sjbisanz1, That's the cost to being in business. You're not going to sell a trip to everyone who walks into your office. You are not a public library, but you are open to the public, and you have free brochures.

I have a good friend who is a travel agent. I flat out told her that I couldn't afford her fees because it was easier to do it on line. She agrees.

I'm sorry you feel cheated.

My fiancee and I did 7 days in Ireland this summer (honeymooning in Italy in 2004). I agree with Fergie - Dromoland Castle and Sheens Falls Lodge were both phenomenal hotels. Dinner and the Dromoland was the best in Ireland (ablbeit very expensive with a required jacket - don't worry they have a large selection of jackets for your husband). Make sure you go to the sing a long at the Dromoland that starts around 10:00... Sheens Fall Lodge is romantic and out of the way. The best food in town is the Purple Heather and a take out joint on the mainstreet. (It is the only restaurant that serves after 10:00). Sorry I don't remeber the name but the best fish and chips and burers in a brown bag I have ever had. For the best breakfast in Ireland, we found Jams.. Delicious.. Everyone on fodors recommended and were right on target.. Also go south to Kinsale - very quaint town not to be missed. Cobh is a must see as well as the Waterford cyrstal factory. If you have to choose Dingle Peninsula or Ring of Kerry - don't miss Connor's Pass and Dingle Peninsula.

I agree with the travel agent. It is one thing to have the balls to rip off brochures when plan to book online, but to make the suggestions to folks on fodors shows real lack of class.

Budman: You did not suggest comparing the agency to what was online, you flat out said to go in and get the materials only, then book it themselves online. That is the crux of it. If that is your only intent, go online and get the information there or go to a library or bookstore. Yes, the information is free to us, but it is for the benefit of our PAYING clients. If you announced your intent when coming into my office, I would be happy to offer you the brochures, for a fee.

And no, I wouldn't feel cheated; I would feel used. And if the shoe was on the other foot, you would feel the same.

You guys are too funny.

If I go into a travel agent and ask for some travel information and brochures on Ireland, are they going to tell me NO, or are they going to tell me, well only if you promise to book your travel with us.

Most reputable agencies would be more than happy to help you with whatever information you desire and give you their card -- asking if they could be of further assistance, please don't hesitate to call.

No one is ripping off anything or anybody, Steve. Sorry you feel used, sjbisanz1. That's the cost of doing business, and it really didn't cost you anything.

Budman, If you don't consider that using someone, nothing I say will change your opinion.

Thank you StephenG for your support. We do not as a rule "qualify" potential customers, so yes, we do have people who come in for information/brochures and then book it elsewhere, knowing they are going to book it elsewhere. It's rude, unprofessional, and for someone to suggest to another they do just that, is also extremely tacky.

So yes, you are correct, people like that are part of life and unfortionately they penetrate our professional lives as well. Does that mean that simply because deceptive behavior exists one should become an advocate of it? I hope not.

You might want to check out www.12travel.com. They offer tours and planning for trips to Ireland and are a great resource for maps, accommodations etc... They also organize drive-yourself tours and have honeymoon packages. We are going on our honeymoon using them and will be staying at Dromoland Castle, Sheen Falls Lodge, Waterford Castle, and Butler's Townhouse in Dublin. Good luck!!!

Oh my! My post has turned into a travel agent debate! lol!

I have done TONS of research and had decided to book with sceptretours...well when I went on their site tonight it has been drastically revamped and none of the links are working now. So now I feel like I'm back to square one with who to book with. I'll look into 1-2 Travel as the above post mentioned. I really like the idea of staying a couple nights at Dromoland Castle, with the rest of the time at B&B's. Everyone's suggestions on where to go and stay have been much appreciated. Please know I write down and research everything you give me! I'll keep you posted as to what we ultimately decide, and thanks again to all who have helped so far.

Stephanie

Stephanie, Sorry again for using your post as a soap box. Just wanted to let you know another agent from my office just returned from a trip using Sceptre and was thrilled with their "performance". I myself am using CIE Tours in a couple weeks. Both trips were independent and we received air, car, and vouchers. I am staying at Dromoland our first night, and B&B's the rest. Will hopefully be able to file a report shortly after returning with as much detail as possible. We will also be in Southern Ireland.

Have fun planning, and very important, keep detailed notes. I have lost track of all the post-its with a name on it that could be either a town, pub or B&B!

Shelly

FLSteph,

I've not used Sceptre Tours for an entire package though I have used them to book flights - and got great deals to boot. Best if you call them - I'm sure they will send you more info as well. You can also call 1-800-SHAMROCK for free info about Ireland tours and such (hope that doesn't offend any one! lol!) and you can get a feel for the "lay of the land" so to speak.

Really, when it comes to dealing with Irish companies/people, it's best just to call them. The Irish are personable people and I think they just feel more comfortable dealing with a voice and not an email.

Good luck to you and congrats!

Is mise le meas,
Wendy
[email protected]

PS sjbisanz1 - Hon, I know exactly where you are coming from! My husband sells cars and if you think people want "something for nothing" from a travel agent you should see the sorry way a commission-only car salesperson is treated! Ha!

OK, it's official! We booked with Lynott Tours and ended up spending just under $2000 for everything! That includes airfare, (automatic) car rental for 7 days, 6 days acommodations at B&B's with private baths, one night at Dromoland Castle, and all taxes, fees, etc.

We are flying into Dublin and out of Shannon. I know many people have advised against flying into Dublin, but our last night is at Dromoland Castle near the Shannon airport so we felt we had no choice since we DO want to see Dublin. I am going to start doing searches on these boards so I can come up with some sort of itinerary. Any suggestions for our 7 day trip are welcome! (I so wish we had more time!!)

I don't know if I'm more excited about the wedding or the honeymoon now!

FLSteph, since you have already booked your 6 nights accommodations, please tell us what cities you decided to stay in order for us to make any further recommendations. I assume you are looking for sites to see in the places you've decided on staying??

Check with your travel agent and get brochures on proposed/suggested itineraries.

Budman--We haven't booked the 6 nights at B&B's yet. The only night we have booked is the last night (at Dromoland.) We are going to just go at our own pace the rest of the time, see where we end up, and use the B&B vouchers. All I know so far is we are spending our first night or two in the Dublin area and our last night at the castle near the Shannon airport. I'm looking for itinerary suggestions for those days in between. We will be driving all through the southwest areas, I'm assuming.

If you have not already booked your first night or two in Dublin, you should do so right away. Although it is not high season, some B&Bs close, and most in Dublin don't accept vouchers. (I am not a big fan of vouchers after having gone with and without them.) You will need to decide what you want to see. We did a route a few years ago that went sort of: Dublin (we stayed in Ballsbridge) to Avoca/Wicklow, to Killkenny, down to Cork/Blarney/Kinsale, over to Dingle, up to the Cliffs of Moher, Galway, Aran Islands, the back to Dublin. It took us 10 days to do this in the summer when the days were long and the weather was just about perfect. It was a LOT of driving; driving time in Ireland takes much longer than you can imagine. I would suggest picking out two or three key areas and trying to base yourselves for a couple of nights in each. Avoid the "green blur" trip that we so often take. It's a wonderful place to honeymoon!

As allisonm mentioned, a lot of the nice B&B's don't accept the vouchers. If at all possible you might want to rethink using vouchers, if you can. It just limits you.

After you spend a couple of days in Dublin, I would recommend heading for Kinsale -- 2 days in Kinsale, head for Dingle, Kiss the Blarney stone on the way (or just look at it. Disgusting looking).

Drive to Dingle via Connor Pass, 2 nights in Dingle, on to Doolin via the Killmer ferry, with a stop over at Lahinch for shopping and the Cliffs of Mohor for sights. Spend the night in Doolin, dinner at Lazy Lobster, and if you have more time before your stay at Dromoland Castle drive up to Galway City.

Bunratty Castle and the Mideival Banquet is worth a trip the night before departing Shannon if you can fit it into your itinerary.

So much to see, and so little time, now you have to pick & chose. Good Luck!

My boyfriend and I went to Ireland in March. We booked a air/car/b&b package with Sceptre Tours and I definitely recommend it. However, unlike some of the people that have recommended that you book online, I recommend you book through a travel agency. We had problems with our flights and our travel agent fixed it immediately. You just don't get that kind of service booking online. I also recommend the Ring of Kerry, the Waterford Crystal Factory, and Blarney Castle (although it is a bit of a tourist thing). Galway was very nice and we stayed in a wonderful b&b called St. Jude. If you are going to Dublin, the Evergreen B&B managed by Olive Hopkins is wonderful. We also spent the extra money to stay at Dromoland Castle one night and I highly recommend it. It was wonderful except for the room service. The rooms and the grounds are absolutely gorgeous. The people in Ireland are so friendly, you will have a wonderful time. We are already planning a trip back.

Now that we have all the reservations squared away I'm working on the itinerary. We will be flying into Dublin and out of Shannon. We have already reserved our first night at a B&B near Dublin and our final night is at Dromoland Castle. We only have a week, so I am looking for suggestions on what to do/where to stay during the middle of our trip. Since we are going in January I know our driving time is limited due to the early sunset, but we would like to see as much as we can without being in too much of a rush. Wish we had more time there, but that will just give us an excuse to go back! Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

P.S...I am looking into the couple of itineraries already suggested, but wanted to see if there were any other suggestions before we make our decision.

FLSteph, After using your post as a soapbox, I thought it only fair to advise you of our recent trip. I won't go into all the details (I have a separate post under Ireland Trip Report if you are really bored!). But our basic itinerary was as follows:

Shannon - stay at Dromoland Castel, see Cliffs that first day, toured castle then went to Bunratty banquet that night.
Day 2 - Drove to Dingle, visited town, stayed at Ashe's B&B, good location but rooms small and not really clean.
Day 3 - Drove to Killarney, did the Ring, stayed at Redwood B&B, nice place just outside of town, fairly large rooms.
Day 4 - Drove thru the Killarney National Park, then over to Kenmare. From there detoured to Cork briefly (roads very dug up over there; avoid if you can) Then north thru Cahir and Cashel to Thurles. Stayed at The Castle there; absolutely our favorite place. Really large rooms, great hostess with its own smallish castle behind the house. House itself was built in 1400's. Cool.
Day 5 - Drove to Cashel to see the Rock, then on to a small village to see purported piece of the original cross, then over to Kilkenny to see castle there. Stayed at the Shillogher House. Rooms there were average size, but were either in the house or in second building with private entrances. Nice if you come in late and don't wish to disturb family.
Day 6 - Drove to Dublin, got lost, dropped off car in town, arrived too late to really do much besides see the Book of Kells and just walk around downtown. Took a carriage around St. Stephens Green though. Stayed at the Hibernian which was within walking distance (10 min) to Grafton St., had a great breakfast, nice room and great staff. Left the next day. Overall, great trip.. people are exceptional, driving on "wrong" side took little time to get used to and highly, highly recommend the extra insurance on the car! (haha!) Congratulations on your pending nuptials and hope your trip is wonderful. If I can answer any questions, please ask. If I don't know, others certainly will!

Thanks sjbisanz!! Your itinerary looks to be about what we are looking for and covers the areas we wished to visit. (Only we would be doing it backwards since we are flying into Dublin and out of Shannon!) I'm going to go read up on your experience right now while I have some (rare) free time tonight!