5-Star Luxury Castle in Cong, Co. Galway, Ireland

West Ireland Vacation: Seclusion for Couples in Castles

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Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist

Countries Visited

Ireland

Places Visited

Shannon, Adare, County Limerick, County Tipperary...

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Suggested Duration

9 Days

While together in rural Ireland, the two of you will be able to truly relax. Sleeping in royal castles, strolling manor house gardens, dining privately, and savoring the country’s romance will be the focus of this itinerary. Handcrafted around five-star castle and manor house accommodation, this luxury tour explores Ireland’s enchanting western coast. It will be the small moments that you remember most when it is just the two of you and the beauty of the romantic escape. So slow down, relax, and...

Customizable Itinerary

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Trip Highlights

  • Sleep in decadent castle hotels, where there is all the space you need for a romantic getaway
  • Cruise around Kenmare Bay, a leisurely day in superlative green surroundings
  • Immerse yourself in Ireland’s heritage towns and villages, with a two-night stay in thatched-roof Adare
  • Explore the famous landscapes including The Burren, Cliffs of Moher and Ring of Kerry
  • Live out the ancient history from the Cashel of Gaelic kings to the megalithic tombs
  • Soak up the bohemian atmosphere of Ireland’s colorful cities, with storytelling part of the experience
  • Stay in sublime manor houses, where you stroll their gardens and dine beneath crystal chandeliers

Detailed Description

It is in the west of Ireland where you will find most of the romance. Find a village of thatched-roof houses tucked in a green valley, a remote coastline of cliffs and walking trails and cultivated manor house gardens where you can stroll hand in hand with nobody else around. It is also in the west of Ireland where you will find most of the castles and manor houses, particularly the five-star estates that mix history with contemporary luxury. You will not even need to travel here from Dublin, as there is now an international airport in Shannon. You can touch down and surround yourself with the relaxed west of Ireland experience, all romance and charm as you spend nine days without ever needing to see the big city.

This tour has been handcrafted around Ireland’s romantic castles and manor houses. There are five different overnight stops, each as memorable as they are enchanting. By focusing on one half of the country, you can travel at a very laid-back pace. This will not be a tour with lots of time on the move, but each day there is a selection of highlights, from cruising on Kenmare Bay to colorful Cork, The Burren to bohemian Galway. The focus will be on ensuring that you have enough private time and space as a couple. Private guides provide the excursions and transfers, but this luxury tour could also be customized into a self-drive vacation.

After landing in Shannon, you will transfer to Adare, Ireland’s heritage village. All of the houses have kept their thatched roofs, and it is a lovely place to ease into a vacation. Spend two nights in a traditional manor house, with the second day visiting the Rock of Cashel and some historical sites that came long before Gaelic voices. From Adare to Kenmare, you can cover part of the Ring of Kerry, where quaint villages meet with dramatic landscapes and plenty of other tourists. It is popular in County Kerry, which is why this romantic tour skips through it rather than focusing too much time. But even with just a day, there are some superb little stops to check out.

From there, spend two nights in a glamorous manor house perched on Kenmore Bay. On day three, you will enjoy five-course champagne dining, with the next day including a romantic cruise around the bay. Next, it will be on to Cork with destinations like Cobh and Kinsale offering some fun along the way. Dip into the cobbled streets before a night in the third of your manor hotels, this one in Cork. Two sumptuous and well-known castles will then complete the experience with your last two night spent in Cong, gazing over the lake from your deluxe castle suite. The final night will be in Dromoland, where the castle could come from a fairytale and is fringed by iconic gardens.

Over these last three days, you will find romance in some of western Ireland’s most recognizable places. You have probably already seen photos, but they are experiential destinations, rather than simply sights.  Connemara and Kylemore Abbey, and then The Burren and Cliffs of Moher, are all yours to take in and enjoy together. As with the style of the tour, there are special extras thrown in with each designed to keep the romantic atmosphere high, such as a George V dinner in the castle. Depart from where you started, transferring to Shannon Airport after eight nights of Irish castles and manor houses.  Interested in learning more by seeing some of our travelers’ Ireland vacation tour reviews? Click here for more.

Starting Price

$5,900 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

  • Accommodations
  • In-country transportation
  • Some or all activities and tours
  • Expert trip planning
  • 24x7 support during your trip

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

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