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.

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.

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

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.

So Why Book your 2009 Ireland Trip Now?

• Secure the dates you want in advance

Everyone has their favourite time to relax and travel. Make sure this year that you do get those free days off when it suits you. Securing those dates will ensure you or your family won’t be disappointed. Get the tours, properties and dates that you deserve by booking in advance. This offer is available for bookings up until December 19th 2008 for travel in 2009

• Save 10% by booking early

Save up to 10% on the cost of your trip.
5% if you book by December 19th and an amazing 10% if you pay in full.
(excludes flights and ferries)

• No Risk – You can change your mind

Your deposit or full payment on the land portion is fully refundable if you change your mind before 1/1/2009
If you choose to also take flights at the time of booking these are non refundable due to airline rules

• Popular Tours in demand – don’t miss out!

Our most popular tours and dates on fly/drive and escorted tours fill up fast. As do the best dates in our Magical Irish Castles, Luxurious Manor Houses and Award Winning Hotels.

So what are you waiting for? Book Now

At myguideIreland we are huge fans of Cork Airport and often receive reviews from travellers highlighting the ease of transit and the quality of the experience at Cork Airport.

We welcome the appointment of Gerry Walsh and wish hime every success in steering the airport to even greater success in the coming years.

1.
7 nights on the estate in one of Adare’s luxury Villas including a Rental Car for just $342/£195 per person when 4 people share or $684/£391 per person when 2 people share. read more

2.
7 days/6 nights touring Ireland including 2 nights in the historic Adare Manor House for just €573/£327 read more

Both packages include:

• Economy rental car including unlimited mileage, CDW, all fees and taxes.

• Map of Ireland.

• Shipping by FedEx of your accommodation vouchers

• Ireland discount booklet with $600 in admission concessions

Readmore on this ireland vacation offer

Combine the luxury regal experience of a 15th Century castle with a stay in a cottage vacation rental as you tour Ireland’s most popular tourist region. The package includes:

• 4 nights in a cottage vacation rental.
• 1 night in the former Castle home of one of Ireland’s most famous Earls.
• Full cooked Irish breakfast in Castle Dining room.
• Economy rental car including unlimited mileage, CDW, all fees and taxes.
• Map of Ireland.
• Shipping by FedEx of your accommodation vouchers
• Ireland discount booklet with $600 in admission concessions

Read more on this amazing ireland vacation offer

A visit to Westport as part of an Ireland vacation or holiday will show the beauty that the town exudes.

Tidy towns initiative

The national TidyTowns competition was launched by Bord Fáilte (now Fáilte Ireland) in 1958 as a follow on from the National Spring Clean Campaign which ran from 1953 and 1957 as part of Tostal a tourism celebration of all things Irish. Bord Fáilte was restructured in 1995 and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government assumed ownership of TidyTowns and now organises the competition with the support of national sponsor SuperValu

The winners in other categories for 2008 were as follows:

Tidiest Large Urban Centre: Ennis, County Clare
Tidiest School: Duleek Boys NS, County Meath
Tidiest Village: Birdhill, County Tipperary
Tidiest small Town: Kenmare, County Kerry
Tidiest Large Town: Westport, County Mayo
Special award for contribution to ‘Tidy towns’ over 50 years: Glenties, County Donegal