We had a fabulous trip to Ireland in July of 2008 with Hammond Tours. It was a private chauffeur driven tour that took place over 11 nights and took us from Dublin to Belfast for Marching Day, to the Giant’s Causeway to Derry, to Rossnowlagh, down to the Cliffs of Mohr, Killarney, Kilkenney, and back to Dublin before we left Ireland for London for 5 days.
John and Michele Hammond went above and beyond for us. Although their usual is 5 star accommodations, they graciously accommodated us with some superb 3 star quaint and charming hotels to satisfy my parents. Even though Sarah and I like all of the bells and whistles, we’re glad we stayed at some alternate venues.
We were very impressed with The Westbury in Dublin, on Grafton Street. It was a great location to be able to walk out the front door of the hotel and sashay down to the red door of Trinity College. Lots of shopping and looking at neat things along the way! Nice rooms, and ours had a view over the front of the hotel down Grafton Street.
We loved the Londonderry Arms in Carnlough. We stayed here on the way to Giant’s Causeway. The rooms were quirky, but the food was some of the best we had in Ireland, even as good or better than the food we had at Ashford Castle!
We stayed outside of Londonderry at Beech Hill Country House. Not our favorite hotel, but a gorgeous setting and quite historic. In February of 1942, the US established a Navy Base here. Orders quickly came for a Marine unit to provide security. The Marines return to Beech Hill every May to celebrate.
We fell in love with The Sandhouse Hotel in Rossnowlagh. Gorgeous setting right on the Atlantic Ocean at Donegal Bay. Nice rooms, and wonderful cuisine.
Of cabbages and Kings…we cabbages arrived at Ashford Castle with bug eyes. It’s huge, and has been visited by many celebrities and notables during the years. My nephews, had they come along, would have said “AWESOME”. We certainly had an awesome time here. We were treated every bit as if we were celebrities during our whole stay. We walked the grounds, watched the fishermen, but didn’t have enough time to take in the Falconry School of Ireland, do any spa appointments, or walk the trail to Cong…where the John Wayne movie “Quiet Man” was filmed. Needless to say, this trip we will spend a few days at Ashford Castle!
We hit Killarney on Race Day eve. We stayed at the International Hotel, perfect location for people watching! Loved our visit to the Gap of Dunloe, and our day “at leisure” to roam around Killarney, but especially enjoyed the decked out ladies with their big hats and high heels.
We visited Blarney Castle, and made the trek to the top to kiss the Blarney Stone on our way to Kilkenney.
Butler House – WOW~ This is the former Dower House of Kilkenney Castle. Read about it’s history here. Gorgeous grounds, and breakfast served across the gardens in what was once the stables of Kilkenney Castle, now restored and housing the The Kilkenny Design center which has an extensive range of Irish craft products. The center stocks Irish-made clothing for both ladies and men, crystal, ceramics, linens and a wide range of beautiful gifts from all over Ireland. The interior of Butler House is at odds with the outside at first look, but it all works! The bedrooms are very modern, spacious and comfortable with very nice baths with all of the amenities.
With Sicily out of the picture for now, we’ve decided to return to Ireland. Hammond Tours has agreed to set us up again…this time with 8 travelers, three who have never been across the pond.
Tentative itinerary:
Dublin 2 nights
Killarney 2 nights
Adare 3 nights
Cong 3 nights
Dublin 1 night
and back to London for 3 nights.
