Kimkim Trip Reviews for Ireland

JK, our guide, made the entire itinerary wonderful.

The trip organized by Rachel and her team was perfect. The trip pacing was perfect and we really enjoyed all of it. The most astounding part of the trip was frankly the properties they selected . Every one was unique and perfect. Every time we showed up to a new property we were delighted. Of particular note was the sheepdog demonstration- a fascinating experience we wouldn’t have found on our own.

Hotel Reviews

Cliff at Lyons

Co. Kildare

The room we were in (Pipit) was fabulous. Lovely and only one of two rooms in the building which made it very quiet. Lovely view over the lily pond.

Authenticity & Character

It was a very beautiful property with lovely buildings and gardens. Most of the garden beds seemed over grown and in needing of love. Apple trees with fruit on the ground and beds overtaken with dandelions and weeds.

Location

It was very convenient to the airport really. Only 40 or so minutes away, so it was very nice to not have a long drive to. A ivate

Staff

Everyone we ran into was very helpful and nice.

Cleanliness & Comfort

So this was also another wedding venue and there was one going on this day. As a result the next morning there were empty glasses and empty beer bottles littered about and one area (obviously the smoking area) outside the restaurant where the ground was littered with cigarette buts. My partner found broken glass on his seat at the breakfast as well.

Kilkea Castle and Spa

What a unique property! A straight up castle- it was very cool.

Authenticity & Character

Just the fact it looks like and actual castle was cool. We stayed in the. Carriage house, but since it was attached to the main building it felt like you were staying in the castle. Another very cool item were the onsite escape rooms. We had a great time escaping the dungeon.

Location

It was out in the country, but that made it perfect.

Staff

John at the activities center (the escape room) made it very fun!

Cleanliness & Comfort

One of the things one should be aware of is that this is a big wedding venue. When we checked in the lobby was full of wedding guests and we literally had to wiggle our way to the desk to check in. They were also packing the bar, so getting a nice beverage after the long drive was impossible. Not a big deal, but something to be aware of. The music from the wedding was also quite loud, although away from the main building. It did not take away from our enjoyment but something to be aware of.

Killarney Park Hotel

Killarney

I wish I could give this place 8 stars. The service was impeccable, the rooms were very nice and the location was very central to the parks we were visiting.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Fallen, Brendan and Colin were so fantastic! Also Maria at the front desk was very helpful and welcoming.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was perfect with all the amenities you could want. We were in a classic King, which was just fine, but I would love to go back and stay in one of the other class of rooms, as I bet they are spectacular.

Pax Guest House

Dingle

The view from the lounge are was spectacular!

Authenticity & Character

Beautifully decorated and very amazing artwork throughout the property.

Location

Perfectly located at the top of a hill with lovely views of the fields and Dingle bay.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

We were pleasantly surprised that we were able to have laundry done, as some of the reviews mentioned otherwise. Same day service and very reasonable!

Gregan's Castle Hotel

This was one of our favorite properties on the trip. We enjoyed the breakfast very much, and also enjoyed dinner there on one of the casual nights. Very very nice. The property and the room we were upgraded to (Fuschia) were spectacular. The pub was warm and cold and we spent much of one rainy afternoon there by the fire. Perfection.

Authenticity & Character

Wonderful sitting rooms with garden views and fireplaces throughout. Such a lovely setting.

Location

Staff

Everyone was so welcoming and lovely. They really made you feel at home.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was lovely, large and nicely outfitted with a seating area for two that we loved. Very comfy bed!!!!

Ballynahinch Castle Hotel

This property was amazing. The grounds were just spectacular - we spent most of one afternoon just hiking the very well maintained trails on the property. Over 5 miles by our count. There is a lovely perfect walled garden and kitchen garden that was one of the most beautiful we have ever seen. Our room was nicely situated with a river view. Perfect orientation.

Authenticity & Character

Great fireplaces and seating areas to hang out at.

Location

Great property with amazing walking trails through the woods and along the river.

Staff

Well- they mostly seemed a bit overworked and stressed. We didn’t really get the warm welcome or assistance with luggage we would have expected, and were quite surprised by that. The pub was lovely, but they had the poor bartender doing everything. He seemed extremely overworked.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Merrion Hotel

Dublin

Wonderful hotel in the perfect location for Dublin. Breakfast was fabulous and our garden room had a lovely view. Very centrally located near a couple really fun pubs.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Centrally located.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Connemara Sheepdog Demonstration

Ireland

I would like to give 5 stars to our sheepdog Mac as well. This was amazing and one of my favorite activities. Well worth the drive!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The farmer doing the demo was funny, knowledgeable and amazing.

Irish Dancing - The Irish House Party (Dinner & Show)

Dublin

Amazing entertainment as well as food!

Quality of Experience

Food

The Guinness beef stew was incredible!!

Cliffs of Moher Cruise from Doolin ( 50 min)

Doolin

We did not go on this cruise as it was raining and the seas were rough. I would suggest it as an activity but not book it in advance. There were lots of spots available and could easily be walk up.

Private tour of Emigration Museum EPIC

Dublin

Our guide Emma was fantastic- not saying anything wrong with her at all. However we would have gotten a lot more out of it going through on our own. This is not an activity or museum where a guide is needed at all.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Killarney National Park Jaunt - From Park to Castle

Ireland

Really cool experience and our driver was super nice and knowledgeable about the area.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center tickets

Ireland

Beautiful views and locations - Wry scenic and not to be missed.

Quality of Experience

Dublin Private Walking Tour

Dublin

Brian was great and we enjoyed his banter and stories of fairies and fairy trees! He modified the trip for us and was very flexible.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Brian was great, on time, very knowledgeable and personable. Perfect walking pace for us as well

Dean turned us over to Clodagh Roche. She helped us out alot.

Claire was extremely professional, personable and prompt in helping us plan our travels in Ireland. We had both unexpected adventures and moments of familiar relaxation. Claire was very timely and thoughtful in her responses providing wise redirects where needed and helping us get oriented each and every day with the specific transport modes we were using (extremely helpful). Our accomodations mostly excelled expectations (save for a poor view from the Hardiman in Galway ...though it is minor note since we were away each day). We had an unexpected upgrade in Cork at Reidence by Marriott which we were incredibly grateful for.

Claire is an exceptional travel specialist and created a lovely and memorable experience for us that was exactly within our budget. We would be happy to work with her again and would absolutely recommend Kim Kim to friends based on our experience.

Hotel Reviews

Ashling Hotel Dublin

Dublin

This felt a little more urban chic and possibly not as warm as the Granville. Very nicely appointed but very little room to get past the desk chair at the base of the bed. The extra twin size bed in the room might be a good space to move the desk to. The breakfast was great. The staff was very brigt and sunny at breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on the train line so a little challengng getting across with luggage during rush hour.

Staff

Granville Hotel

This was one of our absolute favorites. It had a balcony with a stellar view of the city. The restaurant was top drawer and the staff were incredibly attentive. Our room managed to be both grand and cozy (how does that happen)?! We had a lovely cup of coffee and a complimentary chocolate as we sat on the balcont. It felt very continental!

Authenticity & Character

Very handsome historic hotel. The rooms are beautifully appointed and have floor to ceiling windows. The light was amazing. The bath was in excellent working with hot water immediately available. Loved saops and a hair dryer.

Location

Loved that its right on the water but also so centrally located to the rest of the city.

Staff

They were very European in an old world way. We could tell they took pride in their work and had very high standards in meeting their clients needs.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Loved the linenes and the cozy throw as well as the coffee/tea service provided.

Residence Inn by Marriott Cork

CORK

We arrived and were unexpectedly upgraded to a King Studio which felt very indulgent. Absolutely loved the free laundry and the very communal common spaces to share with others. Our first connection was with Elisabeth who was ver patient and gracious.

Authenticity & Character

Loved the shared spaces and the safety measures with card based elevators and more. Loved the free laundry!! Huzzah!

Location

Centrally located but not too crazy busy where we were. very walkable to restaurants, tour buses and more.

Staff

Elisabeth was so kind and gracious in attending to our travel needs and many questions about the space. She was warm but professional .

Cleanliness & Comfort

The linens, bath and kitchenette were sparkling!

The Hardiman Hotel

Galway

We absolutely love the stately old gal that is the Hardiman. The furnishings were elegant but not in an intimidating way. There was kind accomodations at the front desk in allowing us to drop our luggage early. Loved loved loved the baby grand piano. Was surprised that the main restaurant was not open for dinner but we loved our delicious breakfasts there. The shower was a little tight for elbow room and our particular view was a little grim but we still felt the staff and service was great.

Authenticity & Character

It is a true Victorian Hotel and much has been done to keep it in good shape.

Location

Love the park across the street and the shops and train station so close by.

Staff

They were very accommodating in storing our luggage and waiting on us at breakfast. Our bartender was very personable at O'Neill's.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Maldron Hotel Pearse Street

Dublin

They were professional and had an excellent breakfast. The room was spacious and clean and quiet.

Authenticity & Character

It was modern but still cozy

Location

In the core city but not too insanely busy

Staff

They were professional but very helpful with our questions

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Free time in Dublin

Dublin

We loved Davy Byrnes Pub and were so impressed with the French Gueuleton restaurant in Temple Bar neighborhood. It was exceptional food and atmosphere. We'd be repeat offenders if we lived in the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Welcome to Galway Walking Tour

Galway

Paul did a great job but time of day and meet up place was a challenge as there was an overload of tings happeing in the park including on street vendor fair and hare krishnas singing wit amplification. Which made me think our guide might benefit from a little portable microphone. He had great information to share and really knew the city well. Loved some of his personal recommendations and insights based on his experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

An Epic Walking Tour of the Viking Triangle

Waterford

Jamie was an excellent guide. We were not told at the desk that it was free to go to other musems that day (ie: first Wednesday) or what other museums we might visit if we felt inclined, but Jamie let us know as we walked along. An excellent primer on Irelands oldest city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

A Literary Pub Tour of Dublin

Ireland

Just a five star experience with some f the best actors in Ireland doing wha they do best in telling stories and lore about some of the greatest writers in the world. We had Frank and Finn (Phin). They unspooled a number of scenes effortlessly in the middle of the standard city hullabaloo. Most people had no idea the were actually learning something noteworthy!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

House of Waterford

Ireland

So amazing to be invited into ths space to see the craftsmen at work. The environment meant it was a little challenging to hear our guide clearly. But there were other ways to garner information just by being there. Loved the history and details on the process.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Blarney Castle and Kinsale - 1/2 day tour (Morning)

Cork

We absolutely loved this whole day. They trip to Cobh and the Charles military Fort were a happy surprise. The whole experience felt very immersive in the way of being in the middle of peoples day to day lives. LOVED the grounds at Blarney. Our driver and Guide Tommy was warmly humorous and sharp as a tack. Loved the big windows on the bus. Really an excellent company.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tommy was a tip top driver and guide. Transparent, engaging and a clear communicator.

Transport

Trinity Trails & Book of Kells Guided Tour

Dublin

It's an amazing tour though as a guide I was a little puzzled by the characterization of the schools origin story as being openly antipapist without covering some of the adjascent history that if you were catholc during that time period you were in fact disallowed an education by the penal laws. Later when they were allowed to enter the school they were characterized as denied on the basis of their ignorance. I mentioned the fact that the fact that they still spoke Gaelic today and how perilous it was for them to have kept their language alive in Hedge Schools. I believe our guide (who was lovely) had to stay on their proscribed script. I think they might revisit their script in relation to the trut of the penal laws,

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pearse Lyons Distillery: Dublin's Unique Church-Converted Spirit Haven

Dublin

Loved the history and information. Appreciated we had an actual guide taking us through the tasting. We were absolutely surprised by the quality of their product and hope to find it stateside.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Small Group Tour: Galway to Connemara, Sheep Dog Show and Kylemore Abbey Full Day Tour

Galway

Loved our guide Michael and were so thrilled with his knowledge about sites and sense of humor. He drove very carefully and got us to each location without any issues. An excellent communicator in letting us know what time we should be back and got us back to the city right on time. We were knocked out by the Kylemore Abbey grounds though we somehow missed the guided tours on site timewise. Loved the sheepdog show and hearing details of what this is like for the owner to pursue on a professional basis. So thrilled this ended up being a full day rather than a half day for us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer

Dublin

We loved that we had private transport. Our arrival (first) driver had no sign. My phone was not connected to wi-fi while we were waiting to get through customs so we were a little bit stressed in identifying which driver was ours. Though he was a great driver and very kind. He helped us with our bags. We were sorry not to have had change to give him a tip on departure. Our driver on departure was hard to find in the midst of a line of cabs all in a row but he found us and we were a-ok! He helped with the bags and got us to the airport on time despite traffic. Was a little early picking us up so that was great.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The trip planned with KimKim was exactly as I had hoped. The events and tours you recommended were great. the food was very good. The hotels were very good with one exception. The Hyde Hotel in Galway presented a challenge. It was rectified by the hotel staff. I want to explain it to you for future reference.

The 1xTwin Bed Room was less than adequate. There were no windows in the room. There was only a skylight. There was no escape route from this room if a fire occurred near or outside our door. The hotel management explained that fire laws were not the same as they are in the US. After a bit of a discussion, they did change our room to one with windows. If KimKim uses this hotel in the future I would make certain that your clients are not assigned this room.

Overall, I will certainly give KimKim 5 stars and recommend you to others.

Hotel Reviews

The Central House Hotel

Clifden

Self-check-in was easy. The owner's daughter was there to greet us.

Authenticity & Character

Only complaint was no air conditioning. Fans were provided but our room did not have one. I went to the local hardware store and bought one. The room size for two was pretty small.

Location

Right in the center of Clifton.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Hyde Hotel

Galway

Authenticity & Character

See notes at bringing of survey.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Randles Hotel Killarney

Co. Kerry

Authenticity & Character

Food was great

Location

Within walking distance to downtown

Staff

Very accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Old Bank Townhouse (Blue Haven Hotel Kinsale)

Kinsale

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ashling Hotel Dublin

Dublin

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rock of Cashel

Ireland

Had to miss this event.

Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center tickets

Ireland

WOW! This place is amazing. It was more beautiful than expected.

Quality of Experience

Weather was perfect. The hike can be a challenge for some but rides were offered.

Transport

Easy parking. Not too far from the Cliffs. Only concern would be for people who need assistance or may not be able to walk disctances.

Kylemore Abbey

Ireland

Beautiful grounds and castle.

Quality of Experience

Connemara Sheepdog Demonstration

Ireland

Loved it.

Quality of Experience

We caught this tour about a week before the end of the tour season. Very lucky for us.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walked to the field where the dog herded the sheep. Great time

Kinsale Private Walking Food Tour

Ireland

This was a highlight of the trip. Our tour guide Adrian was great.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vetry knowledgeable and fun.

Transport

Walking tour through streets of Kinsale.

Entry into the Emigration Museum EPIC

Dublin

We had to miss it.

Had an amazing trip and really enjoyed that our scheduled wasn’t too packed, and we could explore on our own pace. Adrian nailed the activities we wanted and what we wanted our trip to be.

Hotel Review

Ballea Castle

Cork

Great little place tucked away and teeming with friendly animals. Our daughter loved spending time with the horses, dogs, and cats. It was a phenomenal no-fuss stop to relax for the nights we were in the area.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Caherconnell Fort & Sheepdog Demonstrations

Ireland

Horse Riding Killarney National Park

Killarney

Walk with Wolfhounds

Ireland

Fanny was replaced by Aiden but he organized an amazing trip. My highlight was the dog herding sheep shearing near Clifton and the walking food tour in Kinsale. Amazing trip 🇮🇪

Hotel Reviews

The Central House Hotel

Clifden

Great location but no lifts which was a lot with our large suitcases

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Randles Hotel Killarney

Co. Kerry

This hotel was beautiful and in a great spot. Staff were welcoming and friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Easy walk into town for shopping, food and drinks

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean

Activity Reviews

Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center tickets

Ireland

Beautiful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kylemore Abbey

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Connemara Sheepdog Demonstration

Ireland

Wonderful and fun experience

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kinsale Private Walking Food Tour

Ireland

Amazing day and the food was incredible

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Just completed an amazing and memorable trip to Ireland, planned by Adrian. He took all of our requests and feedback, and prepared an interesting and well-paced trip that fit all of our needs. 100% would use him and this site again.

Hotel Reviews

The Springhill Hotel

Kilkenny

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Killarney Heights Hotel

Killarney

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clontarf Castle Hotel

Dublin

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lahinch Coast Hotel

Dough, Lahinch, Co. Clare

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ballea Castle

Cork

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rock of Cashel

Cashel

Quality of Experience

Caherconnell Fort & Sheepdog Demonstrations

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Walk with Wolfhounds

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Horse Riding Killarney National Park

Killarney

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Fanny and Adrian did a great job. The food tour in Kinsale and the Connemara Sheepdog demonstration were fabulous and definitely the highlights.

Food tour in Kinsale was great
Hotels without elevators were a surprise and should be advised about before booking.

The trip was great. My only disappointment was the accommodations at three of our hotels. The group consisted of seven people ages ranging from 63 to 76. A few hotels had stairs that were difficult to navigate And no lift available. Also two hotels had no AC and one didn’t have a fan and no AC. One of our high lights was the food tour In Kinsale. It was awesome.
Overall the trip was well planned and we all enjoyed it!

Hotel Reviews

The Central House Hotel

Clifden

No lift in this hotel so we had to catty our luggage up a lot of stairs. The room was extremely small and no AC or fan. It was right on the ground level ext to the street very noisy.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Hyde Hotel

Galway

First room was terrible. No windows and no way to escape if there was a fire. Had to change rooms and it was great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Didn’t want to move us at first but finally did.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Randles Hotel Killarney

Co. Kerry

Clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Old Bank Townhouse (Blue Haven Hotel Kinsale)

Kinsale

It is an old hotel. No A/C

Authenticity & Character

Very old

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

No AC and the room was warm. Bathroom had a step to the toilet which could be a trip hazard.

Ashling Hotel Dublin

Dublin

Clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Rock of Cashel

Ireland

We never made it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center tickets

Ireland

Breath taking!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kylemore Abbey

Ireland

Beautiful location. Great gift shop.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Connemara Sheepdog Demonstration

Ireland

The guide did a great job.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kinsale Private Walking Food Tour

Ireland

Amazing!! Adrian our tour guide was incredible. His knowledge on the area and tour was great. Food was fantastic.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We walked so wear comfortable shoes.

Entry into the Emigration Museum EPIC

Dublin

We never made it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Stephen was very easy to work with. He was so responsive and followed up on all the details. The activities chosen were well picked. We particularly appreciated the KimKim team and Stephen accommodating our multigenerational needs. There was only one hotel in Galway the Ardilaun that we would not necessarily recommend to future guests. The rooms were rather run down and not well kept. Otherwise, both hotels the Grafton and Brehon were fantastic. We would have appreciated tickets being purchased for the Book of Kells/Trinity College Library in advance because we were under the impression that was part of the walking tour. The Irish House Dancing was great and such fun. Our driver Mr. Gerard and our vehicle were five star and we so appreciated all his guidance. Mr. Gerard was wonderful!! The carriage ride in Killarney was great for grandparents and kids. The Cliffs of Moher boat ride though scenic and incredible I would warn people about the choppy waves and sea sickness. Aran Islands was such a highlight! We truly thank the KimKim team, Stephen and Mr. Gerard our driver for creating a memorable trip for our whole family.

Hotel Reviews

The Ardilaun Hotel

Galway

The rooms were small, dated and not clean. The old carpet in the hallways and tight elevator.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Brehon

Killarney

Great location. Nice breakfast. Great restaurant and bar. Lovely lobby.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Grafton Hotel

Dublin 2

Great location. Spacious rooms.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Irish Dancing - The Irish House Party SHOW ONLY

Dublin

Incredibly fun for all ages!

Private 4X4 Tour of Inis Mór

Ireland

The driver was excellent. The vehicles were well maintained. We were happy to be dropped off, get a chance to experience restaurants in town and hike up to the cliffs.

Falconry Adventures

Ireland

Wonderful experience. The birds were incredible.

Killarney National Park Jaunt - From Park to Castle

Ireland

Wonderful. Great for grandparents and kids.

The Fantastic Walking Tour of Dublin - Private Guided Tour

Dublin

It was a bit dull. Wish we could have stopped to see street performers. Wish they had booked tickets in advance to see inside Trinity College.

Dublin Wheelchair rental - with hotel or airport dropoff/pickup

Dublin

Overall we had a nice trip. The policies of Kim Kim are what will make me not use the service again. There was no flexibility starting >6 months before without paying exorbitant change fees, which wasn’t worth the convenience of having someone book the hotels and a few of the excursions. Minimal trip guidance in terms of how to get from A to B. We were on our own to get tickets for Newgrange even though it was a recommended activity. The timings of some of the times tickets also didn’t make sense (too far apart in time given the amount of time they take to complete plus the distance apart). I still ended up using multiple additional guidebooks and websites. Overall I loved Ireland but was a little disappointed with the service.

Hotel Reviews

Davenport Hotel

Dublin

Centrally located, nice room

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Monks Ballyvaughan

County Clare

Terrific room, quiet, on the water, nice food

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pull out bed was uncomfortable

Lough Eske Castle Hotel

Although it looks impressive when you first drive up it was very much just a hotel when you were at your room in the back building. Not sure worth the cost.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Scenic but a bit far from Donegal town

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

A lot of flies

Bushmills Inn

Bushmills

Loved it! Very quiet, centrally located, nice breakfast. We had a nice room for 3 that would have held 6.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Bike Hire on Inis Mor

Inis Mór

Easy to pick up a bike but very poor quality. One of them broke about 6 km from town and we had to improvise. The island itself was beautiful but a little nerve wracking to ride on narrow roads with shuttle buses

Quality of Experience

Transport

Bushmills Distillery

Ireland

I don’t drink whiskey, but it was still very interesting

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Caherconnell Fort and Sheepdog Demonstration

Ireland

Interesting experience. Wasn’t expecting to just sit on bleachers to watch the sheep dogs.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Trinity Trails & Book of Kells

Dublin

It was ok but not sure that I appreciated the Trinity College tour having just arrived and being jet lagged. The Book of Kells was interesting but very brief

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre

Causeway Coast

Quality of Experience

Black Cab Belfast Tour

Belfast

Very interesting experience, learned a lot about the history of the Troubles

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cliffs of Moher Experience

Cliffs of Moher

Lovely except for the fog

Quality of Experience

Carrick-a-Rede Bridge

Causeway Coast

Quality of Experience

Our 2026 European vacation, planned through KimKim, was absolutely wonderful!

Stephen created an amazing 14-day itinerary through Vienna, Switzerland, and Italy. From arranging all of our private drivers to booking all of our first-class train tickets, every detail was taken care of. He planned all of our excursions, prepaid the tickets, and provided easy-to-follow directions for every destination. Our hotels were all very nice and prepaid as well, making the entire trip stress-free.

Some of the highlights of our trip included the Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg, Austria, the Golden Round Trip to Mt. Pilatus, and the unforgettable Jungfraujoch excursion. Every experience was fantastic.

Lake Como was absolutely stunning. We spent one afternoon on our own at the Mandarin Oriental Lake Como, where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch, breathtaking views, and explored the beautiful grounds for about three hours.

Then came the Dolomites—they are simply AMAZING!

The only disappointment was the location of the hotel booked for our stay near the Dolomites. If Stephen had never visited the area himself, he probably wouldn’t have known, but the hotel was located in an industrial area about 1 hour and 40 minutes from the Dolomites. As a result, we had to hire a private driver for an 8-hour tour, which cost us an additional $1,000. Although it ended up being an incredible day, we wish we had stayed at a hotel much closer to the Dolomites so we could have enjoyed more time there.

This was our second trip booked through KimKim, and we highly recommend them. They truly take the guesswork out of planning a vacation, allowing you to simply relax and enjoy the experience.

We will definitely use KimKim again and again!

Thank you, Stephen, for planning such a memorable trip for us.

— Joanne, Erika, and Joyce

Hotel Reviews

Magna Pars l'Hotel à Parfum - Small Luxury Hotels of the World

Milan

This was a 5star hotel for sure they go over the top enjoyed our stay very much

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Loom Bolzano

Bolzano

Brand new hotel very modern just in a poor location in an industrial area but very friendly staff and very clean

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Albergo Le Due Corti

Como

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Soldanella Hotel

St Moritz

Fit to all our needs

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Hey Hotel

Interlaken

This hotel was awesome very big and spacious

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Boutique Hotel KARL

Luzern

Had no air conditioning But thank the Lord it was a cooler night

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was just VERY SMALL

Theater Hotel Salzburg

Salzburg

Fit all our needs

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Austria Classic hotel

Vienna

Fit all our needs

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Welcome to the Dolomites!

Bolzano

The dolomites are breathtaking. It’s a beautiful area well worth going.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer

Lake Como

It was great not groom another train! And having a private driver for this 4 hour drive!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mythical Jungfraujoch - Full day exploration from Interlaken

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sound of Music Bus Tour

Salzburg

This tour is a must do!!! It is 4 hours long but very enjoyable!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Alex and Kim brought our vision to life. Our family has been wanting to visit Ireland for years and we finally did it and it’s a trio for the books. Alex listened to what we needed and preferred as a family and Kim’s coordination it came together great! The tours, the hotels, the food recommendations and quick responses to questions, it was lovely.

Hotel Reviews

Knockranny House Hotel and Spa

Westport

Knockranny House Hotel and Spa felt a bit odd and creepy to us. The hotel had very wide hallways and was eerily quiet, which made it uncomfortable, especially for the kids. The food was not great, and the service was a bit off. It seemed like a nice enough place, but it just didn't feel welcoming or lively.

Lough Eske Castle Hotel

Lough Eske Castle Hotel was disappointing due to poor organization. Despite requests for a rollaway bed, it never arrived after multiple asks. Housekeeping was inconsistent, often not replacing towels or bringing the wrong number. The front desk was not very helpful or receptive to feedback, which made the experience frustrating.

Stauntons on the Green

Dublin

Stauntons on the Green was really nice. The service was excellent, and the accommodations suited our needs well. Alex was very attentive to our requests, especially regarding the bed setup, which made our stay comfortable.

Bushmills Inn

Bushmills

Bushmills Inn was great. The hotel was very nice, the spaces were comfortable, and the service was really great. It suited what we needed perfectly and was a very pleasant place to stay.

Dromoland Castle Hotel

Newmarket on Fergus

Dromoland Castle Hotel was one of the really nice hotels we stayed at. The service was excellent, the room was great, and overall it was a fantastic experience. It really stood out as a highlight among the accommodations on our trip.

Activity Reviews

Carrick-a-Rede Bridge

Causeway Coast

Carrick-a-Rede Bridge was a great experience and the next best thing after the falconry. I was initially nervous about the swaying bridge with the little one, but the kids loved it. It was a fun and exciting activity that added a lot to our trip.

Marble Arch Caves

Donegal

The Marble Arch Caves were awesome and really cool to explore. However, I would advise future visitors to be prepared for a lot of walking and about 150 steps to get off the tour. It might be a bit challenging for those not ready for that level of physical activity, so a heads-up would be helpful.

Falconry at Dromoland Castle

County Clare

The Falconry at Dromoland Castle was hands down the best activity we did on the trip. It was a lot of fun and totally worth it. I’m really glad Alex recommended it because we wouldn’t have known about it otherwise. It was a unique and memorable experience for the whole family.

We worked with kimkim and Claire to plan our honeymoon in Ireland. Kimkim made the process easy, I appreciated the questionnaire at the start of the process to get a better idea of our wants for the trip and I am glad we got to connect with a local specialist. Claire was lovely to work with, she was readily available for planning and she listened to our vision for our honeymoon. She provided an amazing itinerary within our target budget. When we were on the trip, we had no issues with any of the bookings/reservations that were made by Claire. We had some slight difficulties on our trip (due to no fault of kimkim or Claire) and we were able to use the on-call number for assistance and we received great support. Since we did a road trip, our itinerary felt pretty full but still had plenty of room for seeing things on a whim. I was hesitant to use a travel agency but I am so glad I did! I will definitely use kimkim again in the future. Our favorite parts of our honeymoon were horseback riding in Dingle and kayaking in Killarney. We loved that our trip was adventurous and Claire really understood our vision.

Hotel Reviews

BrookLodge & Macreddin Village

WIcklow

We loved this hotel! We had an amazing room, I have never seen a room like it. We loved the property so much that we spent the entire day lounging in our room or walking around the property. There are two restaurants on site and a cafe/pub. We loved that we were able to order room service for breakfast and dinner and did this twice. There is also a spa on site but they were booked full so we could not use it.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The property is beautiful but there was not much to do nearby

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Imperial Hotel

Galway

The hotel was in a great location and had a great breakfast. We also dined at their restaurant for dinner and loved it! The room was fairly small but we did not spend much time inside

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hyatt Centric The Liberties Dublin

Dublin

This was a nice hotel and the location was decent. It had air conditioning which was nice and they had a great breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The location was fine, there was not much that we wanted to see near the hotel so we often had to walk far to get to where we wanted to be

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clayton Hotel Cork City

cork

The hotel was in a great location, it was very central but quiet. They had a great breakfast buffet. The entire hotel had a modern feel and it was clean and well-maintained.

Authenticity & Character

The hotel had a clean, modern feel but did not show much character

Location

Great location, it was right in the center of the city and we could walk to everything we wanted to see

Staff

The staff were helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had an amazing room, it was sparkling clean and very comfortable

Crystal Springs B&B

We loved this B&B! It was on a gorgeous property by the river and had a lovely garden with seating. The breakfast was one of the best we had while in Ireland. The staff were friendly, especially Elaine. It was about 5-10 minutes drive to town or about a 30 minute walk. We walked most of the time and it was a very pleasant walk.

Authenticity & Character

The hotel was well decorated and felt very cozy

Location

It was about 5-10 minutes drive to town or about a 30 minute walk. We walked most of the time and it was a very pleasant walk. The hotel is right on the river and has a lovely garden.

Staff

Elaine was wonderful, she was very personable and cares a lot about the property and the guests. She is truly meant for this role

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room was very clean and comfortable and the entire property was cozy and well maintained.

Heatons Guesthouse

Dingle

We loved this hotel! The property was right on the shore of Dingle and about a 20-minute walk into town. The walk to town was pleasant although there was quite a bit of traffic on the main road. The bedroom was spacious and they had a delicious breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

The hotel is well-maintained and felt like a sophisticated place

Location

The hotel had great views of the water and was about a 20-minute walk into town

Staff

There were a lot of stairs at this property and it would have been nice to have staff assistance in carrying our bags to our rooms.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bedroom was clean and the bed was comfortable. The bathroom was very clean

Ballinalacken Castle Hotel

This hotel was lovely! There was a castle on site and it and it had a fantastic restaurant for dinner and breakfast. The property was well-maintained and the rooms had an antique charm. We only stayed here for one night, but would have loved to stay longer. The only downside was that it was about 10 minutes drive from Doolin so we had to drive into town for food, shopping, and other excursions.

Authenticity & Character

There was a castle on the property and the rooms had a historic charm.

Location

The hotel is about 10 minutes drive from town

Staff

There were many stairs at the hotel and it would be helpful to have staff to assist in carrying bags to our rooms.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were clean but the shower head stream seemed like it was blocked and it was spraying out of only one side

Activity Reviews

Horse Riding trek in Dingle Peninsula

Ireland

The horseback riding was one of our favorite parts of the trip! We were a little nervous since the photos show people galloping on the beach. We have both ridden horses before, but were not comfortable with a ride like that. The horses were well-trained and calm. We had a peaceful ride through the mountains with amazing views. We enjoyed our guide and he gave us great recommendations for food in Dingle!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Killarney Lakes Discovery by Kayak

Killarney

We loved this experience! It was a wonderful way to see the Killarney National Park. We had amazing views and wonderful weather. We got to paddle out to an island with ruins and get out and explore it on foot. Our guides were lovely. It was physically challenging but there were a good amount of rest breaks.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Doolin Cliff Walk experience

Ireland

We loved this experience! Our guide, Murph, was very informative and taught us a lot about the Cliffs and Irish history. I was worried about being able to walk for 4 hours but the pacing was perfect and accessible for people of many different fitness levels. Because we were part of this tour group, we also got special access to private property for the iconic view of the Cliffs. There is only one other tour group that has this access.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

There was parking at the hotel where we met and we got to have transport back from the top of the cliffs to our car

Trinity College Library : The Book of Kells Experience

Dublin

We enjoyed learning about the Book of Kells and getting to see the library. It was nice to learn more about the Book of Kells and how it was made, but it was a tight space and very crowded.

Quality of Experience

It was pretty crowded and hard to read the exhibits

Guides, Drivers and Staff

This was self-guided and staff interactions were minimal

Transport

We walked here from our hotel

We have an awesome time in Ireland. It was our first tune and Adrian did a fabulous job putting the trip together. All of our drivers were great - they were timely and knowledgeable. We had Agnes, David , Lukas and Peter (I think.. the one who took us to Derry) - if I missed a driver it’s not intentional - they were all very good. We loved rhe Carrick - Rede - Rope bridge. It was scary but doable😂, the Giant Causeway was a fun hike with great views.

Derry was our favorite city. The people were friendly, the city felt very safe to walk around at night. My husband made friends with the locals in a couple of pubs and my daughter and I loved the mall next to the Starbucks in the center of town. We did the walking tour and learned a lot about Bloody Sunday and got a feel for the politics and tension in Northern Ireland. It was very educational for everyone and especially for my daughter who is 17 and knew nothing of that part of Ireland’s history.

The Titanic Museum was amazing. Note: my husband’s great uncle was the violin player (Hartley) on the Titanic. His violin was also featured in the museum.

We enjoyed all the cities and got so many souvenirs that we had to buy another piece of luggage. Derry being our favorite city does not minimize the other beautiful locations to note - The Castle at Waterford, Kilkinney Castle, the Tombs, the waves on the coast at the Giant Causeway.

The accommodations were very good.
We were happy to have the apartment type spaces. We were happy to have the higher end accommodations for comfort. The Celtic Show in the last night was fun and a good farewell to Ireland… we were all sad to be leaving. This itinerary covered a lot of ground for a 1st time visitor.

We would definitely book with Adrian again. Next time we want to go back to Derry and then to Scotland.

Hotel Reviews

Staycity Aparthotels Dublin Mark Street

Dublin

Interestingly this hotel was very nice, new and modern! The staff was ok.. not terribly friendly like the other locations. They weren’t rude but just not helpful. No explanation about how the doors worked with the keys so when we got stuck in the hallway not knowing to push the green button to open the doo.. the staff was annoyed that had to call them. Another example, the sheets provided for the pull out bed were not clean. I took them downstairs and politely asked for new sheets. The woman took the sheets, didn’t say a word and said that someone would bring me clean sheets. I said thank you and she mumbled a response like “no problem”. Like I said, not rude but distinctly different than the other experiences that we had. It didn’t take away from our trip but probably not a place that we would stay again.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cordia Serviced Apartments

Belfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Staycity Aparthotels - Christchurch, Dublin

Dublin

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Kilkenny

Kilkenny

Very nice hotel.. unfortunately Ireland was having a heat wave and the room was very hot. But, the hotel had 1 portable fan.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Diamond House Apartments

Londonderry

Location was excellent. The apartment was well decorated and comfortable furniture. For some reason the bedroom doors had an automatic spring which forced them closed. So, the bedroom doors would slam shut. Usually this is only see n in industrial buildings. Nonetheless.. we would stay there again!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Waterford Castle

Waterford

Beautiful property. The rooms were high end and very comfortable for a long stay.

Authenticity & Character

Feels like a throw back in time

Location

Just be aware that you will need to consider that you need a ferry to go back and forth.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Guided Bogside History Walking Tour

Londonderry (Derry)

Highly recommend! Gives a great history of the city.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Authenticate.. the tour was given by a resident of Derry who clearly had a passion for the city.

An Epic Walking Tour of the Viking Triangle

Waterford

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Visit Brú na Bóinne and the Newgrange Tombs

Ireland

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guides were incredibly knowledgeable

Celtic Night Show & Dinner

Dublin

Quality of Experience

Titanic experience

Belfast

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our trip to Ireland was absolutely amazing, and we couldn’t have been happier. Every stop was thoughtfully planned and our family made memories that will last a lifetime.

Working with Claire at kimkim was a lovely experience. She was responsive and easy to communicate with throughout the planning process.

One of our favorite experiences was the sheepdog demonstration. It was such a fun, engaging activity for the whole family! We also absolutely loved the falconry experience. The falconer was incredibly knowledgeable, passionate and made the experience unforgettable.

Every place we stayed was wonderful, but Cahernane House Hotel truly stood out. The property is stunning, the service was exceptional and the food and beverages were outstanding.

Another highlight was Afternoon Tea at Adare Manor. It was simply exceptional.

Our visit to Inis Mór was another unforgettable day. Thomas Faherty’s Pony & Trap Tour was fantastic. Thomas was friendly and kind to our children. He made the island come alive with his stories and local knowledge and it was one of our family’s favorite excursions.

The only suggestion we would offer for future travelers is to double-check tour reservations before arrival. We discovered that one of our tours had accidentally been double-booked. It wasn’t a major issue and everything ultimately worked out but it’s something worth verifying to help future guests avoid any extra expenses.

Thank you for helping us experience such a beautiful country. From the breathtaking scenery to the wonderful accommodations and unforgettable activities, this was fabulous trip.

Our trip to the Éire was nothing short of incredible and one that we will never forget. Hospitality was impeccable everywhere we stayed. Our specialists- Kayleigh and Brandon- were so thoughtful with planning a well rounded experience for us and we could not be more grateful to their team. From city nightlife and exploration to the beautiful coasts, Cliffs and national parks we experienced a wide swath of the gracious and welcoming Irish Culture across the country. We are already looking forward for our next trip back. We cannot recommend kimkim enough!

Hotel Reviews

Carton House

Co. Kildare

Breathtaking estate with amazing charm and history

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Montenotte

Cork

We were welcomed to our room with a bottle of wine. All the staff were incredibly welcoming and courteous.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The Victoria Hotel

Killarney

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gregan's Castle Hotel

Our stay at Gregan's was truly magical. The estate is absolutely stunning and we enjoyed walking the grounds and spending time enjoying the views. We especially loved bonding with some of the castle cats- Lady and Smudge- who are delightful. The hospitality we experienced was amazing - everyone we encountered made us feel very welcome. Everything we ate was delicious. Our stay at Gregan's was one of the best we have ever had and will hold a special place for us forever. We hope to visit again and cannot recommend enough to family and friends.

Authenticity & Character

Authentic and impeccably designed

Location

Breathtaking views and beautiful grounds

Staff

Everyone we encountered was so welcoming and gracious

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wilder Townhouse

Dublin

Charming and well located, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Wilder Townhouse.

Authenticity & Character

So charming

Location

Walkable to many areas but off the beaten path from the busier parts of downtown

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cliffs of Moher Experience

Cliffs of Moher

Absolutely breathtaking views - the magic of the Cliffs is palpable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jameson Bow St. Distillery

Dublin

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jessie was incredible!

Guinness Storehouse and Gravity Bar

Dublin

So much fun!! So much to explore and enjoy!Especially loved getting our picture printed on a pint

Quality of Experience

Celtic Steps

Ireland

What an amazing experience! Incredible skill and talent

Quality of Experience

Private Galway Food Tour

Galway

Danny was a wonderful guide- incredibly knowledgeable, warm and funny. This experience was a a top highlight of our trip for us and we cannot recommend Danny enough!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We picked up our car in Dublin at 10am and were on the road by 10:30am. We made it to Galway exactly at 1pm but were about 20 minutes late for our tour after we found parking. Our guide was very understanding. Would recommend a little extra buffer time in the future!

Blarney Castle

Blarney

The castle is awe inspiring and the grounds and surrounding gardens are absolutely enchanting.

Quality of Experience

Killarney Bike Hire

Ireland

The park is beautiful and there is so much to explore! The bikes were comfortable and easy to ride. You are also given a bike lock which was super handy to venture further on foot. The map was very helpful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Caherconnell Fort and Sheepdog Demonstration

Ireland

Our experience at Caherconnell was a major highlight of our trip! The sheepdog demonstration was so fun and educational. The tour of of the ringfort was so cool! Our guide was super knowledgeable, funny and taught us so much history in a fun way.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We started looking on the internet at some tours to Ireland but they all didn’t seem right. We recently went to Costa Rica and used KimKim travel company to plan it. So, we contacted them and they put us in contact with Adrian who is their Ireland consultant. We told him basically who we were and what we wanted and the time frame for our journey. After several back and forths by email and a couple of video calls, he came up with version 3.5 which appeared to be our ideal setup for this vacation and as it turned out it was.
We made our own airplane reservations with Aer Lingus and the whole process was easy. They included one checked bag in the price which was better than a similar United flight and the flights in both directions were essentially on time. I say essentially because the flight back to Dulles Airport landed twenty minutes early. One of the perks of flying to and out of Dublin, a tip Adrian gave us, is that you go through US passport control and customs in Ireland so when you land after the long flight you can just go and get your bags and leave.
Upon arrival our driver was there awaiting us and texted on WhatsApp exactly where he would be. We had a nice ride to our Dublin home, the Ashling Hotel. While it wasn’t right in the center of town, it was in a nice area that wasn’t congested and was only a ten to fifteen-minute taxi or FreeNow ride in traffic to the center of the city. When we arrived, our room wasn’t ready, so we went to the breakfast buffet. Their breakfast buffet was very good. It had just about everything you could think of except for my favorite, lox. We ate long enough that when we were finished our room was ready.
We rested a little and then went on a walking tour of Dublin. The Dublin Highlights and Hidden Gems Walking Tour. Unbeknownst to us, this was the end of the Bumblebee 1000 Charity weekend which essentially closed many of the streets in downtown Dublin, so we were late. The tour was to start at 1:00. At about 1:03 I got a call from the tour guide wondering where we were. He talked with our FreeNow driver and together they figured out that we would have to walk the rest of the way (actually only two alleys away) and gave us directions to get there. The point here is that the guide cared enough to call and waited for us even though we got to the starting point more than 10 minutes late.
The tour itself was fantastic. Even though we were jet lagged, we enjoyed every part of the two hours. Not only did we see the main sights of the Dublin city center but the information about the city, the Irish culture, and the history of the country from the earliest Gaelic settlers through the Vikings, the plague, and the Normans, and the English and even the famine. He was not only informative but entertaining as well. Even our twelve-year-old grandson made it through the two hours and didn’t complain once or look for his phone, although that was on airplane mode.
When the tour was over, we finally hit the wall. We hardly slept on the overnight flight. Actually, they slept a little bit, but I didn’t sleep at all. We went and looked for a taxi, which wasn’t so easy because of all the blocked streets. We did find one and went back to our hotel. Unfortunately, we didn’t make our 5:00 PM visit to the St. Patrick’s cathedral although we did see the outside on our walking tour.
The next morning, we had a private driver who would take us to Galway after a stop at Clonmacnoise. This was basically fascinating ruins of a monastery that was founded some time in the sixth century on the banks of the River Shannon. There was a Cathedral there and two round Towers. There were also three high crosses, one of which was erected in 914. There were ruins of several Churches. What I found most interesting was that there were many early Christian graves dating back over a thousand years old and even some recent graves. There even were some of the graves of Irish kings and even the grave of the last high king of Ireland who was buried in the 10th century.
From there our driver took us to our hotel in Galway.
That was the Hotel Leonardo Galway. It was in an excellent location at least for us. After a brief rest we went to explore. Just outside the hotel was Quay Street, a pedestrian-only street. It is exactly what I imagined a truly Irish street would look like. There were several pubs all with big Guinness signs. Many of these had Irish music blasting out into the street. Since we were hungry, we had lunch in one of the pubs. There was an outside table at the appropriately named Quays Bar and Restaurant. We both had fish soup which was listed as a light bite. Not only was this remarkably delicious but very filling. Our grandson had chicken tenders and fries. He is a connoisseur of chicken tenders and gave them a 5 out of 5 and the fries were wonderful as well. Neither my wife nor I enjoy beer, but we were in an Irish pub. I had a Guinness and she had a beer that was lighter in color also made by Guinness. The beer was very tasty at least for beer, but we at least did this Irish rite of passage.
The other aspect of that Irish street of my imagination that came true is that the rest of the street was comprised of shops. Wool shops, jewelry shops, and Irish gift shops. We did our share of boosting the Irish economy and bought many of our gifts for family as well as gifts for ourselves in those shops. It was time to rest our feet and our bodies so back to the hotel we went.
Later we went back to Quay Street and went to dinner at the Kings Head which was a truly iconic Irish pub. The decor was just as I imagined. This building was erected in the 13th century, and the ambiance was loud and joyous. There was loud Irish music and lots of beer. We ate in a second room that was much less noisy and not only was the setting great, but the food was too.
The next day we had a full day tour and our tour guide, Frances, was great. He was very knowledgeable and told some funny stories. Our first stop was at a chocolate factory where there was a brief presentation and especially some good chocolate tasting as well.
Next, we drove through the Burren, which is an interesting geological area made of, if I remember correctly, is mostly limestone. Frances explained in good detail about this formation. In the Burren we went to one of the activities we were looking forward to, the sheep dog demonstration. He took us to Caherconnell. There we had one of the highlights of our trip. The sheep dog handler and the dogs were terrific. I won’t go into it further because I recommend everyone experience it on their own. What I will say is that the dogs herded the sheep and they were not sheepdogs but Border Collies.
Also, at Caherconnell was their Stone Fort. This was the remnants of a fort that was initially used over a thousand years ago and was in use up until the sixteenth century. The guide told us interesting facts about the history of the area and how the fort was used to protect the people of that area. Not too far from Caherconnell was the Poulnabrone Dolman, a structure that was erected over 5,000 years ago.
After that we went to lunch at McGanns Pub in Doolin, another traditional-looking Irish Pub although since it was midday the decibels were a lot lower. I took a picture of one of the signs on the wall. “Everyone who visits this place brings happiness. Some by coming in… Some by going out.” My wife and I both had the fish chowder and it was both sensational and filling and we were sufficiently sated to go on to our next stop, the Cliffs of Moher.
We arrived at the parking lot and at Frances’s urging we took the golf cart up to the entrance. From the entrance we took another golf cart up to the top of the cliffs. This was a good idea especially for us older people. It cut out a lot of the uphill walking. The views were truly like the proverbial statement “No words can describe the beauty of the sight.” It really was majestic and to imagine the years, the decades, the millenniums, that created them. We also went into the museum which was there and also the gift store.
We then took a different route back to our hotel in Galway. We rested up and then went to a seafood restaurant that Frances had recommended. Oscar’s Seafood Bistro was a short walk from our hotel in the opposite direction. We went over a bridge and turned right and after a short while we were there. The daily specials were written on a sign on the wall. The food was very good as advertised.
The next morning our private driver met us in the hotel lobby and drove us to our stop at Birr Castle. We did not do the castle tour, but we did explore the grounds. There was a waterfall, beautiful flowers and a field of green but the most interesting was “The Great Telescope”. It was built in the 1840s and was the largest telescope in the world at that time. It was standing in the middle of a field that was designated for it. It was huge and I could imagine the astronomers of the day being excited to explore the universe. In the science center, there was a display that explained how the telescope was made and some of the issues related to it.
We got back in the car and continued on to our hotel in Kilkenny. We made it to the Hibernia Hotel and after checking in had a good lunch. We then went to the Kilkenny Castle. The Castle, built in 1260, is just what you would think a castle should look like. We did tour this Castle, and it was just what you think the Castle Rooms should look like. Don’t misinterpret this was a marvelous place and I recommend it. We then went out to the beautiful grounds where there were many picnickers, a couple of frisbees flying through the air, and even a couple of young women doing some back flips. Kilkenny wasn’t much of a town to walk through so we had dinner back at the hotel.
The next day was our last full day in Ireland. We took a Freenow ride from the hotel to the train station. As I mentioned earlier, we actually used Freenow several times in Dublin as well. Freenow is an Uber type company that uses essentially the same process as Uber does and it worked well for us, each time we used it. The train from Kilkenny to Dublin was right on time. We had reserved seats and the ride was pleasant. The one thing I will point out is that each of the seats were two and two facing each other over a small table. We had three seats in a row, so one of us, me was across the aisle and there were other people across from me. If you are going to take the train and are more than two, I would suggest that you look at the train seating chart.
We returned to the Ashling Hotel for our last night of our vacation. That evening we went to the Celtic Show and Dinner. The dinner was as you would expect from a dinner theater. It was unremarkable. In my mind that was good because since my expectation of dinner theater meal is that it could be uneatable, but this meal was OK. On the other hand, the show was fantastic. It had the energy that was electric. The band leader, who was the emcee, was engaging and had a good rapport with the audience, including reading notes from the crowd for shout outs.
The band played, no surprise, Irish music and then called out the Irish dancers. Then there was double energy. They moved their feet so quickly, it was hard to imagine. They did many different dances. The one I remember is the broom dance. I don’t know how they managed to jump over the brooms and keep dancing. It was a memorable evening.
The next morning our driver came to take us to the airport. The Dublin airport was nice and clean and had a nice area of duty-free shops. Since we didn’t have to go through passport control or customs when we arrived back to Dulles airport, we did not have to wait on the lines going to have our passports checked and then through customs.
In conclusion, we had a wonderful trip to Ireland. The journey was exactly what we wanted and what was planned. Adrian was very helpful in arranging what we had in mind into specific activities that worked within our timeframe and our budget. This is the second time we used KimKim and both times we have been very, very satisfied.

Caherconnell.

Sheepdog Presentation

Poulnabrone Dolman,

Cliffs of Moher

Kilkenny Castle

Celtic Nights