Ireland Vacations with myguideIreland » Ireland Travel

Cork gets Top 10 listing in Lonely Planet

seamus.white — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:22:02 +0000

It is with great pride, here at myguideIreland, that we welcome the announcement that Cork City has been listed alongside well known cities in the USA, Canada, UAE and Japan in a new Lonely Planet guide for the top places to visit in 2010.

The “Best in Travel 2010″ published earlier this week lists Cork as the only city in Britain or Ireland among the best places to go and best things to do in the year ahead.
Cork was listed as a “top city” alongside Abu Dhabi in the UAE, Charleston in South Carolina, USA, Cuenca in Ecuador, Istanbul in Turkey , Kyoto in Japan, Lecce in Italy, Sarajevo, Singapore and Vancouver in Canada.

The guide describes Cork as being now “at the top of its game: sophisticated, vibrant and diverse”.

Tourism figures in Cork have strongly welcomed the inclusion of the city as being “a major boost”. This achievement brings Cork out from the shadow of Dublin as the city destination when tourists plan travel to Ireland and may be start of a movement that will see other commentators take notice and give Cork the recognistion it deserves.

US Dollar jumps 10% v Euro

seamus.white — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:18:09 +0000

We have just launched an initiative that sees the US Dollar jump in value by 10% when you book a vacation to Ireland;

At myguideIreland, we always pride ourselves on putting our Guests first and are always looking for ways to offer better value without compromising the service we deliver. As you are well aware, the dollar has recently hit annual lows against the Euro and many of our Guests and potential Guests have expressed their concern. With myguideIreland, you don’t have to worry.

Behind the scenes, over the last six months, our Finance Director has been applying great foresight in currency management so we are now in a position to provide our vacation products at a great value exchange rate. Resisiting the temptation to profit from this currency hedging, we are now offering an exchange rate of just $1.35 per Euro to any US Guest booking a vacation to Ireland. This “turns back the clock” to May of this year before the recent sharp declines in the Dollar’s value.

We buy all our accommodation, rental cars, activities, tours etc in Euros so why pay $1.50 when you can book & pay now and get Euro priced products for just $1.35. We can only guarantee the exchange rate until Novemebr 14th at which point we will revert to the prevailing retail bank rate.

Yet another enjoyable Ireland Vacation from myguideIreland

robert.carpenter — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:02:24 +0000

Here at myguideIreland we take great pride in providing a professional and personal service to our Guests when they travel to Ireland. We hear about great experiences almost daily from our Guests and we just wanted to share (ok maybe show off) one of our latest responses to a wonderful Ireland vacation provided by one of our most experienced Ireland guides, Genevieve .

Genevieve – Diana and I returned last Friday from our trip to Ireland (already filled out my survey from myguideIreland on line) and I wanted to send you a quick thank you note.
We had a wonderful time and the weather was perfect (which I will give you full credit for!). All of the travel details worked out from getting the car to the B&Bs and Ballyseede Castle. Ballyseede was a wonderful experience, I am really glad we stayed there two nights. We stayed in the Coghill room and it was amazing. We ate at the bar the first night and then in the dining room for dinner our second night – all of the food including the breakfasts was delicious.

We stayed at White House B&B in Blarney – excellent and the best overall B&B; Dromcloc House near Bantry – beautiful location and very nice folks; Purple Heather near Killarney which was nice but we probably wouldn’t stay there again and Roncalli House in Galway which was very nice (tiniest bathroom but it worked!).
We visited Waterford Crystal, Blarney Castle, Kinsale, Bantry, Healy Pass in Beara Peninsula, Killarney with a trap ride through the Gap of Dunloe and a boat trip to Ross Castle (perfectly wonderful!), Dingle Peninsula which was amazing, Cliffs of Moher and Galway.
Your advice and support was outstanding and I am heartily recommending myguideIreland to all of my friends and family – don’t know how our trip could have gone any better. Thank you again for helping make our 30th anniversary everything I hoped it would be.
Please pass this note along to your coworkers who also helped us.
Dennis Slevin

Four Star Hotels in Ireland -The official List

admin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:35:13 +0000

Following last week’s listing of 5 Star Hotels in Ireland , the full Fáilte Ireland list of Irish 4 Star hotels is below.

Five Star Hotels in Ireland – The Full Official List

admin — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:08:05 +0000

We often get questions about the official Star Ratings of hotels in Ireland.
It is often much easier to find the many other ratings that are voted for by hotel Guests including on sites like Tripadvisor and, indeed, on our own website from genuine Guests that have booked the hotel through us.

Today I got the official list from Fáilte Ireland and decided that it would be a good idea to share with our readers. I’ll start with the five star properties and list other classifications in the coming days:

Saint Patrick’s day is Ireland Week

admin — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:46:27 +0000

St. Patrick’s Day isn’t until Tuesday next March 17, but the USA is feeling a wee bit Irish already, and you certainly don’t need to travel to Ireland for Ireland’s national day to experience some St. Patrick’s day fun.

Known in parts of the USA as Saint Paddy’s day or St. Patty’s day, the celebration of Irishness sees events take place far beyond the 24 hour confines of the day itself.

While New York and Boston are famous for their St. Patrick’s day celebrations, many cities in the USA celebrate St. Patrick’s day as part of Irish Week.

Today’s Seattle Times outlines a list of festivities taking place in the Washington state city over the week:

Irish Week

Irish Week Proclamation Luncheon:Noon Friday, F.X. McRory’s Steak, Chop & Oyster House, 419 Occidental Ave. S., Seattle; $ 30, advance registration required, space limited (206-361-1713 or www.irishclub.org).

Green stripe laying:Truck leaves 6:30 p.m. from F.X. McRory’s, 419 Occidental Ave. S., Seattle, to start stripe laying at Fourth Avenue and Jefferson Street at 7 p.m. Friday.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade:12:30 p.m. Saturday, on Fourth Avenue from Jefferson Street northward to Westlake Park (between Pike and Pine streets), Seattle.

Irish Festival:: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday, Seattle Center, free. 206-684-7200. More information: 206-242-5140 or www.irishclub.org.

Other St. Patrick’s Day events

St. Patty’s Day Dinner:Comerford Irish Dancers, Irish stew, green beer, 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Southeast Seattle Senior Center, 4655 S. Holly St., Seattle; $15, reservations preferred (206-722-0317).

Friends of St. Patrick Banquet: Black-tie dinner and dance with Irish entertainment, 6 p.m. Saturday, Washington Athletic Club, 1325 Sixth Ave., Seattle; $95, reservations required, space limited (425-290-7839 or www.fosp.org).

St. Patrick’s Day, Meeker Mansion:Corned beef, cabbage and a jig, noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Meeker Mansion, 312 Spring St., Puyallup; $8. 253-848-1770 or www.meekermansion.org.

St. Patrick’s Day Dash: 4-mile run with costume contest, kids’ Leprechaun Lap, post-race bash, 8:30 a.m. Sunday, no day-of-race registration. 800-343-4411 or stpatsdash.com.

St. Patrick’s Day Brunch Cruise:Family cruise tour with Irish brunch buffet, 11 a.m. Sunday, Waterways Cruises, 2501 N. Northlake Way, Seattle; $19-$49, reservations required by 5 p.m. Friday (206-223-2060 or www.waterwayscruises.com).

St. Patty’s Day walk: Music, walking laps around the track, sponsored by Seattle Parks and Recreation Sound Steps walking program, 10 a.m. Sunday, West Seattle Stadium, 4432 35th Ave. S.W., Seattle; $10 minimum suggested donation (206-684-4664).

St. Patty’s Day Run: 5K run and costume contest, post-race party, 9 a.m. Saturday, Thea Park, 535 Dock St., Tacoma; $30-$32.50, register 7-8:30 a.m. day of race. 253-862-8890

Ashford Castle to celebrate 70th Birthday as Hotel

seamus.white — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:25:21 +0000

Ashford Castle in Cong, County Mayo, will celebrate 70 years as a hotel in May of this year.

The majestic Ashford Castle, set on 350 acres, is located in the beautiful west of Ireland north of Galway and dates back to 1228.
Situated on the confluence of Lough Corrib and the River Cong, and once a summer home of the Guinness family, Ashford Castle has captivated visitors since being converted to a hotel in May 1939.

While the Equestrian Centre is over-rated, the 350 acre estate is renowned for having Ireland’s first Falconry School offering a rare opportunity to handle birds of prey and the grounds provide ample opportunity to wander and relax.

Dining at Ashford Castle is an unparalleled culinary experience. The George ‘V’ Room offers elegant dining amid period decor with a world-class menu. For a more traditional and casual dining experience, Cullen’s Cottage is located within the grounds less than a 2 minute walk from the Castle’s main entrance.

Swansea to Cork Ferry is nearly there but one final push is needed

robert.carpenter — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:47:28 +0000

Fundraising efforts to reintroduce the sorely missed Swansea to Cork Ferry are now entering a crucial period where time is running out and donations are quickly needed.

The West Cork Tourism Co-Op are aiming for one final push to re-establish the Swansea to Cork Ferry service which aims to revive the ailing tourism industry in the area.

Over €2 million has already been successfully raised from all over Cork and Kerry but they still need one final push to reach the magic €3 million figure that will see the Ferry active again.

More Roadshows announced and Kerry hotline established for fundraising

On its dedicated website www.bringbacktheswanseacorkferry.com , further details have been released on new roadshows as well as a Kerry hotline set up for ferry share pledges – details can be be found here

The Ferry service between Cork and Swansea is estimated to be worth €35 million annually to the South West region and its loss is being sorely felt amongst its business owners.

Here at myguideIreland, we wish organisers all the best and lets hope they prove successful in seeing their enormous effort get over the line and bring prosperity back to this beautiful part of Ireland.

New 4 star hotel for Belfast

seamus.white — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:55:58 +0000

The Fitzwilliam Hotel in Dublin is about to get a sister in Belfast. The new 4 star deluxe Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast will be opening in the centre of the city in March of this yera.
The hotel will be located adjacent to the Grand Opera House on Great Victoria Street. The hotel comprises 130 bedrooms and suites in addition to a penthouse suite overlooking the city.
The interiors will replicate the look and style of its sister Dublin hotel.

The hotel will be able to use the Grand Opera House meeting space including the main 1000-seat auditorium, the 130 seat ‘Baby Grand’ room plus the smaller ‘Shakespeare’ rooms for private dining.

The hotel is just a short walk to Belfast City Hall, the Old Museum Arts Centre and the Victoria Square complex which is to open in the very near future.

The hotel will be a welcome addition to Northern Ireland’s tourist capacity

Flights to Ireland at great prices

admin — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:27:18 +0000

Today is the last day of Ryanair’s latest special offer for flights to Ireland.
Book by midnight tonight to avail of 75% off their fares.

There are some great value rates available.
I just did a quick survey right now on the London Stanstead to Cork Airport Route: There are flights available for travel in March (even for St. Patrick’s day) for less than stg £50 return including all taxes.

If you have any plans to come to Ireland this Spring, I’d get booking my flights today!