My wife and I are thinking of doing a tour on our own of Ireland this September. My travel agent has quoted us 1200 each for our flights, B & B, breakfasts, and car. We are flying from Portland, Oregon. Has anybody else done this? Is it better than doing a tour? We like alot of freedom and do like to explore, but also don't want to miss anything. We are going to be there for 7 nights. Also, is this price good? Thankx for you help.

go to septor tours they are doing the same package for $399.pp www.sceptertours.com or go thru yahoo travel deals.7 day 6 nights 1st night hotel 5 day b@b and car rental rt air fare for $399 pp check it out !

<BR>Special Offer from Sceptre Ireland: Top 20 deal - sells out quickly! <BR>$399 -- Ireland B&B Package in Fall, Incl. Air and Car <BR>Ireland<BR>On limited dates Sceptre Ireland is offering a bargain package to Ireland. Fly, stay and drive this fall for only $399 from the following departure cities: New York, Boston, Baltimore and Washington DC. <BR><BR>For $399 you receive:<BR><BR>Roundtrip air aboard Aer Lingus <BR>6 nights accommodation (1 night hotel & 5 nights at bed and breakfast inns) <BR>Rental car with unlimited mileage and roadside assistance <BR>Full Irish breakfast each morning <BR>Sales tax, VAT, & services of Sceptre’s offices in Ireland<BR>Now you can explore the Irish countryside with freedom to go where you please. Roam the country and choose from hundreds of Bed & Breakfasts across Ireland without having to plan ahead.<BR>Upgrade to the Emerald Castle Package for only $100 extra and spend the final night in a 5-star luxury castle!<BR><BR><BR>To book: Click here and click "Emerald Package", or call Sceptre Ireland at 800 221-0924 and mention the Travelzoo Top 20. <BR><BR>Travel dates: Nov 8 - Dec 16 2002<BR><BR>Sceptre Ireland <BR><BR><BR> <BR>

399pp?? How exactly is that possible? I am comming from Oregon, and am getting 7 nights with a compact car. Can anybody else who isn't advertising answer my questions? Thank you. Oh, for the Scepter tours thing, can my travel agent book it for me?

Yes your TA should be able to book it for you but the $399 rate is for airfare from NY or Boston. I know you can also extend your trip for a reasonable rate and more B&B vouchers. Go-Today.com has a Fly/Drive offer to Ireland for Sept for $820pp from Portland so I would check that out but Go-Today does not work with TA's. Also check Frommers.com for travel deals to Ireland, I really think you can do better than the $1200 the TA quoted.<BR>Good Luck, CB

I checked out go-today and it does not include the B & B vouchers at all, nor the breakfast. I am new to this booking online thing and maybe I missed something, but it doesn't seem that great of a deal.

Can't comment on the price at all, but I have done the same thing out of Miami and had a great time. Be sure to get to a castle banquet while your there.

I've never been a big fan of tour buses - Ireland is so easy to get around because the people are so friendly. They'll literally walk you to where you need to be even if it's in the opposite direction of where they are going. I'm not sure about what prices are out there, but definitely fly Aer Lingus and not brit air (you have to go through London which is nighmarish). Plus Aer Lingus has character - on my friends flight the TVs weren't working so they brought in a live band for the flight...

Michael, you get breakfast at all B&Bs, so that's not an extra.<BR><BR>I think you can do better than $1,200 per person, but only if you're willing to do the leg work yourself. At the same time, flights are pretty expensive this year. When you go in September will make a difference in price. Typically, prices drop after Sept. 15. I haven't priced flights myself after that date, so I don't know if they will this year.<BR><BR>I'm not a fan of gotoday.com (I can always do it cheaper, particularly after you add in all of the extras they have), but don't let the lack of B&B vouchers dissuade you from using them. B&Bs abound in Ireland, and you can get a reasonable place for about $20 a night per person outside of Dublin. And the only place you'll need to book ahead is Dublin. But I submit as further evidence: I just priced a trip on gotoday, to Ireland from Portland in September, and the final price is $944 per person, not $820. Than add about $150 for accommodation per person, and you're not much cheaper than what the travel agent found.<BR><BR>If you don't want to book it yourself, ask your travel agent to book everything separately for you, instead of getting a package, and don't worry about your accommodation until you get there.

I just checked aerlingus.com and for september and october only they have boston to shannon for $199. That may be worth buying a separate ticket from portland to boston. B&Bs you can find for around $33 each person per night (including a HUGE breakfast), and I'm not sure how much a rental car is. My estimation is (without car) around $1400 total for both of you. Might be worth the extra hassle. Good luck and have a great time. ps- with only 7 days you're going to miss plenty, the best advice for ireland is not to try and pack too much in but to spend some quality time in pubs getting to know the people, they love americans! (and they love to talk!). Makes for great stories and great memories. have a guiness for me!