This tour is all about luxury and relaxation, with leisurely touring, plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere and to enjoy the varied activities available in the places and the hotels along the way. It covers quite a lot of ground, but without any feeling of being rushed to the next stop.
All accommodation is in Deluxe Rooms and breakfast each morning is included. Accommodation in suites can be arranged.
Links below to hotel websites open in a new window.
(3 nights)
Relax
in luxurious rooms overlooking the magnificent scenery of Killarney's National
Park - and in Ireland's only Angsana Spa, a tranquil
oasis of renewal and relaxation.
Visit Website
OR
(3 nights)
A
family owned country house style 5 star hotel in the heart of Killarney, known
for its impeccable attention to detail and superb accommodation. There is an
excellent spa with a hydrotherapy suite and a caldarium.
Visit Website
(2 nights)
Ireland's
newest luxury hotel, Lyrath is a byword for elegance & sophistication.
Beautifully situated in the countryside close to Kilkenny city, it is a
perfect base for touring the South East.
Visit Website
(2 nights)
Stately
accommodation and incomparable service are standard in this magnificent castle
at the heart of a wonderful estate on the shores of Lough Corrib. Enjoy
equestrian pursuits, golf, falconry and trail walking as well as a range of
relaxing massage and beauty treatments.
Visit Website
(2 nights)
Live
like royalty in one of the very best Castle Hotels in the world, surrounded by
the beautiful estate grounds, with its many leisure options. You will be cocooned in absolute luxury and
enjoy exceptional
and very friendly service.
Visit Website
We will meet
you at Shannon Airport for a leisurely drive to Killarney, where you will
spend your first three nights. We will travel via Limerick
City, stopping briefly to visit King John's Castle and
the Hunt Museum, and the picturesque village of Adare,
arriving in Killarney in time for you to relax over an early dinner
Explore the Dingle Peninsula or the
more remote Beara Peninsula, both remote areas of spectacular
scenery, with many interesting villages and historical sites. Return to
Killarney in the late afternoon for a game of golf, to go horse riding or spend a few hours
being pampered in the
hotel's spa.
We
will start the day with a visit to
Muckross House and the Torc Waterfall, passing
the Lakes of Killarney and on to
the
Ring of Kerry, a spectacular coastal drive through
some of the most magnificent scenery in Ireland. We will get off the beaten
track here, visiting some peaceful and lesser known spots as well as the
popular highlights.
We
travel to Kilkenny via the town of Cobh,
visiting the heritage centre which commemorates the many thousands of Irish
emigrants to the USA. Later you can choose to visit the splendid Rock of Cashel,
Cahir Castle and Middleton Distillery,
to see how Irish Whiskey is made and taste some fine examples.
Today's
tour includes a visit to the Waterford City and its Crystal
Factory and to the Famine Museum in
Wexford. We will return through the quaint village of Inistioge
in time for a leisurely stroll through the streets of Medieval Kilkenny and visits to
the 800 year old Kilkenny Castle and to
St Canice's Cathedral.
Today
we cross Ireland's central plains, an area unjustly overlooked by most
visitors, with its rich farmland, stately rivers and small market towns. Visit
the ancient monastic site at Clonmacnoise on the banks
of the River Shannon, take a ride on the
Bog Train, a narrow gauge railway winding through one
of Ireland's famous bogs and learn about the tragic events that led to mass
Irish emigration to America at the Famine Museum at
Strokestown House.
In
the morning we will tour Connemara, an area of outstanding beauty with a
mystical quality that defies description. We will stop at the little town of
Clifden, visit Kylemore Abbey
and pass through the Inagh Valley with the
Maamturk and Twelve Pins
mountains towering on either side. In the afternoon spend some time enjoying
the Ashford Castle Estate and its excellent leisure pursuits.
Today
we will travel via Galway and the little harbour town of
Kinvara to the Cliffs of Moher and the
Burren, with its extraordinary landscape, its unique ecology and
hundreds of Neolithic tombs and ancient ring forts. Go below the surface at
Ailwee Caves and stop off in some wonderful shops
selling local produced crafts and artisan foods.
Spend
the morning in Ireland's varied past, with a visit to a reconstruction of an
early Celtic settlement at Craggaunowen and a walk
though a 19th century Irish town and its surroundings at
Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. We will return to Dromoland Castle in
time for you enjoy an evening of leisure enjoying the estate grounds and its
facilities.
If you have a later flight, we will organize a short tour in the morning.
