovative Irish and international cuisine. Jasmine Bar is Ireland’s first ‘Great Whiskey Bar of the World’.

Brooks Hotel’s informal café lounge features a piano and the drawing room is a great place to enjoy a coffee or cocktail, with its French oak-panelled walls and enviable library.

The fitness suite features high-tech equipment and also boasts a sauna. There is secure public parking directly opposite the hotel, and guests receive discounted overnight rates.

With an emphasis on personal service and attention to detail, the staff at Brooks Hotel can provide recommendations for local restaurants, shops and attractions.

Brooks Hotel is a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World. It has been voted one of the 100 Best Places to Stay in Ireland in the Bridgestone Guide for the past 3 years.

http://www.brookshotel.ie/

 

One of Europe’s most thrilling capitals, Dublin impresses on every level. Vibrant, youthful and energetic; the city pulsates with a compelling mix of cosmopolitan and traditional, a gripping fusion of hip and history. Lose yourself in one of its thousand bars all bursting with engaging characters in search of the ‘craic’. Crammed with a glut of boutique hotels, great shopping and chic restaurants and chock-full with museums and historical buildings, the capital doesn’t miss a trick.

 

Day 2:

3 hour Dublin Walking Tour

This is a three hour historic walking tour with one of Ireland’s premier national guides. The distance is only approx 2k but it is a very full and colourful tour.
See where the Vikings first landed and created a town settlement and where the Anglo Normans developed the medieval city.
See the exact places where Irish rebels fought and died to free the country from 800 years of occupation. Areas of interest include Dublin Castle, the seat of British power in Ireland for centuries, the two principal cathedrals of Dublin dating from the 11th and 12th centuries (and St Patricks Cathedral Door of Reconciliation), The Halfpenny Bridge, Temple Bar, Trinity College, Georgian Dublin etc etc.

This is a circular guided walk which covers about 2K of excellent surfaces. Reasonable walking shoes should be worn and please take account of Irish weather which can slow things down.

 

Day 3:

Guinness Storehouse – Skip the Queue! 

No trip to Dublin would be complete without a visit to the number one visitor attraction in Dublin – The Guinness Storehouse. You will take an incredible journey through the history and making of the world famous beer. It’s the highlight of any trip to Dublin so make the unmissable Guinness Storehouse your first stop! The Guinness Storehouse is also the home to the Gravity bar which is on the top floor of the Storehouse, it has floor to ceiling windows and offers panoramic views of Dublin city. Every visit to the storehouse includes a complimentary glass of Guinness in the Gravity bar after you have finished exploring the attraction. Take advantage of our booking system to skip the queues!

Includes:  Entrance to the Guinness Storehouse, complimentary glass of Guinness in the Gravity Bar.

 

Day 4:  Kilkenny for 1 night

Pick up car in Dublin Volkswagen Jetta or similar Midsize Class – Manual Transmission unlimited mileage CDW & theft included

• Wicklow driving tour
• Glendalough monastic settlement
• Avoca Handweavers
• Powerscourt Gardens
• Avondale House
• Kilkenny Castle
• Medieval Kilkenny City
• Kilkenny’s Traditional Irish Music Pubs

Snugly tucked underneath bustling Dublin, Wicklow performs its role as green retreat to delightful perfection. Vanish over the towering gaps and enter a magical world of babbling brooks and wooded thickets, of affable villages and languid taverns. Time trickles by here, the land being parcelled out between ancient Christian sites and courtly period houses.

Kilkenny City is Ireland’s most authentic medieval town; Kilkenny Castle, St. Canice’s Cathedral and the Black Abbey have being residing here since the thirteenth century. Remarkably these ancient structures rest seamlessly with hip bars, chic restaurants and fashionable boutiques. Pull up a high chair, grasp your pint of Kilkenny and make lifelong friends with the soon to be familiar locals.

 

1 double superior room, breakfast & taxes included at Hotel Butler House****

Located in Kilkenny, 2,297 feet from Kilkenny Castle, Butler House features a terrace and views of the garden. Free WiFi is provided throughout the property and free private parking is available on site.

Each room is fitted with a flat-screen TV. Some rooms have a seating area where you can relax. You will find a kettle in the room. All rooms are equipped with a private bathroom. For your comfort, you will find free toiletries and a hairdryer.

There is a 24-hour front desk at the property.

Smithwick’s Brewery Tour is 2,297 feet from Butler House, while St. Lukes General Hospital is 1.3 miles away. The nearest airport is Waterford Airport, 29.8 miles from Butler House.

http://www.butler.ie/

 

Day 5:  Kinsale for 1 night

• Blarney Castle
• Cobh Heritage Centre
• Cork City
• Old Midleton Whiskey Distillery

Cork City is over 800 years old and is an artistic city home to the Cork Opera House and numerous galleries and theatres. Snug bars hosting impromptu traditional music sessions neighbour chic restaurants serving Atlantic catch and racks of Kerry lamb. Wild and epic landscape pours in every direction across the county from the capital. Plant a smacker on the Blarney Stone and gain the ‘gift of the gab’ to enable you to compete with the sharp wit of the Corkonians.

1 double deluxe room, breakfast & taxes included at Hotel Perryville House****

Poised in the centre of this medieval fishing port overlooking the marina and the colourful streets.
Perryville House combines the grandeur of the past with the luxuries and convenience of today. A Guest House of great elegance and charm, where an atmosphere of comfort and attention to detail prevails. We do all we can to make you feel very much at home.

If you are travelling within Ireland or coming from abroad and require quality accommodation in Kinsale then Perryville House gives you the perfect balance of luxury, privacy and location. Kinsale, a haven that is crawling with history drawing cognoscente to County Cork, with it’s enticing shops and streetscapes and a reputation as the Gourmet Capital of Ireland. Lovely quiet rooms, large beds and luxurious bathrooms afford you a perfect setting for restful sleep filled good nights and happy mornings. Each room also has satellite tv and private telephone. Breakfast, morning coffee and afternoon tea are served for guests and the discerning management will be delighted to reserve lunch or dinner for you at any of the gourmet restaurants that abound in Kinsale. For the golf enthusiast the Old Head Golf Links is only a 10 minute drive from Perryville House.

http://www.perryvillehouse.com/

Day 6:  Killarney for 2 nights

Highlights

• The Ring of Kerry
• Staigue Fort
• Killarney National Park
• Muckross House & Gardens
• Killarney’s Traditional Music Pubs

Kerry is picture perfect, mythical Ireland – craggy cliffs overlooking perfect harbours, sleepy villages crammed with a cast of characters, multi-coloured cottages, sheep-filled traffic jams, tiny taverns filled with amiable locals pounding out wild traditional music. Kerry will stir the blood and lift the soul.

1 double room deluxe room, breakfast & taxes included at Hotel Muckross Park Hotel*****

The luxurious 5-star Muckross Park Hotel and Spa is located in Killarney’s National Park. It offers elegant air-conditioned rooms, the AA Rosette winner Yew Tree Restaurant, and The Jarvey’s Rest Traditional Irish Pub.

The Spa is available to all residents in the hotel. The award-winning spa includes The Vitality Pool and Thermal Area, which guests can access at a surcharge. A range of treatments are available at a charge. The Spa recently won a World Luxury Award as Best International Spa 2011. The 50 feet Vitality Pool boasts hot tub jets and thermal currents, and is only available to guests over 18.

Deluxe, individually designed rooms have plush furnishings, bespoke furniture and luxurious fabrics. These spacious rooms feature a king-size bed, 24-hour room service, heated towel rail and soft towels, a drinks cooler, and a large en suite bathroom with bath and walk-in shower.

The Jarvey’s Rest Traditional Irish Pub has beamed ceilings, open fires and regular live Irish music. Cocktails are served in the chic Monks lounge with its deep leather couches and wood panelled walls.

http://www.muckrosspark.com/

 

Day 7:  Burren for 1 night

• Bunratty Castle & Folk Park
• Cliffs of Moher
• The Poulnabrone Dolmen
• The Burren
• Doolin

From her regal Cliffs of Moher defiantly challenging the awesome Atlantic to her exceptional Burren smothering the very Earth, Clare is a beguiling beauty. Explore the Ailwee caves which burrow for endless miles into her very heart, feast like a King at Bunratty Castle or discover the source of Irish traditional music and unearth the terrific essence of Clare.

1 superior double room, breakfast & taxes included at Gregans Castle*****

With breathtaking views across Galway Bay and idyllically situated overlooking the unique Burren landscape, Gregans Castle Hotel, Co. Clare is the ultimate luxury and gourmet hideaway. This award-winning hotel is ideally located from which to enjoy local attractions including the Burren, Cliffs of Moher, walking, cycling, Aran Islands, horse-riding, surfing, sea angling and golf.
We are on the Wild Atlantic Way and The Burren Food Trail.

http://www.gregans.ie/

Day 8  Asford Castle for 2 nights

• Galway City
• Galway Crystal
• Kylemore Abbey
• Galway Music & Theatre Venues

Weathered mountains, sheep studded hills, bogs and remote villages; all jaggedly sewn together by stonewalls and pounded by the mighty Atlantic forms the spellbinding beauty of Galway. Carved out of this tremendous landscape is legendary Galway City itself. Bohemian, funky and laid-back – revellers drink, sing and dance themselves around the curved, cobblestone lanes of this city steeped in history.

1 double deluxe lake view, breakfast & taxes included at Hotel Ashford Castle*****

The oldest castle in Ireland, dating to 1228, Ashford fits everyone’s fantasy of a medieval fortress, with soaring turrets, breathtaking views of Lough Corrib and a resident ghost. Once owned by the Guinness family, it opened as a hotel in 1939. Its rooms and suites boast traditional design, with original features carefully restored, plus the modern amenities of a luxury hotel. The rural setting accommodates a host of outdoor activities, including fly-fishing, golf, horseback riding, and hawk flying overseen by Ireland’s first school of falconry. The hotel’s historical details and sprawling grounds make it a romantic getaway for couples, who can relax in the treatment rooms or dine in their choice of two restaurants, the elegant George V Restaurant or the traditional “Cullen’s at the Cottage.”

http://www.ashfordcastle.com/

 

Day 9:

Full day private Hiking Tour of Connemara

Morning Connemara National Park and Bog walk

Meet at the Connemara National Park and learn of the different habitats of the area and wild forest plants we can forage in the park. We then walk along a bog road with your guide and understand why the wildlife of this area is of such international importance. On the way, take a look at blanket bogs, and key species such as bog cotton, carnivorous plants and wild orchids. You will discover the fascinating history of the bog wildlife and the folklore around it. During the walk, your guide will explain how bogs were formed and about the history of bog cutting and bog bodies ! We also appreciate the wonderful views of Connemara and the fascinating geology of the area.

Lunch : We recommend lunch in the area at any of the village restaurants or pubs

Afternoon Beach Walk:

Visit one of the beaches in Connemara and gaze at the offshore islands that point out Croagh Patrick – Ireland’s holy mountain. On some of the strands you will be able to look at a 700 year old shell middens uncovered on the beach. Enjoy the white sand under your feet while discovering the history of this place. Look at Otter runs and find out about the interesting animals and plants that live on the seashore. Wild Orchids should be in bloom at the roadside edge. On your way, find out about the different edible seaweeds on the seashore and taste them too!

 

Day 10:  Dublin airport for 1 night

• Mullingar Market Town
• Fore Monastic Sight

Belvedere House & Gardens

Bashful in nature, Westmeath is Ireland’s best-kept secret. Legends abound in this beautiful county splattered with innumerable lakes, from the jealous walls of Belvedere House and the Children of Lir on the shores of Lough Derravaragh to the Seven Wonders of Fore and the gothic romance of Tullynally Castle.

Meath is Ireland’s most enduring link to it’s mighty past as an island of saints and scholars; its amazing relics stand defiant ignoring the ravages of time and invading armies. BrúnaBóinne is one of the most extraordinary sites in the world, the jewel in it’s crown is the mind blowing Newgrange. All of these gems lie under the epic shadows of the Hills of Slane and Tara, the sacred dwellings of St. Patrick and the gods.

Drop off car in Dublin at the end of the day

1 double room, breakfast & taxes included at Hotel Hilton Airport****

Just a 15-minute drive from Dublin Airport, this stylish Hilton hotel has a gym, bar, restaurant and air-conditioned rooms.

The Hilton Dublin Airport hotel has a relaxed bar with comfy sofas, open fireplace and large windows.

The restaurant mixes wood and glass design, serving Irish and international food.

This Dublin Airport Hilton hotel has a business centre and meeting/events facilities.

http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/ireland/hilton-dublin-airport-DUBAPHI