Authentic IrelandReviews of authenticireland.com

I have made several trips throughout different parts of the world. This trip met all my expectations. The planning of the different places of interest, the schedule, and the Hotels were magnificent! I would recommend this agency to everyone and i would define be using it again for my upcoming trips!! Astrid Klanderud

Not the first time to use this agency and they were my 1st Choice when it came to planning a trip for myself and 3 friends. Shannon was brilliant as always when it came to planning the itinerary. While Scotland may not be her usual planning site, the B&B she chose in Edinburgh was stellar. Thanks to all at Authentic Ireland for such brilliant assists. I'll definitely be contacting you again for future trips "home". :0)

We had traveled to Ireland last year, so I had experience driving on the left side of the road with the steering column on the right side of the car. I recommend that anyone who is driving in Ireland for the first time rent a compact car with automatic transmission. The roads at times are very narrow. I found driving tutorials online with the Ireland DMV very helpful. I also found helpful videos on You Tube. My wife and I arrived at Shannon Airport and drove to the Lake Hotel in Killarney. We stayed in Killarney three days, driving the Ring of Kerry and exploring sights such as the Kerry Cliffs and the nearby National Park. Driving the Dingle Peninsula is a great day trip, as well. We then stayed the next two days at Dromoland Castle. The rooms, restaurants and grounds are absolutely stunning. The castle provides a very elegant experience. While there, we drove the Burren Region touring a very old stone fort. Our last night was spent at the Bunratty Castle Hotel in Bunratty. Bunrattty is very close to the Shannon Airport with many accommodations, restaurants and petrol stations. We enjoyed a traditional Irish meal at Durty Nelly's Irish Pub. My review has scratched the surface of the wonders of our trip. The scenery is breathtaking and the locals are very friendly, warm and helpful.

We found a flight to Ireland (direct from LAX-Dublin) and needed to put a trip together within about 20-30 days. I found Authentic Ireland on the web, and worked with Aisling, our tour operator who was US based. She was GREAT. We did a few iterations of itineraries and we agreed on a path, types of hotels, orientation and we quickly put a working plan together. We did a driving tour. We oriented it towards food and sight seeing. We did upgrade the car (for very limited dollars at the airport--to a BMW no less) and we were off driving right after we landed. Our two weeks in Ireland were nothing short of fantastic. We had a blast. Every place we stayed was nice, clean, charming, lovely, and our highlighted sight seeing locations were filled with awe. We wish we had stayed an extra two weeks, done some of Northern Ireland too. We'll go back. Aisling, our tour coordinator, was attentive, and a gem. I would work with her, and this company any time in the future and have told all my friends about our experience. A+++, 11 out of 10

We could not have asked for a better vacation than the one planned for us by Maggie. We loved all of the places we stayed in and loved the food. We especially love Rosquill House in Kilkenny. We can't wait to go back.

I told people several things upon my return from Ireland. For those people I spoke to that are old enough to remember the television series "Fantasy Island," I told them that "Senior" and "Tattoo" could not have planned and executed a better holiday then I went on. For others, (without fear I suppose that prices may be raised for their great services), I told that if I had been able to do 25% of the things I did and been charged twice as much, I would have thought it to be an awesome bargain! Please consider that some of my awesome adventures and interactions I had were because I'm very open to them as well as the tremendous hospitality I was shown by everyone, and I DO mean EVERYONE, I met while in Ireland. AI hires people native to Ireland as travel consultants. They may live elsewhere as I found out but having grown up in Ireland and traveling there to visit family, I found my travel consultant (Catherine) to be a stellar resource as I worked out the places I wanted to go, how I wanted to travel, places I wanted to visit and the sort. Even connecting on the freedom of travel style and "vibe (tone set)" I wanted to try and achieve while traveling in Ireland. I was never "pushed" towards any company or organization while planning my trip or while I was on my trip. The excursions, tours and such I went on and had prepaid for were outstanding to say the least. I dare say with it being my first trip to Ireland, if I had booked any of the tours at random out of the many services available it would have been pure dumb luck if I chose the great people and companies AI uses. I received vouchers to convey to the hotels, tour operators, and events I attended while in Ireland I have to say, I never thought about it until just now but how incredibly efficient and safe to have these transactions prearranged so that you can minimize credit card transactions and the amount of cash one might carry. It also was comforting to know that AI has a 24/7 call line should you need any assistance, last minute changes, or help with an urgent matter while abroad. No need to go on. They have my highest recommendation for their services and team members whom I worked with on my holiday plans. That means, yes, without hesitation I would use AI again as well as Catherine.

Our 18 day trip through England, Scotland, and Wales was well prepared by Authentic Ireland (AI). Four adult family members traveled together requiring 2 separate rooms and a car. We sort of knew places we wanted to go and AI filled in the blanks with excellent suggestions. Our budget was not luxurious but every accommodation booked was wonderful. We were interested in history and places with local character, so we stayed in some wonderful castles, B&B,s, and historic hotels. Every place was clean and accommodating to our needs. They also were very centrally located so that walking to must see sights was doable. Only one hiccup along the way, one B&B had given away one of our rooms for the second night we were there, not AI's mistake but the owners. The owners did find a comparable room across the road, but we had to pay for it. I immediately contacted our agent, Con. Even though he was on vacation, he replied quickly, getting everything sorted out by morning. Just sent a picture of the bill for the other accommodation and was immediately reimbursed. We were amazed and knew this was a company that had the interest of their clients in the forefront. The travel documents that was sent was fill of information and suggested sightseeing. The suggestions were excellent and we did as many of them as time allowed. The car rental went off without a hitch. We were so surprised to have a brand new Audi with a exceptional GPS system. Even B&B's, points of interest, and the next gas station were found quickly. AI also booked some sightseeing tours while we were in London. The Hop-on-Hop-off bus, and a trip to Stonehenge and Bath. Both were excellent with a convenient meeting place close to our Hotel in London, which we LOVED. This is the second trip we have booked with AI. We went to Ireland in 2012 and had the same great experience then. We do trust this company has the best interest of their clients at heart. Their office in the US is really nice for us American travelers. We are grateful to AI and Con, our agent, for facilitating this great trip. We would not hesitate to book again.

Con Jager was great at tailoring our trip to our personal interests. We highly recommend using his services for anyone looking to see a lot of Northern Scotland in a few weeks time. Saves a lot of planning headaches since we were always on the move. He really gave us a perfect itinerary to allow us to see what we wanted without being overwhelmed.