Ireland Travel Guide

We just spent two weeks in Scotland and Ireland, arranged for us by Zicasso’s travel specialists. What a five-star experience! Both of them have traveled extensively in the UK and Ireland, with one having grown up in the UK. They always seemed to know where we wanted to be.

This trip was a bit more challenging due to unexpected spine surgery a mere eight weeks prior to the trip. Between the perfect selection of lovely hotels at all the right locations and the nice people of these two countries, everything was accessible, despite using a walker. We could not have asked for more beautiful vistas, castles, and cultural amenities, ranging from lively Irish pubs to the finest museums (we’re art buffs). We also ate at spectacular restaurants selected by the travel company, in addition to terrific tours tailored to our specific interests.

Not only was the planning for the trip exceptional, but the travel specialists were there for us at a moment’s notice when things went awry. All trains in Scotland were canceled for a day due to 100mph winds from Storm Amy. We were pinned down in Edinburgh (a great place to be trapped) and took in additional sites, while the travel company saw to it that we had a lovely hotel room to spend our extra night in Edinburgh. Many people wound up sleeping in the train station. Our train was rescheduled strategically for the next day by the travel specialists, while we enjoyed Scotland’s National Art Gallery and our vacation continued seamlessly.

The transition from Scotland to Ireland was delightfully easy and our time in Ireland was spent exactly as planned. As I’m unable to drive and did not want my wife to be unable to sightsee while we traveled, the travel company got us (per our request) to far western Ireland and the Aran Islands, where Gaelic languages are still spoken and centuries-old Irish traditions are still maintained. We traveled by train so we could both sit back and take in the beautiful countryside.

There, we used our castle hotel in County Clare as a base for travel by car and enjoyed several days pursuing our own agenda and taking in the splendor of castle living. This was amazing, likely the most elegant place my wife and I have ever stayed, yet the venue had a comfortably casual vibe and an incredibly helpful staff that made accessibility problem-free. We would definitely block out a day just to stay on the castle grounds and enjoy the property and activities if we are able to return.

The Cliffs of Moher were spectacular, as were the Aran Islands, right down to a rainbow which vanished before we could find the “pot of gold” at the end. That being said, we think “the pot of gold” is Ireland itself... the sites, the people, the music, the food… the list is endless. We cleared US Customs in Shannon so we were able to fly to the US with no TSA or customs issues.

We returned to find an itinerary summary prepared by the travel specialists for submission to our travel insurance company for any storm-related refunds that the travel company had not already arranged for us. Simply a wonderful, stress-free trip, with the travel company at work continuously to assure that the experience was optimal, and it was five-star from start to finish. We can’t extend a higher recommendation to Zicasso’s travel specialists for a wonderful, intimate tour of the UK and Ireland.      

Using Zicasso made planning travel in a foreign country so much smoother. The proposals we received were excellent and from the beginning, it was clear the tour company was the perfect fit for our group. We provided them with a wish list of places and experiences we hoped to include, and the team, especially one of our agents, pulled off something even better than we could have imagined. Every day was filled with meaningful sights, experiences, and laughs. We were even able to add a few small things as time allowed.

Our time in Ireland with the tour company exceeded our highest expectations. If you’re planning a special trip with family or friends, and looking for something personalized, well-paced, and full of authentic Irish character, this is absolutely the kind of experience to aim for. All of the accommodations they chose were wonderful, too.

This was a perfect vacation. The itinerary set up by Zicasso's travel company was exactly what we wanted. We got to see a lot of Ireland and learn about each area, with a great mix of walking, sightseeing, experiences, relaxation, and culinary delights.

Our four accommodations in Ireland were top-notch. It was hard to leave each one because they were so lovely. And the food was exceptional at each meal (including breakfast!).

Our guide/driver was fantastic and really worked to make the trip perfect. He was professional, knowledgeable, and 110% prepared every day. He was able to adapt our itinerary each day to the weather, our energy levels, and even interests that emerged during our discussions. He knew each area we visited really well and provided so much interesting information and history. He was a very good driver and was always thoughtful, courteous, kind, and friendly. It was a pleasure to spend the 10 days with him.

Our one and only complaint about the trip was the room temperature in our first two hotels.

My adult daughter and I just returned from our wonderful nine-day trip to Ireland and Scotland. We are very, very happy with the travel services Zicasso's travel company and their team provided for us. Their assistance in the design, planning, arrangement-making, and execution of our trip was first-rate in all ways, enhanced by friendly, professional, and timely communication all along the way. The company earned our praise and trust.

Kudos to Zicasso for having high-quality travel-service companies like them in your network. We will highly recommend both companies to others and will keep both in our first considerations if we are fortunate enough to consider and plan for future overseas trips.

Our trip to Ireland was fantastic and it could not have been so without the help and expertise of Zicasso's travel designer. Her input was invaluable. From the onset, she took the time to determine what we wanted from our vacation and her recommendations were spot-on.

We were extremely happy with the support we received from Zicasso’s travel designer in planning our trip to Ireland and Scotland. The recommended trip itinerary allowed us to leverage our shorter time in Ireland and really get to experience a lot of Scotland, where we spent more of the vacation.

We were very happy with the selected hotels and the guides in each country. Transportation was well planned and went smoothly.