Brian and Mary N.
Trip of a Lifetime to Western Ireland
Authentic Vacations arranged our trip of a lifetime to Western Ireland. No question was too large or too small for them to answer. Josie "got it" when we said we wanted a stress-free trip where we could take in the untainted beauty of the small towns and coastal areas of Ireland. She booked flights into the relaxed Shannon Airport where we were met by our chauffeur/tour guide Tony Woods. She arranged the perfect hotel (Temple Gate-- a quality hotel, historical, but casual and relaxed, with top-tier attention to customers, a great bar and restaurant, hearty breakfasts, exiting onto a courtyard with magnificent floral displays) located in the charming town of Ennis. Ennis was the ultimate walkable town with many shops, restaurants, pubs and historic sites no more than a 5-minute walk in this richly interesting and compact town. Using Ennis as a home base, we took 3 day-trips in Western Ireland. Our chauffeur/tour guide, Tony Woods, took us to destinations selected specifically to suit our interests. He was able to park in spaces designated for chauffeured cars, saving us a lot of time getting to and from some sites such as the Cliffs of Moher. We were able to take narrow roads buses can't navigate. We could focus on scenery instead of driving, navigating, parking, refueling. Tony changed the itinerary to ensure we had optimal weather at the sites we visited. We stayed at sites as long as we wanted. Tony knew where to find great shopping and first-rate stops for lunch or tea. We learned a lot about Ireland from him, and actually felt we knew the country at a deeper level when we left than had we driven ourselves and stayed at bed and breakfasts. The combination of each of these elements created the perfect trip. In addition, Tony provided a taxi service on our last day, dropping us off and picking us up from Bunratty Castle and its associated Folk Park. We would rely on Josie and Authentic Vacations in planning any future trips. They made it so easy. We would never consider traveling in Ireland again without using Tony Woods Chauffeur to allow us to get the maximum immersion in the country during the time we have to spend--couldn't have seen half these things had we arranged them ourselves.