Clients Say...What clients have said about our Planning Service

Thanks so much for the adventure! What and adventure, already planning our 4th trip. I can’t believe we waited so long between visits, not again. We won’t wait so long between trips and our friends will be going back as well.

First of all let me just say that New York airport and I are not on friendly terms. Delayed getting the airplane to the gate and delayed leaving there on the way back, what a mess! I will say for the size of Atlanta they handle things very well, always had good service and friendly there also. New York, the people were rude. That is all I have to say about that.

On a better note, we started our trip out with Ashford Castle, a must see and stay if you like castles. I was worried when I saw it got bought out. Wow! What a difference in service and comfort and it was so warm now. Before it was cool inside the castle but I understand the new owners converted the heat to gas and replaced all the windows. They really live up to the five start rating now. There were men on the gate from the main road, men at the gate inside and when we pulled up, they met us and they already knew who we were. They took the keys, parked the car and took care of the luggage. One room was not quite ready so we had a round of Guiness on the house. They gave us a tour of the rooms and explained everything. The service was just outstanding! All improvements were to our liking. There was someone there at every turn to make you feel welcome.

As they say in Ireland…”It only rained twice on our holiday to Ireland…the first time for three days and the second time for four days.” This was true in our case but we got a rainbow every day and one day we got a double rainbow. Still looking for that pot of gold, those sneaky Leprechauns hid it well.

Our third night was at Dingle Heights in Dingle. We were greeted by the owners son and shown to our rooms. Very clean, comfy beds, we did not try the t.v. WiFi was good and we had a wonderful breakfast. We were actually a little late for breakfast but it was no problem. There is a wonderful view of the bay from the breakfast room. I would recommend this B & B to anyone and I would gladly stay there again. I rate this house 4 out of 5. On a side note… We had a wonderful time in Dingle with the locals. You have to go to Foxxy John’s Bar/Hardware Store. FYI, they also have an Antique Store/Bar and a Shoe Store/Bar. I will tell you Foxxy John’s is a hidden gem.

Our fourth night was at Breen’s Thatched Cottage, in Kenmare, Kerry. This place is whimsical. A very charming hostess who greeted us with hot tea and cookies. The rooms were nice and large, very clean. There is a lot of wood furniture, which added to the charm of this cottage. The beds were short though, my husband is 6 foot and he was not able to stretch out, so he had to sleep curled up – so did our friends in the next room. The television did not work in either room and there was no WiFi in either room, due to that I would have to rate this cottage a 3 on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest. Breakfast was very tasty ! In all fairness we did have a couple storms during our stay and maybe they had it the night before we got there, so that might account for the televisions and WiFi not working. Very nice hostess!

Our fifth night was spent in Kinsale at Rivermount. This house overlooks the river, beautiful view! When we were greeted at the door the house inside and out speaks “Very Classy”. Very clean and smelled wonderful throughout! The rooms were a nice size and they even had 110 outlets in the rooms. All amenities were here, shampoo, soap, shower caps, etc… Definitely would highly recommend this house to anyone although the bed was very firm. We were recommended to eat at a restaurant in town (we always ask for a recommendation on eating). The very best Lobster I EVER ate. The next morning the chef from the restaurant was in the kitchen at the house cooking – fabulous meal! Television and WiFi both worked in the rooms, it was really wonderful to have the outlet there too. I give them a 5 out of 5.

Our last night, I think was the best place aside from Ashford of course. Ardsollus Farm. A real working farm! The rooms were very spacious and all amenities. Shampoo, soap, shower caps. Very nice how the towels were made into animal shapes on the beds. Beautiful wood throughout the house. Televisions worked and so did the WiFi! The bed was very comfy and even had a warmer for each side which was nice because you didn’t have to get into a cold bed. The sheets were even pressed, how nice. The next morning our hostess made a wonderful breakfast and homemade scones! I just loved the charm of this farm house, it was so nice and very inviting with large rooms. I can’t find anything bad to say about Ardsollus. I highly recommend this to all! I give them a 5 out of 5.

So it was with heavy hearts we had to leave once again, but you have return customers in us as well as our friends. They will definitely go back, I think maybe in three years we will return as once again I left a little piece of my heart in Ireland again…pretty soon my entire heart will be there. This is just the most beautiful country and steels some of my heart every time. The people are the friendliest! One difference that I would like to mention, our last trip was in 2008, a big change is in the food. It tasted great the first time but this time, every single plate of food we had couldn’t taste better and it was plated to perfection! Picture perfect! The roads haven’t changed but now you have people on bicycles to contend with…LOL, kind of scary at times.

As always you did a wonderful job and were there every step of the way in helping me book the B & B’s. When you book B & B’s, please be sure to go to the proper website to book, it is much easier to do it correct the first time. Chris you have always been wonderful to work with on our trips, so that is why we are repeat customers and will continue to be your customers. You have always given me very good advice and the best advice is your motto, “If you travel cheaper, you can travel more.” We have always had great B & B’s, I don’t think we have had a bad one at all on any of our trips. We have gone through a couple airports I absolutely did not like, but you can’t have everything and all in all the trips have been wonderful. I can’t say enough about your travel service. To your potential customers, I was very hesitant the first time I booked a trip with Chris. I almost panicked when I faxed him my card number for the reservations, but I went back to his website and looked again. Chris was wonderful, he even called me on his day off and gave the thumbs up and the total amount charged for our trip. He is wonderful about answering all your questions no matter how silly. I have now booked three trip to Ireland with Chris. I highly recommend this travel agency no matter where you are traveling.

Many thanks Chris!
Charity P.

Chris

Thank you for a well planed trip and accommodations in Ireland.

Your business name - "Enchanting Ireland" really reflects both your plans and great service.

We enjoyed every minute of our stay. staying in one B&B for a few days was brilliant as it allowed us to spend more time traveling.

We wish you all the best and successful business

Best regards,
Ehud R., Israel

We are home and the trip was AWESOME! We were on the Driftwood part of Vagabond. The picture you posted was probably Mia's group as we seemed to follow each other. We had a non stop flight on Aer Lingus out of Boston, arrived in Dublin @ 5:00 am, had the best taxi driver who gave us a quick tour and suggestions as to what to do with our one day.

Arrived at the Westbury Hotel not expecting to find a room ready, but to our surprise there was one. So a perfect start. The hotel was beautiful and I am glad I chose it rather than the Canal as this hotel is perfectly located. After settling in, (no sleeping) we grabbed breakfast and did the on and off.

Spent the whole day out, early supper in a pub and then off to bed. Next day New Grange. Had a good guide and we enjoyed the experience.

Tuesday the Driftwood buses came, and if you recall we went the oppposite way of the original tour, starting in Belfast. Fast forward to the end of our trip, we all agreed this was the way to do it as Belfast, the black cab ride is a bit thought provoking and sad, but coming up from Gougane Barre Hotel was unbelievable and this ended our tour on a high.

Our Guide Emmett was outstanding, his love of country, family and his knowledge was unbelievable. He had us laughing from day 1. I cannot say enough about him. We were a group of 12 strangers who bonded quickly, no divas, no problems

Ireland is a beautiful country, Cliffs of Mohr, outstanding weather that day, a country with lots of history....and the food was good!!

I could go on but I am sure you have other things to do other than to read my email. Suffice it to say we are big fans of Driftwood and the way they run their tours and without a doubt Emmet is one of their biggest assets

If you would like any other information please let me know. We skipped funghi the dolphin :)

Thank you for hooking us up with this company.

Chris-

We ended up driving ~750 miles all told (only about 100 or so totally lost!). Apparently, I need more signs than the Irish to get where I'm going. Not a big fan of tour buses, either. Had a couple "WTH!" encounters with them on the cart paths, I mean roads. Yikes!

Overall, I will say the trip was great- enjoyed it very much. B&Bs definitely the best way to go. We liked Killarney the best (so beautiful!) and Dublin the least (mostly just another big crowded city, and I think we were getting tired by then, too). A big Thank You for setting it all up! I still owe reviews that I plan on getting to soon.

Hope your trip went well, too.

Look forward to hearing from you soon.

Our trip is done today and I am writing from Dublin airport.

Everything you arranged was perfect. I was worried with the changes but there were zero problems.

Thanks a million as they say. We would like to return and do a circle drive from Dublin covering the south next time.

Hope you are having a great tone here too.

Chris,

I wanted to flood your Facebook with pictures, but in the end decided to pick my favorite. A rainbow seemed appropriate! My jacket size is Small. That's so thoughtful of you. :)

The trip went amazingly! The car was perfect (they gave us a tiny one that zipped along the narrow roads, and Miles became an Irish driving pro by the end). The B&Bs were an awesome choice; the owners added such a personal touch to our trip and we loved talking with them. I think Ardmore and doing the Cliff Walk was our favorite experience, but the Connemara loop was definitely up there. I also loved Kinsale-- we were there the weekend of a big rugby match, so people were out in droves celebrating and wearing their red fezzes. London was also excellent. My hotel was super close to the Tube, so I went to as many places as possible. :)

Thank you SO much for all your help planning our trip! You made it so convenient and efficient; I would have been way more stressed without you. :) I've already recommended you to another person and will definitely continue doing so for years to come.

Kayla

Chris,

I cannot even begin to properly describe how wonderful our Ireland vacation was. Thank you so much for your assistance with booking the trip. The River Lee Hotel in Cork had probably the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in (and being pregnant that was a definite plus). I even went to their spa for a pedicure and it was fantastic. Everything about the trip that you handled for us went smoothly; from the hotel accommodations and using the website to pre-book our B&Bs to the rail tour to Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway and even picking up and dropping off our rental car. Everything was so easy.

The rail tour was a wonderful experience, even though we were rained on the entire time we were at the Giant’s Causeway (but it was October, what more could we expect?). Overall, the weather we had was really nice – sunny most days with maybe a few brief showers and relatively warm, considering.

I have to say, my absolute favorite part of the trip was not even something we planned – or knew about before we went. We had a wonderful cab driver take us to pick up our rental car on the fourth day who recommended that we go to a small town called Enniskerry just south of Dublin then visit the Powerscourt Park. The town had a few nice shops and we had a fantastic burger in a pub at the center of town. About 15 minutes from town is the park, which cost about 6 Euros to enter. The word “Park” does not do this place justice. It’s a lovely forest with the most magnificent waterfall I have ever seen. For any of your clients that enjoy nature trails, etc., this is a must-see stop. Everywhere we walked in the park was one wonderful view after another (and the hot chocolate I bought at their snack stand was delicious, too).

Oh, and if you have never stayed at Maggie O’s B&B in Killarney I recommend you do so just to have her pancakes in the morning; she was also incredibly kind and the home was lovely. I am completely ruined for pancakes now; none will ever live up to hers.

Thanks again for helping us plan the perfect anniversary vacation!

Best,
Stephanie P., Plano, TX

Hey Chris! The honeymoon was amazing. The weather was really nice for this time of year. Everyone we met kept saying it was unseasonably warm and we must have brought the weather with us. haha We managed to fit a LOT of sightseeing in and had a blast. J was really nervous with driving the first few days but he started getting the hang of how everyone drives over there. We learned to pull the side mirrors in! Covered a lot of miles and took a lot of photos. J thinks we need to move over there in a few years, but I told him they're having job market issues like we are in the states, so it may not be the best idea at this time. :) But we'd love to take another trip in a couple years!

The only thing I wanted to bring up with you, was the unknown insurance cost when we went to pick up our rental car at Dan Dooley. They said we could get the increased insurance for $400 or if we kept the low insurance, they needed to hold $1200 on a credit card. We didn't know about the requirement in advance, and neither of us had a credit card with enough credit on it for that so we had to pay the increased insurance of approx. $400. I'm not sure its in any of the fine print somewhere, but we weren't expecting to have to spend a chunk of our spending money on more insurance. :/ Maybe highlight this for future travelers!

[Note: We corresponded with Brianne to let her know that we notified her of the car rental deposit in her original quote, our Hints and Tips Guide as well as Car Rental Insert. We have increased exposure to this issue over the years and always looking for ways to improve so everyone knows about the credit card deposit.]

Thanks again for all of your help getting our trip set up!

Brianne & Jeremiah C.

You have always been an advocate of saving people money and I feel that you have always treated me fair, that is why I keep coming back when I travel to Ireland and if we decide to go somewhere else that is on your list...I will be a return customer. I feel that you have always puts my wants and needs for my special vacations first while doing your best to save me money, not everyone would do this. I like your theory that if you save more...you can travel more. That is a huge asset to you and your business, especially this day and time.

Hi Chris,

Yes, Ireland was amazing! Can't wait to go back again.

The credit statement should arrive this week, so will double check - but I am sure they did the refund...thanks a million for handling that for us. [NOTE: A prepaid hotel charged them for some reason but we were able to quickly have that refunded.]

Dublin was fun and pretty frenetic. We were ready to go by the time the day came. The hotel (as you had said) was very basic...our least favourite place to stay by far (huge industrial fans out the window, and staff - well - not the friendliest).[NOTE: Dublin is crazy and our usual hotels were pricing way above their value so we offered alternatives. In this case, Blooms Hotel... which is so-so but priced well.]

But Ballycotton was spectacular. Have you stayed at the Bayview? It was our favourite place...gorgeous, the most incredible and friendly hotel staff, and the seafront garden...could have stayed there a long time!

We had a great time in Kenmare. Got lost a million times (and swamped by a cycling tour)...but got to see some stone circles, and wander through the provincial park. That place is absolutely gorgeous. The hotel was just fine...probably should have made Doolin the 3 nighter, but that's okay too).

The west coast - gods, I could move there! Really. Next time I go, I will skip Dublin side altogether, and just stay along there. County Clare was like a song I didn't want to end. It was the coast, and the bits of the Burren that did it...and the music in Doolin. Hotel Doolin was a huge (and really pleasant) surprise. Couldn't tell at all from the website how lovely the place was, and the staff there was also phenomenal. Loved it!

The castle. Sigh...Kinnitty was grand. You could kind of see the transition out of receivership in some rough corners - but it is just spectacular. The grounds, the room (the bathroom!), and the food. It was beautiful. No ghosts though!

County Meath - wow. Could have spent a long time there...it was really hard to decide what to see - so much history. The festival there was delightful, and my performance was very fun. I had picked the Newgrange Hotel...wouldn't stay there again, but it did the job, and was handy in terms of location.

The airport hotel was just fine.

Driving was an adventure...no daydreaming on the road, that's for certain!

Chris, I can't thank you enough for your help with all this. It was so helpful to have all your tips, and the many extra things you did. I will recommend you and what you do to anyone.

Sending along a photo of us at Ladies View, and my best to you.