Irish Dream Tours

Dianne Grapentine, N.J. USA

Hi!!! Well, I've been home a week now.....I needed a little time to really sit back and think over all the wonderful places we experienced before I wrote to you. Our entire trip to Ireland was awesome from start to finish!! I might even say it was fabulous BEFORE we got there, because we could really enjoy the wedding and know the post wedding time would be covered by Irishdreamtours!

Now, we can talk about our days after the wedding, our days with IrishDreamTours!! Fantastic!! You exceeded our expectations!! Thank you!!

THE VEHICLE: The five of us were very impressed with our luxury 9 passenger van (with an aisle down the middle!)...lots of viewing and lots of room for our 5 full size suitcases and 3 carryons in the rear compartment with room to spare!!) We were able to spread out inside the van but we could easily have had more people in there. You should have joined us!!

DRIVER: Michael was great! He appeared at Finnstown as scheduled on Wednesday morning, and took us away on a wonderful, albeit short, 4 day tour of Ireland. Michael is a very safe driver and he showed his skills on the crazy narrow winding roads of the Irish countryside!! He was always pleasant and patient! If we said we wanted to stop for a photo op, or for food, it was no problem..... and Michael often helped us ladies find some good shopping spots, too!!.(thanks Michael!). If we needed a ride into town at days end, he was veryaccommodating! ( We never had a problem getting a taxi back to our hotel.) He made sure at each stop that we were checked in and happy. He stayed elsewhere each night but would be back awaiting us each morning in good spirits, dressed in suit and tie...very professional!!

Upon arrival at Newlands, we discovered that one of our suitcases was accidentally left behind at Finnstown Hotel in Lucan!! (Not sure how that happened, but with all the wedding guests checking out that morning and heading out in different directions in different vehicles , things were a bit confusing!! ) But this proved to be no problem, as Jimmy, proprietor, called Finnstown to determine the whereabouts of the suitcase, and Michael, our trusted driver, called the Tour to explain our dilemma!! Well here is where my Tour Agentextraordinaire,Deborah, and fellow Tour partner, Jason, came to the rescue!! With no complaints and no fee ( even refusing a tip when we tried to insist!!) they went to Finnstown, retrieved the suitcase and drove it down personally to Newlands!!! in Kilkenny!!!! AWESOME!!

Thank you Deborah and Jason !!! I doubt any other tour operators would have ever done such a wonderful thing!! The silver lining to the mix-up was that we got to meet you!! You were both so cute !! and nice!! It was a real pleasure to meet the young lady I've been emailing since the end of February! You have been delightful and very professional in all our correspondence! Thank you!

As I said previously, our trip to Ireland was fantastic from start to finish! Your portion of it went very smoothly and we found your services to be what you represented and then some. We were all very happy that we had contracted with IrishDreamTours for the post wedding portion of our trip. In the next few days we will be posting some of this info on Trip Advisor. Thank you for everything. It was great!! SLAINTE! Dianne Grapentine

John & Joan McGuire, Connecticut

Deborah,

As previously reported, Joan and I had a marvelous trip last month. “Lovely.” I would like to pass along comments. First, some general things:

1. Jason was wonderful. He may not like the comparison, but Joan and I felt that we were being escorted by our oldest (and some say our favorite) grandson who is not much younger than Jason. You should market Jason’s many skills in many roles. Jason is more than a driver – he is a guide, concierge, porter and photographer. The word driver has a connotation – the man behind the wheel of a bus. Jason was more like a - companion: a long lost Irish cousin.

2. In addition to Jason’s friendly personality, we were impressed with his careful driving, punctuality, concern about his clients, circumspect in not talking about other clients and fastidious in dress and careful to recommend places to go for meals and entertainment that were reasonable. It seems that Jason has a frugal side to his nature.

3. We saw the places that we wanted to see. And avoided places where we had been before. We had surprises: the Village of Kinsale, for example. We would never have thought to visit there ourselves but we were pleased to have had lunch at the White House (Obama wasn’t home) and a visit to Charles Fort. We are still raving about the dinner that Jason suggested in Killarney at An Bricin. We were treated extra special by owner Johnny McGuire: a fine meal of boxty with lamb (otherwise we would not know about boxty – suddenly a favorite). Hopefully, we can get Paddy McGuire’s special recipe. Johnny treated us like long lost relatives - with many toasts from a bottle of Johnny's Powers Irish whiskey (hiska bahha) to all of the McGuire ancestors. How did Jason find a restaurant whose owner had my name? He wouldn't share his secret!

4. We asked Jason to take us to Poulnabrone. Which he did. We would never have found it on our own. Being that close to a 5,000 year old portal to the afterlife sent shivers up my spine. Next time a visit to Newgrange will be a must to see.

5. We didn’t make it to County Roscommon. We will save that for “next time.” Along with some other places that we didn’t have time to visit. Jason suggested that we would prefer a stop at Bunratty Castle and more time to relax at Dromoland than take the long drive to Roosky and back. Jason was correct. We enjoyed sharing the Blarney with the cottagers at Bunratty. And time at Dromoland – much too short – was an Irish Dream.

Here is just a little constructive criticism – keeping in mind that we were pleased beyond all expectation with your service:

It was very hard to get a handle on Irish Dream Tours before the trip. The Travel Associations would only say that you were or were not members. The recommendations on your web site (a very good site, by the way – maybe the best) could have been made up – as in Blarney. Even the e-mail from Elizabeth – while helpful – was without provenance. I was very relieved when Jason was waiting for us in the hotel lobby. The big selling point for us (that offset our concerns) was the timely response to our e-mails and your flexibility. Two suggestions: have a link to Associations with more positive support onthe website and make use of folks (like me) who are willing to give telephone numbers so that the prospective customer can place the call. Although I wouldn’t want a barrage of calls, I would be more than pleased to provide a reference from time to time. There is no reason that a reference has to be one and done.

All in all, our trip – our experience – was terrific. An Irish Dream, indeed. Will be looking for your assistance in creating another dream for us in the future.

Many thanks to you, Deborah, for making out travels in Ireland extra special.

Best Regards,

John

Mary Schmidt, Michigan, US

'Just a short email to tell you what an excellent time my friends and I had in your lovely country thanks to Irish Dream Tours. I really appreciated the flexibility, the excellent driving, the professional yet charming guide, the comfortable vehicle and the overall assistance with making this trip become a reality.

Saint Aloysius--survivor of the battle between "King Munster" and Cromwell might remind you of women and shopping and potty breaks...but he also might say that they have mouths...So...

I am telling anyone who asks about your company and am recommending it highly and maybe you will benefit from this. Do take care, enjoy your break and if ever in Michigan the "Schmidt Michigan Dream Tour Company" would be happy to haul you around.

Sincerely,

Mary Schmidt'

Elizabeth Resendes, Toronto, CA

Below is my personal & honest review for Irish Dream Tours based on my trip to Ireland in September 2012. I hope it's helpful!

In a nutshell….’Irish Dream Tours’ genuinely lived up to its name. Ireland is an enchanting country and Irish Dream Tours made sure that I was thoroughly enchanted! I had an amazing trip and a wonderful experience. I had always dreamed of one day visiting the beautiful Emerald Isle, and my trip to Ireland surpassed those dreams….thanks in large part to the dedication, commitment and philosophy of Irish Dream Tours!

I researched ‘a lot’ of tour companies before deciding on Irish Dream Tours, but none of them were comparable, especially in terms of feasibility and flexibility. Cost was a major concern for me because I was travelling alone and on a tight budget. Flexibility was also very important to me because I wanted the freedom to explore some hidden gems off the beaten path....all of which was possible with a 'custom' tour by Irish Dream Tours.

And when they say custom, they really mean ‘Custom.’ Together, we created a unique tour tailored to my personal needs and wishes. They provided me with a wealth of information, ideas and suggestions. And with that knowledge, I set the tone and the pace for my tour. I chose where & when I wanted to go, how long I wanted to stay, and what I wanted to do. Moreover, I was also able to make changes and requests along the way, which was an added bonus. It was all about me and what I wanted….”You are the boss,” I was repeatedly told. Essentially, my wish was their command and they were there to execute it for me, which is how they helped make my trip to Ireland so delightful and unforgettable.

My personal Tour Guide & Chauffeur was Jason. He was very accommodating, knowledgeable, an excellent driver, safety-conscious, polite….and always the consummate professional. Overall, Jason and his team were exceptional….they were very thorough, efficient and competent. They went out of their way to meet all my needs and expectations. It was clear from the beginning that they were dedicated and committed to making my tour of Ireland a truly memorable one. They definitely went above and beyond all of my expectations. In another nutshell, Irish Dream Tours genuinely went that extra mile in order to make all my Irish dreams come true!

Elizabeth

(Review as featured on Trip Advisor - http://www.tripadvisor.ie/ShowTopic-g186591-i88-k5760859-Irish_dream_tours-Ireland.html)

Alice & Donald Klein and Jake & Hilda Eyres, USA

'If I ever have the privilege of travelling to the wonderful Emerald Isle again, I will be doing so with Irish Dream Tours. Our tour was amazing! Fantastic itinerary and accommodations and our tour advisor really went above and beyond to ensure we had the very best trip. We felt totally taken care of and left the Country with very fond thoughts of both wonderful Ireland and Irish Dream Tours.'

Shannon Cooper, NY.

'I was nervous about travelling on my own but I needn't have worried. My Driver was great, I felt that I left the country with a great new Irish friend! I could not fault my accommodations, it was obvious that they were carefully selected - they really put time into choosing places for their clients to stay. I was not expecting such a high standard as the tour was priced so competitively but I was pleasantly surprised. Excellent!'

Karen & Jeff Richards, IL.

'I really had no idea what I wanted from my trip to Ireland before I contacted Irish Dream Tours. They were so patient and helped me every step of the way. They planned the very best accommodations for me - spotlessly clean and perfectly located. We really felt that everything was taken care of for us and we had nothing to worry about. They really know what they're doing. Highly recommended.'

Rich & Margie Howard,, CA.

'We cannot recommend these guys enough! Our tour ran without a hitch, our accommodations were just perfect and our Driver (Jason) was so helpful. They really want people to have the very best possible time and go the extra mile for their clients. We hope we can come to Ireland again and we will certainly be using Irish Dream Tours!'

Sophie & George Frank, Toronto, Canada

Jason, Thank you wholeheartedly for your gracious and competent guiding which allowed us in such a short time to see quite a lot of beautiful and interesting places of your lovely Ireland, not to mention your excellent driving! Thank you again.

Robert and Cindy Burke, Long Island, NY

"We contacted the guys with a very basic idea of what we wanted to do and they were efficient, so friendly and helpful. They recommended the best places to visit, the best accommodations and activities to do during the day and night. Every aspect of the trip was perfect - it really was a dream vacation. Thanks so much to everybody at Irish Dream Tours!"

Sandy Jefferson, Michigan, US

"I just wanted to thank the team at Irish Dream Tours so much for our wonderful vacation. We had the most amazing time - the accommodations they recommended for us were just perfect! They really do put a lot of time into researching the best places to stay. Our trip advisor Jason could not have been more helpful from our initial point of contact. We'll definitely be recommending them to our friends back home. Thanks so much guys!"