I Discovered The Best of Ireland With Virgin Vacations!

I just returned from Virgin Vacation’s Best of Ireland motorcoach package – and I had a marvelous time.  We were in England for a family wedding, and a few of us booked the motor coach package as a chance to see a country we all wanted to visit – Ireland.

What a great way to see the country – through the comfort and safety of a luxury motorcoach.  Our motorcoach was outfitted with everything we needed and we had a witty and friendly Irish tour director throughout the nine days.

Not only was the vacation informative, it was affordable too!  We had six wonderful nights at first class hotels and even one night at a 15th century Irish Castle!  Now that is a stay I will never forget!  Full Irish breakfast was included daily as well as four dinners.  The one that sticks out in my mind was our farewell dinner where we enjoyed a Medieval Banquet at Cabra Castle.

The little touches are what made all the difference.  With Virgin Vacations, no need to worry about the minute details, we enjoyed a welcome reception, entry fees to all the attractions (see details below), all tips for baggage handling, taxes and hotel gratuities and even a deluxe flight bag, passport case, luggage tags and of course, a day to day itinerary!  It was a stress free way to discover a lovely and enchanting country.

Of course, the itinerary is what really counts.  And this motorcoach package did not disappoint.  Here’s just a brief description of what we enjoyed:

  • Dublin – The perfect way to start off the trip was with a visit to the Guinness Storehouse in the heart of Dublin.  It was a wonderful opportunity to meet the other passengers and later in the day, we had a welcome reception with our tour director.
  • The next day, we continued enjoying Dublin with a free morning to sightsee and then it was a Dublin city tour with stops at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Christchurch Cathedral, and O’Connell St.  The evening was free to do as we pleased, but we opted to join in the memorable Irish night that our tour Director had planned.
  • After another night in Dublin, we headed south towards Waterford for a guided tour of the famed Waterford Crystal Factory.  Of course, a trip to Ireland wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Blarney, which is where we headed after Waterford.  Then it was onto Killarney for dinner and an overnight.
  • The next morning, we awoke with anticipation, as we knew we were in for a day of visual delights as we journeyed through one of the most scenic drives in all of Europe, around the Ring of Kerry.  We continued along the coastline, saw many charming Irish towns, and eventually made our way back to Killarney for another lovely evening.
  • We left Killarney and then headed for the Cliffs of Moher.  The views of the Atlantic and Galway Bay were truly breathtaking!  Later in the day, we visited Bunratty Folk Park, which was a wonderful way to experience the history of Ireland. 
  • The next day we spent in Galway and enjoyed the rich history and spectacular architecture.
  • During our last day, we traveled north to Athlone, located on the banks of the river Shannon.  Another highlight of the trip was a stop at Locke’s Whiskey Distillery, thought to be the oldest licensed pot sill distillery in the world!  This being our last night, we experienced a night at Cabra Castle as we were treated to a medieval dinner at the castle that was truly fun and amazing – another magnificent highlight of our journey!

Ireland really is a magical, enchanting and breathtaking land filled with spectacular sights and enjoyable people.  If you want to go on your own Irish adventure, I highly recommend the Best of Ireland Escorted Tour.  You see and learn so much and you have tons of fun along the way!  Visit the Virgin Vacations website for more details!

Posted by on 08/24 at 03:00 PM

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