Authentic VacationsReviews of authenticvacations.com

I had a great experience with Authentic Ireland. They made all of our arrangements for car and lodging. They also provided an itinerary with suggested sites. We really appreciated having everything pre-paid before we left. It made check-in and check-out quick and easy wherever we went.

Jocoya helped us to plan a perfect week in Dublin with two wonderful day trips: Wicklow and Glendalough and another to the Giant's Causeway. She asked about our interests and made fantastic recommendations that made the trip even better!

Fantastic experience. Lonna helped put our 2 week self drive tour together. The B&Bs, Inns and Lodge she found for us were terrific. All the recommendations and tours suggested and/or arranged were wonderful. Will use Authentic again when we next travel to areas they serve.

I loved the itinerary. The only problems I encountered were 1) the vouchers were in my name but the actual reservations at the inns, B&Bs, and tourist sites were in my maiden name. This was a bit of an annoyance. 2) I am 68 and don't have the physical strength I once had so the B&Bs all had steep stairs. Had my son-in-law not been with us, I couldn't have easily got my suitcase up the stairs. I love B&Bs, but stairs are getting more difficult.

Recently worked with Tam Katzin for a trip to Ireland. Tam was wonderful to work with. She listened to what we were looking for in the trip and went over and above to make sure our trip met our wishes. Tam was very patient throughout the whole process with my numerous questions. Not once did she make me feel that I was bothering her. Even with the Pa time difference she answered emails promptly even though she wasn't in the office yet. Tam was great with little tips and information about things that I would not have thought about to take care of before our trip. I would definitely look for her guidance again if we plan another trip sometime.

Authentic Vacations arranged our trip of a lifetime to Western Ireland. No question was too large or too small for them to answer. Josie "got it" when we said we wanted a stress-free trip where we could take in the untainted beauty of the small towns and coastal areas of Ireland. She booked flights into the relaxed Shannon Airport where we were met by our chauffeur/tour guide Tony Woods. She arranged the perfect hotel (Temple Gate-- a quality hotel, historical, but casual and relaxed, with top-tier attention to customers, a great bar and restaurant, hearty breakfasts, exiting onto a courtyard with magnificent floral displays) located in the charming town of Ennis. Ennis was the ultimate walkable town with many shops, restaurants, pubs and historic sites no more than a 5-minute walk in this richly interesting and compact town. Using Ennis as a home base, we took 3 day-trips in Western Ireland. Our chauffeur/tour guide, Tony Woods, took us to destinations selected specifically to suit our interests. He was able to park in spaces designated for chauffeured cars, saving us a lot of time getting to and from some sites such as the Cliffs of Moher. We were able to take narrow roads buses can't navigate. We could focus on scenery instead of driving, navigating, parking, refueling. Tony changed the itinerary to ensure we had optimal weather at the sites we visited. We stayed at sites as long as we wanted. Tony knew where to find great shopping and first-rate stops for lunch or tea. We learned a lot about Ireland from him, and actually felt we knew the country at a deeper level when we left than had we driven ourselves and stayed at bed and breakfasts. The combination of each of these elements created the perfect trip. In addition, Tony provided a taxi service on our last day, dropping us off and picking us up from Bunratty Castle and its associated Folk Park. We would rely on Josie and Authentic Vacations in planning any future trips. They made it so easy. We would never consider traveling in Ireland again without using Tony Woods Chauffeur to allow us to get the maximum immersion in the country during the time we have to spend--couldn't have seen half these things had we arranged them ourselves.

Excellent service and people

This June, I led a group of 12 on a tour to Ireland. Maggie Lunde was my group specialist who did an excellent job helping me achieve the desired plans for our visit. She was thorough and very responsive to our needs. Our chauffeur for the tour was Martin McAviney, a delightful guide and great friend to us. From the start, he let me know that he was there to fulfill all our plans and wishes and to feel free to communicate them clearly to him. He not only delivered but once he had a sense of our group, he gave us excellent additions which fit perfectly for us. His warmth and great sense of humor added greatly to the enjoyment and success of tour. Members thanked me afterward for "making our dreams come true" and another described the tour as "life-changing" I whole-heartedly share these accolades with Martin and Maggie.