otto's ireland trip report!
May 19th, 2006, 11:28 AM
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otto's ireland trip report!
My first trip report! Always thought I wouldn’t run on for pages and pages…but here goes!
Here are the notes from the 7 day Ireland tour with Insight Vacations. It was my second trip to Ireland, and my bf’s first trip. Our Tour Director Maggie, was wonderful, with a great sense of humor. The Tour kept us busy, and it was a very active trip, but everything went very smoothly, and I would certainly recommend Insight Vacations for anyone.
Sunday, Dublin:
Arrived in Dublin airport, for transfer on the coach bus to The Burlington Hotel.
My luggage was “delayed” in Paris, but the handling company knew all about it, and was proactive, helpful and friendly. They arranged for the luggage to be dropped off at the hotel later that afternoon. The hotel was great. Funny story…The water pressure was so great (loved it!) in the shower, and the water nice and hot, the bathroom steamed up like a spa. Then the phone in the bathroom rang, and it was the front desk alerting us of some alarm that went off, and they were checking if everything was o.k in the room, if there was a fire or anything. When I said no, they said “Did you take a shower?” I suppose it happens a lot! We went to Dublin Castle, (where the Irish President is inaugurated)
for a fast tour. The showed us a few rooms, with a lot of traditional furniture, etc… It was o.k. We went to Temple Bar for dinner. It was a Sunday evening, and the streets were jumping! After a long search for a place, we went to “Gallagher’s Boxty House”. Awesome! I was there 5 years ago as well, and very glad I went back. Prices were good, and you shared big wooden tables with other guests, and they played Irish music. We took a short walk along the Liffey to the Brazen Head pub, the oldest pub in Ireland. This is something I would strongly suggest to do. There is an outside part, but the original pub is the small room in the back.
Monday, Galway:
The coach left bright and early for Galway. It was pouring the whole day. We stopped along the way in Moate, a very small town but it was my highlight of the trip! We stopped in a café for tea, and they had just made fresh muffins. I loved it!
We got to Galway in the afternoon, and shopped a bit on the main street, I think it’s called High Street. Great shopping! Galway seems to flourish from a local college, and there are a lot of young people around. We ate dinner at The Malt House, which seems to come highly recommended for all tourist, and it was fine. Then had a beer at Murphy’s Pub, for the quintessential Irish pub experience. Cabs were available everywhere, and we the best way to get around. We checked into the Great Southern Carib Hotel, and I was glad we only had to stay the night. The whole place was smoky, the rooms were small, very, very hot, very musty, and the bathroom was even smaller, and sparce. We only had 1 towel, they had to bring up fresh towels later as they were cleaning laundry all day. The only highlight from this hotel was the breakfast and view the next morning. The breakfast was really good, and the restaurant in the hotel overlooked Galway Bay, and it was very sunny and clear.
Tuesday, Cliffs of Moher, Adare, Tralee:
On the way to Tralee, we drove through the Burren. Driving on these small, windy roads on a coach is an adventure in itself! We got to the Cliffs, and the weather couldn’t have been better. There was a great deal of construction going on. They are building a very big new visitors center there. We stopped in Adare just for tea, but it seemed like a really cool little town to spend more time in. I think this was the day we went to Bunratty Castle. There are a lot of tours, so it was very packed there, but good for pictures and walking around. We got to the Abby Gate Hotel in Tralee, where we were staying for 2 nights, and I was very impressed, especially after the hotel in Galway. The location was great, the room was big, the linens were new, and it seemed they just revamped the whole place recently. Most of Tralee is within walking distance from this hotel. We had dinner at the Brogue Inn, and it was like hospital or airline food. The wine, and seafood chowder was good though. The best pub was Sean Og’s, which was bustling! There was an awesome Irish band playing, and they had everyone singing in the pub, a bunch of people from our tour were there as well.
Wednesday, Tralee:
We skipped the tour of the Ring of Kerry and Killarney, and stayed in Tralee.
We walked around and shopped. We saw the County Kerry Musuem, which was interesting. The 2nd floor is an interesting exhibit on the history of Tralee, and Kerry. Downstairs however, was a Medieval Model of Tralee in the 1400’s. You walk through, and there are life-sized figures, like a haunted house. And, for authenticity, the Museum had deliberately put an odor (somehow) on the whole floor, to liken that of the open sewers they had at the time!! You could smell it as you walked into the building. But, it was worth seeing. During the day, the whole town really comes alive, it was much more busy than the afternoon and night before. We even had to wait a bit for a table at lunch, at a little café Ains. The shopping was great as well. Dinner came with the tour, and was in the Hotel. We went back to Sean Og’s, where a television crew was filming the band that played.
Thursday, Waterford:
Visited Blarney Castle and the stone on the way to Waterford. Lunch was surprisingly good at the hotel on the grounds, attached to the Blarney Woolen Mills shop. We drove through Cork, but did not stop, and would certainly like too next time. The tour stopped at the Waterford Chrystal Factory, and it was pretty cool, definitely a must see. The impression of Waterford was upscale, perhaps as a summer destination by a lot of the Irish. We stayed at the Hotel Dooley’s, and it was lovely. Great location, and the rooms and service were very nice. Had dinner that night at Fitzpatrick’s Manor House. It was one of the best meals we had the whole week! Mostly seafood, and the deserts were very special too. Had a beer at Geoffs pub, which was big, and busy with a younger crowd. Cabs are available here as well, and seemed to be the way to get around. I would certainly plan on more time in Waterford next time.
Friday, Dublin:
The tour left for Dublin, and stopped briefly in Avoca, which inspired the television show “Ballykissangel”, and where there are a lot of handcrafted knits. The gift shop had some things, but we did not need to do the tour of the mills. The next stop was in Glenlough, and St. Kevin’s Monastery. There were tons of tour buses as well at this stop, but some of the best views and picture taking of the trip! The cemetery and old buildings there were very cool to see, and we had lunch in the one hotel that is there on the grounds, which was surprisingly good. Checked in at the Jurys Ballsbridge, and it was very nice, the lobby especially. We took the time that night to walk around Grafton Street, which has grown to be very upscale. (Louis Vitton, Chanel, etc…) We ended up having dinner at a Japanese place a few blocks from Grafton, and it was some of the best Japanese food we’ve had! I wish I could remember the name, Yamamoro? It was about a 20-25 minute walk back to the hotel, and we had an Irish Coffee to top off the last night of the trip.
Saturday: Airport in Dublin, and flight home:
The coach bus from the tour brought us to the airport with plenty of time to catch our flight back to New York, with a connection in Paris. The Airport was a total zoo! It doesn’t seem they have the staff to support the huge onslaught of traffic. The lines weren’t too long, but it was good to have that extra time in the airport. The flight from Paris was delayed, so our flight was delayed on 20 minutes. In Paris, we did not have a gate, and had to be transferred to a gate at the terminal by bus. We had to transfer from terminal 2F to 2C. The lesson learned here, is that it is better to walk for this transfer. We walked very fast, and only had our carry on luggage and we made it in about 12 minutes. The signage at CDG can be confusing, but it is indeed easy to make this transfer by foot, even with the short connection times you find with CDG. On the last trip, we took the bus from terminal to terminal, but I think it takes more time, and you get conflicting answers from staff at CDG when you try to find out which bus you should take. We made the flight to New York with plenty of time, and even had an early arrival into JFK.
I'll always be happy to answer any specific questions or offer suggestions, just ask!
Here are the notes from the 7 day Ireland tour with Insight Vacations. It was my second trip to Ireland, and my bf’s first trip. Our Tour Director Maggie, was wonderful, with a great sense of humor. The Tour kept us busy, and it was a very active trip, but everything went very smoothly, and I would certainly recommend Insight Vacations for anyone.
Sunday, Dublin:
Arrived in Dublin airport, for transfer on the coach bus to The Burlington Hotel.
My luggage was “delayed” in Paris, but the handling company knew all about it, and was proactive, helpful and friendly. They arranged for the luggage to be dropped off at the hotel later that afternoon. The hotel was great. Funny story…The water pressure was so great (loved it!) in the shower, and the water nice and hot, the bathroom steamed up like a spa. Then the phone in the bathroom rang, and it was the front desk alerting us of some alarm that went off, and they were checking if everything was o.k in the room, if there was a fire or anything. When I said no, they said “Did you take a shower?” I suppose it happens a lot! We went to Dublin Castle, (where the Irish President is inaugurated)
for a fast tour. The showed us a few rooms, with a lot of traditional furniture, etc… It was o.k. We went to Temple Bar for dinner. It was a Sunday evening, and the streets were jumping! After a long search for a place, we went to “Gallagher’s Boxty House”. Awesome! I was there 5 years ago as well, and very glad I went back. Prices were good, and you shared big wooden tables with other guests, and they played Irish music. We took a short walk along the Liffey to the Brazen Head pub, the oldest pub in Ireland. This is something I would strongly suggest to do. There is an outside part, but the original pub is the small room in the back.
Monday, Galway:
The coach left bright and early for Galway. It was pouring the whole day. We stopped along the way in Moate, a very small town but it was my highlight of the trip! We stopped in a café for tea, and they had just made fresh muffins. I loved it!
We got to Galway in the afternoon, and shopped a bit on the main street, I think it’s called High Street. Great shopping! Galway seems to flourish from a local college, and there are a lot of young people around. We ate dinner at The Malt House, which seems to come highly recommended for all tourist, and it was fine. Then had a beer at Murphy’s Pub, for the quintessential Irish pub experience. Cabs were available everywhere, and we the best way to get around. We checked into the Great Southern Carib Hotel, and I was glad we only had to stay the night. The whole place was smoky, the rooms were small, very, very hot, very musty, and the bathroom was even smaller, and sparce. We only had 1 towel, they had to bring up fresh towels later as they were cleaning laundry all day. The only highlight from this hotel was the breakfast and view the next morning. The breakfast was really good, and the restaurant in the hotel overlooked Galway Bay, and it was very sunny and clear.
Tuesday, Cliffs of Moher, Adare, Tralee:
On the way to Tralee, we drove through the Burren. Driving on these small, windy roads on a coach is an adventure in itself! We got to the Cliffs, and the weather couldn’t have been better. There was a great deal of construction going on. They are building a very big new visitors center there. We stopped in Adare just for tea, but it seemed like a really cool little town to spend more time in. I think this was the day we went to Bunratty Castle. There are a lot of tours, so it was very packed there, but good for pictures and walking around. We got to the Abby Gate Hotel in Tralee, where we were staying for 2 nights, and I was very impressed, especially after the hotel in Galway. The location was great, the room was big, the linens were new, and it seemed they just revamped the whole place recently. Most of Tralee is within walking distance from this hotel. We had dinner at the Brogue Inn, and it was like hospital or airline food. The wine, and seafood chowder was good though. The best pub was Sean Og’s, which was bustling! There was an awesome Irish band playing, and they had everyone singing in the pub, a bunch of people from our tour were there as well.
Wednesday, Tralee:
We skipped the tour of the Ring of Kerry and Killarney, and stayed in Tralee.
We walked around and shopped. We saw the County Kerry Musuem, which was interesting. The 2nd floor is an interesting exhibit on the history of Tralee, and Kerry. Downstairs however, was a Medieval Model of Tralee in the 1400’s. You walk through, and there are life-sized figures, like a haunted house. And, for authenticity, the Museum had deliberately put an odor (somehow) on the whole floor, to liken that of the open sewers they had at the time!! You could smell it as you walked into the building. But, it was worth seeing. During the day, the whole town really comes alive, it was much more busy than the afternoon and night before. We even had to wait a bit for a table at lunch, at a little café Ains. The shopping was great as well. Dinner came with the tour, and was in the Hotel. We went back to Sean Og’s, where a television crew was filming the band that played.
Thursday, Waterford:
Visited Blarney Castle and the stone on the way to Waterford. Lunch was surprisingly good at the hotel on the grounds, attached to the Blarney Woolen Mills shop. We drove through Cork, but did not stop, and would certainly like too next time. The tour stopped at the Waterford Chrystal Factory, and it was pretty cool, definitely a must see. The impression of Waterford was upscale, perhaps as a summer destination by a lot of the Irish. We stayed at the Hotel Dooley’s, and it was lovely. Great location, and the rooms and service were very nice. Had dinner that night at Fitzpatrick’s Manor House. It was one of the best meals we had the whole week! Mostly seafood, and the deserts were very special too. Had a beer at Geoffs pub, which was big, and busy with a younger crowd. Cabs are available here as well, and seemed to be the way to get around. I would certainly plan on more time in Waterford next time.
Friday, Dublin:
The tour left for Dublin, and stopped briefly in Avoca, which inspired the television show “Ballykissangel”, and where there are a lot of handcrafted knits. The gift shop had some things, but we did not need to do the tour of the mills. The next stop was in Glenlough, and St. Kevin’s Monastery. There were tons of tour buses as well at this stop, but some of the best views and picture taking of the trip! The cemetery and old buildings there were very cool to see, and we had lunch in the one hotel that is there on the grounds, which was surprisingly good. Checked in at the Jurys Ballsbridge, and it was very nice, the lobby especially. We took the time that night to walk around Grafton Street, which has grown to be very upscale. (Louis Vitton, Chanel, etc…) We ended up having dinner at a Japanese place a few blocks from Grafton, and it was some of the best Japanese food we’ve had! I wish I could remember the name, Yamamoro? It was about a 20-25 minute walk back to the hotel, and we had an Irish Coffee to top off the last night of the trip.
Saturday: Airport in Dublin, and flight home:
The coach bus from the tour brought us to the airport with plenty of time to catch our flight back to New York, with a connection in Paris. The Airport was a total zoo! It doesn’t seem they have the staff to support the huge onslaught of traffic. The lines weren’t too long, but it was good to have that extra time in the airport. The flight from Paris was delayed, so our flight was delayed on 20 minutes. In Paris, we did not have a gate, and had to be transferred to a gate at the terminal by bus. We had to transfer from terminal 2F to 2C. The lesson learned here, is that it is better to walk for this transfer. We walked very fast, and only had our carry on luggage and we made it in about 12 minutes. The signage at CDG can be confusing, but it is indeed easy to make this transfer by foot, even with the short connection times you find with CDG. On the last trip, we took the bus from terminal to terminal, but I think it takes more time, and you get conflicting answers from staff at CDG when you try to find out which bus you should take. We made the flight to New York with plenty of time, and even had an early arrival into JFK.
I'll always be happy to answer any specific questions or offer suggestions, just ask!
May 20th, 2006, 04:29 AM
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Hi otto
Thanks for your trip report, you sound like you had a great time, by the way, the Japanese Restaurant you ate in a few streets away from Grafton street was a place called, Yamamori, and I agree its excellent.
Thanks for your trip report, you sound like you had a great time, by the way, the Japanese Restaurant you ate in a few streets away from Grafton street was a place called, Yamamori, and I agree its excellent.
May 20th, 2006, 07:43 AM
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I like your enthusiasm. I think you've given those who might be considering a bus tour a good idea of what it entails, and how much you can get out of it if you are curious, positive and a bit adventurous.
When are you going back?
When are you going back?
May 22nd, 2006, 07:23 AM
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thanks guys!
lucielou...thanks for the reminder. yamamori was it! hopefully other people will read this and check it out. it even beat the japanese food here in new york.
caph, p_m...thanks, i know you've been reading my freaky friday rants and raves!
rickmav...looking forward to going back. i have some trips that have moved their way up the list...italy, mexico, and u.s national parks. but, when i do go back (would like to make ireland, and paris my frequent spots for the rest of my life) my plan is connemara and belfast. it must be wild up there!
lucielou...thanks for the reminder. yamamori was it! hopefully other people will read this and check it out. it even beat the japanese food here in new york.
caph, p_m...thanks, i know you've been reading my freaky friday rants and raves!
rickmav...looking forward to going back. i have some trips that have moved their way up the list...italy, mexico, and u.s national parks. but, when i do go back (would like to make ireland, and paris my frequent spots for the rest of my life) my plan is connemara and belfast. it must be wild up there!
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