Please list the towns you visited and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Dublin- visited many places, liked them all: Guinness Storehouse, Oliver St John Gogarty (excellent live trad music), Trinity College, Dubhlinn Gardens, Dublin Castle, St Patricks Cathedral, Ha’penny Bridge, several other pubs. Everything was great!!
Galway- the downtown area was beautiful and fun, went to Kylemore Abbey (MUST DO, our favorite place on the trip), Connemara National Park was BEAUTIFUL, Sky Road near Clifden was awesome, Dunguaire Castle very cool (it was a foggy morning- perfect!)
Doolin- O’Connors Pub and live trad music blew us away, found old churches and graveyards, went to the Burren, Neolithic Tomb, both very cool. Cliffs of Moher are a must do- beautiful. Bunratty Castle and Folk Park as we left, spent quite a bit of time there. Very cool. Went to Limerick after we left and saw King Johns Castle- honestly this would have been the one thing we probably would have left off. Not that bad, just not as cool as the other places we went.
Tralee- stayed 2 nights at Ballyseede Castle, loved it. Great room, great location, loved the 2 dogs that had the run of the castle, great food, pub onsite was cool. Drove the Dingle Peninsula from here, Inch Beach, Slea Head, Conner Pass, all gorgeous. Also went to Ross Castle and Torq Waterfall, beautiful there.
Kinsale- Drombeg Stone Circle was cool, Cobh Cathedral was stunning, went to Midleton and visited the Midleton Distillery where they make Jameson (and Bushmills and the other Irish whiskeys). Did the Jameson Experience and really liked it, did the whiskey tasting etc. Very cool. Visited a number of pubs in Kinsale at night, met a lot of friendly people, had a wonderful time. Good food too.
Kilkenny- Went to Cahir Castle, then to B&B. We visited a number of churches and cathedrals such as Black Abbey, St Marys, etc. Enjoyed Kilkenny, visited numerous local sites– St Johns College, spent quite a bit of time at Kilkenny Castle (they were having a Heritage Day with exhibits which were very cool) We enjoyed Kilkenny a lot, and of course their pubs too!
Wicklow- Powersourt House and Gardens, we loved it even though this was our worst day weatherwise. Beautiful area, gardens were still blooming, views to mountains were gorgeous.
I’m sure we didn’t mention a few things we did (even though we kept a journal from every day!) but basically we loved every minute of it.

Please list the hotels, B&Bs, or other accommodations you stayed in, and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Tinity Capital Hotel in Dublin- liked it very much. Can’t say there was anything we didn’t like.
Lynburgh B&B in Galway- ditto, no complaints
O’Conners Guesthouse in Doolin- ditto, no complaints
Ballyseede Castle in Tralee- loved it, loved it, loved it.
Seafield Farmhouse B&B in Kinsale- ditto, no complaints. She even nade us coffee when we got there, and they came to town to meet us so we could follow them home when we first arrived because it was so foggy out.
Ashgrove House B&B in Kinsale – ditto, no complaints
Celtic House in Kilkenny- ditto, nice hostess, great location to walk to city, no complaints
Druids Glen Resort in Wicklow- gorgeous resort, too bad we only had part of one night and had to leave early to fly out nest morning. Would have liked a chance to explore here. We did use the steam rooms, hot tub etc. Very nice. They had a GREAT breakfast.
The breakfats everywhere were very good, tons to eat and good food.

We love Ireland!

Please provide any comments you’d like to share regarding the use of the GPS: We actually didn’t get a chance to use it because it didn’t arrive at our house in time so we had to rent one from Hertz when we got to Dublin. And in our opinion you absolutely need one especially if it’s your first time there.

Please provide any comments you’d like to share regarding the use of the mobile phone: Like the GPS, the phone didn’t arrive at our home in time so we had to purchase one in Dublin. It came in handy, but we could have lived without it, unlike the GPS.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: Having things “partially” arranged was very helpful, and our Tenon rep Stephanie was great to work with, very responsive and helpful.

Was there anything you disliked about your trip or our service?: Hate to say “disliked”, but the GPS/phone snafu where they didn’t make it to us before we left for the airport made things a bit more challenging, but it all worked out fine. And we understand why the items didn’t make it it us in time.

Please list the towns you visited and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: We started in Shannon and worked our way around the country counter clockwise, going to Kenmare, Cork, Waterford, Dublin, Derry and then back around to Galway and Shannon. We only had 11 days, which was far to short to stop and see the sights for very long. I would recommend a shorter trip or longer days to be able to truly enjoy the scenery.

Please list the hotels, B&Bs, or other accommodations you stayed in, and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Kilkee: Bayview B&B/ Hickeys tavern with restaurants within walking distance. Very close to Loop road Lighthouse, Cliffs of Moher, and the Burren, Galway and Ennis. Mary Hickey was very accomodating.

Kenmare, Co Kerry: River Meadows Country House. Close to Dingle and Kilarney. Eileen Ryan a very warm and welcoming host. Restaurants in town a short drive away.

Youghal, Co Cork: Avonmore House. This was a 4* B&B and the Gaines allowed us to up grade from our 3* vouchers. Rooms on third floor which was difficult for my mother with bad knees. Close to Blarney Castle, and the Jameson’s experience and Waterford. Restaurants within walking/ driving distance.

Rathcoole, Co Dublin: Green Acres Counrty House. Chose to stay outside of Dublin and road the “LUAS” into the city. Mary Spillane ang a very warm and welcoming host, very helpful with directions and hints. Tavern/ Restaurant within driving distance.

Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh: Arch House B&B, Rosemary and Jeffery (sp?) Armstrong were Great! Laundry available, nice farm setting. Enniskillen Castle nearby. Belleek Crystal on way to Derry.

Coleraine, CO Londonderry: Glenleary Fram House, The Millars were wonderfull, a nice quiet farm setting. Close to Londonderry/ Derry and the Giants Causeway. Belfast to the East.

Clarinbridge, Co Galway: Spring Lawn B&B, Mrs Maura McNamara was absolutely the best. Had a nice peat fire going in the sitting room. Very close to Connemara, Aran Ilands, Burren, Cliffs of Moher.

All these B&B rooms were en-suite, clean, and comfortable. Hosts were all very friendly, accommodating and interesting.

Please provide any comments you’d like to share regarding the use of the GPS: After putting in the Lat/Log the GPS would change it when I hit done, sending us miles/ Km out of our way. Several times we had to call the B&B to get directions. If you put in a address it would take you right there, however, several of the B&B only had coordinates.

Please provide any comments you’d like to share regarding the use of the mobile phone: Difficult to figure out the number to dial, but the reception was good throughout the entire area.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: Andrew Sanborn was very good at assisting us in preparation for this trip, answering all our questions and setting up everything with the help of his support staff. Allyson Foster really came through for us just before we left with getting us the GPS and Phone. A big thank you to both.

Please select the towns you stayed overnight in: Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Youghal, Bantry, Tralee, Ennis

Please list the hotels, B&Bs, or other accommodations you stayed in, and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Trinity Capital Hotel – conveniently located for hop on/hop off bus, next to fire station and heard radio chatter all night long
Mena House – very friendly and provided great suggestions for places to visit
Avonmore House – nice large room and ensuite bath
Edencrest – owner was out of country due to emergency, arranged for alternate b&b but no one notified us….found out when we called to get more specific directions
Ballyseede Castle – wedding party guests in adjacent rooms kept us awake all night
St Judes – nice room & ensuite bath
Newpark House – friendly, very convenient to Shannon Airport

Please provide any comments you’d like to share regarding the use of the GPS: Equipment package didn’t arrive at our house until several hours prior to our departure. Understand you can’t send it weeks in advance, but that was cutting it close. GPS was not up-to-date….didn’t include Motorways. Was helpful if you were on an older established road. We had to rely on road signs and maps. Example: We were going to Youghal but the GPS took us to Ardmore.

Please provide any comments you’d like to share regarding the use of the mobile phone: Again, the equipment arrived hours prior to our departure. The phone arrived with the glass screen broken. There wasn’t time to check to see if it still worked and even if there had been, the EU plug prevented that. On a positive note, we did use the phone several times to get clearer directions from the B&B we were staying at. If we hadn’t been able to call for directions, we wouldn’t have found out that one of our reservations could not be honored.

Was there anything you disliked about your trip or our service?: I was not happy that I had to call Tenon on Monday of the week we were departing (on Friday) to find out where my vouchers and rental car info was as I hadn’t received it. Since everything is sent electronically, there was no reason not to have had that paperwork well in advance to give time to review it. Tenon arranged for the transfer from Dublin Airport to Trinity Capital. The time provided to the taxi driver was 2 hours after our arrival. Not knowing that the driver had been provided w/ incorrect information, we sat in the airport trying to figure out what to do since the phone # for the taxi service (provided by Tenon) was never answered. A Tenon agent might have thought to discuss the rental car with us. While general model types are provided, it was clear when we arrived at Hertz that our luggage and a 6’4″ husband were not going to fit comfortably in the subcompact reserved.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: Stephanie worked patiently with me these 4 years, as I saved and saved and saved for this trip, and the trip was worth every penny and second waited and MORE! 3 cheers for Stephanie Molettiere!!! She was incredibly kind and understanding when I’d have dips into my savings and when it was rough going on my quest for Ireland, and I have unending gratitude toward her for helping me achieve my goal! The bus driver, Lesly (I believe that’s how he spells it?), was exceptional in every respect – he was funny, incredibly kind and generous, and a wealth of stories and information! I’ve already recommended Tenon to friends and coworkers!

Was there anything you disliked about your trip or our service?: I just wish there was a contingency for being able to see the Cliffs of Moher after I got sick. I understand, however, we’re all on an itinerary.

Please select the towns you stayed overnight in: Belfast, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Killarney, Westport

Please list the hotels, B&Bs, or other accommodations you stayed in, and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Lough Estle Castle was the best!! Awesome place. Great service. Delight
All hotels were pleasant and we enjoyed their location and facilities. The B and B’s were more mixed. The lowest rated was our best B and B. The Broadlands was the absolutely worst place to stay. It was dirty and NO HEAT–I repeat NO heat. There was only luke warm water and no heat. We got out of there as soon as possible. It soured us on B and B’s. It would NEVER recommend B and B’s because of that experience.

Please provide any comments you’d like to share regarding the use of the GPS: It would have been useful to have a wall plug so I could have familiarized myself with the GPS before getting in the car. There was a lot to deal with — new side of car to drive in and then trying to figure out the GPS.

Please provide any comments you’d like to share regarding the use of the mobile phone: We were not really told how it worked until the day we received it which was the day we were leaving so we didn’t have time to arrange for using our own phone. It was NOT a good experience. It should have been sent earlier OR more information about how to put minutes of the phone. It was useless.

Was there anything you disliked about your trip or our service?: I felt very underprepared to understand the side tours available and their value. I did buy guide books ahead of time. BUT I would have liked some recommendations for side tours that others have enjoyed.

Please list the towns you visited and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Towns slept at:
Rathmines, Dublin 6 (area at my request). What can you possibly say about Dublin on a sunny weekend? really good time. Easy into city center but close to a friend. Spent all the time in city center and it was great.

Cobh, Co Cork (Tenon suggestion) easy enough drive to, great highway system, easy to navigate. a town a bit out of the way and we arrived early in the week so the pub was quiet. Did manage to have the funniest moment of the trip in Cobh. Walked a bit about the next day, the town does love it’s Titanic and Annie Moore.

Sneem, Co Kerry(my request) My dad was from this area so the mandatory visit was had. Great time. I would strongly ask that you consider directing guests going to this area to “The Blind Piper Pub” really good evening despite being on a Wednesday. Learned the card game “35″ (or something like that) with some friendly locals… really great fun. Went to the “beach bar” until close. beautiful spot.

Salthill, Galway (we wanted Galway, Tenon suggested Salthill). Rainy day, to be fair I was a bit tired. My friend was still ready to shop (even after our 2 full days in Dublin, god bless her!). Found ourselves in a tourist pub talking with people from Dorchester and Allston.

Cabra Castle, Kingscourt, Co Cavan (we wanted to stay in a castle and I wanted near family in Cavan). The castle wonderful. From Oscar the (smelly, wet and wonderful) wolfhound that greeted us to the best shower and (gasp) bathtub in all of Ireland. I guess we were there a day after the busloads of Americians (not sorry to have missed them) and there was a huge wedding up from Dublin. Put on our best for our last night and had a ball!

Honestly, once we left Dublin the B&B was just a place to drop our bags and grab a bite before heading out again. The Boyles at St Judes were very welcoming and helped us navigate through out jet lag. A good starting point. Aida cooked for us and David helped us navigate the city and get a taxi to Hertz when we left. They were great. We arrived in Cork as it was getting dark, and it was hilarious climbing that (VERY) steep hill back to the B&B after an evening sitting by the fire at the pub in town. Honestly did not stay more than a few hours, nice breakfast.

I don’t know if it was because I was near my fathers family but I felt the most comfortable in Sneem, Kerry. I have passed on her card already so don’t have the info in front of me but STRONGLY recommend the B & B in Sneem (has WiFi). The owner had lived in Boston for 15 years and now back “home” but knows how to make us welcome. The only one who, when she found out I liked oatmeal really went out of her way (“now, do you like cream of wheat or is it oatmeal? do you like banana or berries in it? Brown sugar?”) For me, by far the best breakfast. REALLY felt welcome. She suggested “The Blind Piper Pub” and it was the best night in the trip. I would be happy to return there at some point. I have already recommended this B & B to another.

The Galway “Consilio” owner was just warm lovely and provided street maps and suggested locations to go to for our evening out.. She was really welcoming and friendly. Good location, good food. I would stay there again as well.

Cabra Castle. Arrived in a drenching rain. Willing to put on the Wellies and have a walk around but I was quite relieved to hear they do not really have formal gardens, not much in the way of walking paths so whats a tourist to do but grab a pint by the fire? The woman behind the bar was exceptionally nice to us as she assisted me in my quest to find “Bulmers” for my brother’s souvenir. (Thank you). I am happy to have missed the bus load from America that comes here twice a week. There was a lively wedding party up from Dublin that really made the evening perfect. The best shower in all of Ireland and a tub! a tub. I went off to find more family and my friend was adamant she’s staying at the castle for a relaxing evening tub/tv/dinner in the castle. Good party as the wedding was well underway upon my return! Great last night.

Please provide any comments you’d like to share regarding the use of the GPS: At one point leaving Kerry going to Cliffs (in Clare) just assumed we’d be skirting around Limerick, “the bitch” (our little pet nickname for the GPS) was taking us somewhere, I was forced to pull over and she what she was doing.. ah, a ferry! did not even think of the ferry! ah, good girl. The bitch saved us a good bit of time as we took a ferry twice on our journey. Would never have mapped in a ferry if I was doing it on my own.

Please provide any comments you’d like to share regarding the use of the mobile phone: I had cousins in Ireland to locate and my children home in Winchester, Ma. to call every evening. We needed a phone.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: We were lucky as we booked a bit last minute and were able to pick up the phone and GPS at the office the day before we flew. It is located near to us and convenient to pick up and drop off equipment. My friend and I came in, met Derek, and had our trip when we walked out. Couldn’t have been easier. I think Kate and I were a bit unusual as it was last minute and we lived so close. Just dropped by, think it took them a bit by surprise but Allyson was in constant e-mail with us for the vouchers, equipment, answering last moment questions and Derek was great with taking our suggestions about what we wanted to see (mostly small B&B, run by families in smaller towns) to heart. Really good time.

What destination(s) did you visit?: Ireland / Northern Ireland
Scotland
England
Wales

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: Tenon Tours adapted to our initial plan. Stephanie fleshed out our plan and made the arrangements exactly as expected. She was available for questions before and during the trip. The hotels selected for Wales were exceptional. The dinners were of star quality.

Was there anything you disliked about your trip or our service?: Weather was not the best, but Tenon had no control over that. Tour to Loch Ness – we would not have chosen this tour if we had realized that it was a 12 hour bus ride. Weather was terrible, so we cancelled the tour. We gave the tour operator the opportunity to resell the tickets.

Please provide any comments regarding the Tenon Tours representative(s): Outstanding. Stephanie was very responsive to our needs. Our trip included Southern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, York, and London. Stephanie’s hotel and train arrangements were excellent. The choice of driver/guides in Ireland, Wales, and York was also excellent. Janet Redley, our Wales driver, received our highest marks. Liam and Michael were also excellent.

Please list the towns you visited and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Belfast – Titanic Museum – Loved everything about Belfast – Everyone was warm, friendly, accommodating.
Northern Ireland – beautiful
West & Northwest Ireland – beautiful
Southwest Ireland – Beautiful
Eastern Ireland – Beautiful
Dublin – Beautiful

Please list the hotels, B&Bs, or other accommodations you stayed in, and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Belfast – Park Inn – Liked everything about it.
Valley View B & B – Bushmills, Co.Antrim – Wonderful, warm, friendly, excellent food, best beds on the whole trip ( not counting Lough Eske Castle)!
Glenleary Farm House – Colrain, Northern Ireland – Also great, food excellent, warm and friendly.
Lough Eske Castle – County Donegal – What can I say, it’s a Castle! Just wonderful! Our room was not ready upon arrival, kept us waiting for almost two hours. Neglected to tell us when it was ready, finally went to the desk to ask. Front desk sent a nice dessert tray while we were at dinner with a nice note of apology.
Birchwood – Kilgarvin, County Kerry – Also wonderful and welcoming – great beds also. Breakfast was great, too.
There are two more B & B’s that we stayed at, whose cards I did not get. I cannot remember the towns. They were also great and accommodating. The last one, before we got to Dublin was particularly great. We found them in the B&B book. They cooked dinner for us for 20 Euros each, and if we were in a restaurant,it would have been 40 Euros. It was delicious. Set a fire in the drawing room, served tea and scones. They were Mary and Raymond Palin/Palen, I think.
Trinity Capitol – Dublin – Excellent as well.

Please provide any comments you’d like to share regarding the use of the GPS: Along with the B & B book which gave GPS co-ordinates, we would have been lost without it. It never sent us in the wrong direction. We learned to trust it, even though some of the roads were barely more than cart paths, it got us where we needed to be.

Why did you choose Tenon Tours?: Other: It was not my choice, my son and daughter-in-law chose Tenon. I’m sure glad they did. I just went along for the ride.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: Every possible area of trouble was covered, right down to the Guinness tickets being pre-purchased, thus avoiding a huge queue. It was obvious that you knew what you were doing, had done it before. Both [Stephanie and Allyson] were very professional as well as helpful. It was a matter of trusting them to know what they were doing, never having been to Ireland before. Once we got there, it was obvious they knew what they were doing.

Was there anything you disliked about your trip or our service?: The cell phone did not work for some strange reason. Luckily, we did not need it. We hit the B & B’s cold, and had no problem at all.

Please list the towns you visited and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: We flew into Shannon Airport where we picked up our rental car. We drove south and down to Adare for a short visit then on to Dingle – drove back north a little – we visited Tralee – on to the Ring of Kerry all around it! We drove to Tarbert and caught the ferry across to Killimer – we then drove north to Galway – on the Clifden – to Westport – down to Cong and then through Ennis – Spent the last night near the airport in Shannon! Great way to do it – we loved not having a destination and being able to stay at different B&Bs.

Please list the hotels, B&Bs, or other accommodations you stayed in, and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: The first night we stayed with two dear little ladies at “Griffin’s Palm Beach Country Home” – Catherine and her sister Joan were delightful! We were tired the day we arrived after traveling during the night – got to Shannon at 6:10 AM – about midnight our time – when we called them they insisted we come straight there – they had warm scones and tea ready for us and let us check-in early and we slept for 3 hours! After that we were able to make the drive over “Connor Pass” and down to Dingle where we had a delightful dinner! Wonderful place to recommend to folks! The next two nights we stayed in the Ballyseede Castle/Hotel. It was very nice and the folks there were excellent – greattttt! Irish Breakfast! We actually took a tour with Deros Coach Tours – very reasonable price for the whole day out and around the Ring of Kerry. Excellent driver and guide Dennis! We stayed in Killarney for an extra day so we could take in the Muckross House and Killarney National Park etc there. We spent one night in the Flesk Lodge – it was quite nice and very convenient for our sightseeing. We then drove to Tarbert and took the ferry over to Killimer. We spent much sightseeing time on the way to Clifden – visited the Connemara Heritage and History Centre – visited museums and the Marconi display – (my husband and I are both Amateur Radio Operators so this was interesting) We toured several small villages – saw Kerry Bog Village – We also enjoyed our drive down near Dingle to see the Louis Mulcahy site. We particularly liked Clifden and our touring up there. We stayed at the Atlantic View near Clifden – the owner Margaret Pryce was a great hostess and helped us with some ideas for our sightseeing. Also, I can’t say enough good about Kathy Mullen of the Ardmore House near Connemara – we were booked there but had to cancel because of a conflict with staying at the Castle and she was so gracious to help us out. After that we drove down to Ennis to tour that area – we drove to Cong and spent a night and two days touring around there – stayed at Hillview Farm with Mrs. Birdie O’Toole – we so enjoyed our visit with them and her husband toured us around his farm. The night before we flew home, we stayed near the airport with Catherine and Sean Collier at the Airport Manor. Our visit there was very pleasant and Catherine was a delightful hostess – she even helped us select our dinner restaurant which was wonderful! I’m sure I’ve missed some of the trip and perhaps some of the B&Bs, but the visit to Ireland was all and more than we could have expected!

Please provide any comments you’d like to share regarding the use of the GPS: The GPS help is the ONLY way to travel in Ireland — so glad Stephanie suggested it! It made the whole driving trip an enjoyable and successful and a NO STRESS trip.

Please provide any comments you’d like to share regarding the use of the mobile phone: Using the phone was so convenient! We’d drive around and see a B&B we thought would be good and gave them a call – stayed at everyone we called!

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: I loved working with Stephanie – she was my “right hand” in planning some of the trip. Also, she worked with me when my husband suffered a serious fall in June and we had to postpone our July trip until he recovered. THANKS Stephanie!!!!

Please select the towns you stayed overnight in: Bunratty
Galway
Killarney

Why did you choose Tenon Tours?: Other: Loved the City-Stay travel options

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: Loved the independence with the city stays. Had plenty of free time to explore on our own. Loved not having to worry about driving! Liked using public transportation, Bus Eireann was clean comfortable and reliable. Stephanie was very easy to work with ,she responded quickly to all our questions. Thanks for a great trip Stephanie.

Please list any other towns/cities you visited and what you liked/disliked about each: Lisdoonvarna, was adorable and very authentic. But at 50 years old myself and even if I returned in 25 years I would still be too young.

Please list any other accommodations you stayed in and what you liked/disliked about each: Hydro Hotel: it was old but the rooms were huge and clean, all the rooms had 3 beds. The staff were okay, and the food very bad. The bar drinks were very overpriced. Would stay there but not eat there.

Please list the name of your driver(s): Jackie McClaughlin

Please provide any comments in regards to your driver(s): He was polite, professional, flexible and so helpful. There was nothing he couldn’t do. Best of all, his narration and knowledge was excellent and done with a sense of humor and wit that made our trip.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: Derek was patient and helpful right till the end. The coach service was awesome. We enjoyed Kilbeggan distillery and liked the House party entertainment , the food was pretty good but the ambiance in the restaurant was very poor. Would return for the show only. Pub crawl was fun and young and suited my group. Derek was awesome, especially since I did not start the organization with him and he came in mid-stream. Erika helped out also while I was on tour and had extra room issues.

Please select your Dublin hotel: Trinity Capital Hotel
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate this hotel (10 being the best)?: 10
Hotel Review/Comments: Very comfortable. Staff very helpful when asking for directions; very hospitable; nice breakfast/bar staff- very friendly and great overall staff.

Please select your 2nd Dublin hotel: Other: Arlington Hotel
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate this hotel (10 being the best)?: 6
Hotel Review/Comments: Hotel was ok- staff was nice- just the location a bit far for shopping and most importantly a bit far from the Airbus stop to catch back to airport- on your last day it’s kind of a pain to haul your suitcase/belongings down O’Connell street to catch the bus- lots of traffic (car and foot traffic)- a bit hectic.

Please select your Galway hotel: Harbour Hotel
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate this hotel (10 being the best)?: 10
Hotel Review/Comments: This place was awesome! Really liked this place. Glad we had 3 nights here. Very nice hotel- great food and staff.

Please select your Killarney hotel: International Hotel
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate this hotel (10 being the best)?: 7
Hotel Review/Comments: Room super-super small; very noisy also- I may have gotten a room near a ‘high-traffic’ hall or something- It was okay- not horrible- but after Harbor Hotel- it was a bit of a change.

Please select your Cork hotel: Clarion Hotel
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate this hotel (10 being the best)?: 9
Hotel Review/Comments: Comfortable; staff was very nice- Location was not too far from ‘market’ – place to kinda wander and check out stuff- so overall decent place to stay.

Please select your Cork hotel: Kilkenny River Court
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate this hotel (10 being the best)?: 8
Hotel Review/Comments: – close to city area- very close to castle- that was nice; Staff helpful with questions/directions.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: I really enjoyed the flexibility of this trip. If there was a day that I wanted to go on my own and explore I could; I really enjoyed are bus driver as well. Leslie was great!

Was there anything you disliked about your trip or our service?: The only thing I disliked- was that on my first day in Dublin- I didn’t get a chance to see much- I arrived mid-morning- but couldn’t check-in until 2pm- so after traveling ~13 hours to get there- didn’t feel much like wandering…totally needed a shower . So I kinda hung out in the bar/lobby until a room was ready- and did some exploring until I met up w/ the group for Pub crawl. I guess if a room could have been ready by at least noon- it would have made my 1st day a bit more easier.

Please provide any comments regarding the Tenon Tours representative(s): Helpful when I had questions- always provided my trip info. when I needed it. Thanks! —This was my first trip abroad to anywhere and I really had a positive experience with the planning of it with the help of the rep.’s.

Please list the towns you visited and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Dublin – We LOVED it. The music in the pubs was wonderful and it was such a fun city.

Waterford – It was beautiful. The castle grounds were gorgeous and the town itself was very pretty. The tour of Waterford Crystal was very interesting. Getting so up close and personal with the designers was really cool.

Cashel – The Rock of Cashel was amazing.

Kilkenny – The castle here is great. It was different from the rest since it was restored and renaissance style.

Galway – We spent time in the market area and it was fun. Since it’s a college town, it was a little less traditional and a little touristy. But it was still a lot of fun.

Cliffs of Moher/Doolin – amazing. I don’t think words could even do them justice. The music in Doolin was really nice. Not very “pubby,” but very traditional and wonderful.

Ennis – a very pretty and quaint town.

Please list the hotels, B&Bs, or other accommodations you stayed in, and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Trinity Capital Hotel – Love it. They upgraded us to a suite (it was our anniversary) and were generally very nice. The food was delicious and the decor was really cool.

Waterford Castle – The grounds were amazing, but the rooms left a little something to be desired. But it might be because I had envisioned something very different in my head. The food was great and the staff was very accommodating.

Cahir (Carrigeen Castle) – It was really cool from the outside as it was an old prison, but the inside just looked like a regular house. The accommodations were clean and the breakfast was very good. The owner was awful, though. I honestly wouldn’t recommend the B&B for that reason. She schooled me like a mean parent for a good 5 minutes about our bill.

Kilkenny (Melrose House) – There was nothing spectacular about this B&B. The owners were nice (we didn’t really see them, though), the rooms were clean and the breakfast was really good.

Dublin (Riversdale) – We blazed in and out of this place as we only stayed to pick up our sister and brother-in-law from the airport. It was very clean, though. The rooms felt more like a hotel than a B&B and the breakfast was very good. They were very nice and provided us with a lot of handwritten maps to get around.

Galway (Winacre Lodge) I LOVED this place. The owners were SO NICE and friendly. They told us all about the grounds and the history. The rooms were REALLY comfy and the breakfast was delicious. But the draw is definitely the owners. I cannot say enough how fun and hospitable they were.

Cliffs of Moher (Doonagore Farmhouse) Amazing. The rooms were comfortable and the breakfast was delicious. The hot water was a little iffy. The owners were very kind. Mary even drove us in to Doolin so we wouldn’t have to drive. And we LOVED all the animals they had. I think we have ten pictures with the donkeys, cat and dog.

Ennis (Newpark House). We liked this B&B so much that we stayed another night. It was an old house, but any remodeling that had been done still had the same style of the original house. Because of that, it had a slightly creepy air to it, but that just made it more authentic. The owner was very nice and told us that he’d light a fire in the living room if we wanted. We took him up on it the last night and had one of the most memorable nights of the trip. Oh, and the rooms were really pretty, the hot water was AMAZING and the breakfast was delicious. And it was served in the fancy dining room with china plates everywhere. I would DEFINITELY stay here again.

Please provide any comments you’d like to share regarding the use of the GPS: If someone turns down the GPS, give them my number and I’ll talk them into it. Because Ireland has some sort of aversion to street signs, it would have been impossible to find our way with a regular map. We were SO HAPPY we had one.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: I liked that everything was taken care of for us. We had to pick the B&B’s, but everything else was provided – even things I’d never have thought about like Fexco/Horizon cards. It was great.

Was there anything you disliked about your trip or our service?: The one thing that was a bit of a pain was the B&B reservations. Everything my tour representative gave me was correct, but the Ireland B&B website is a little confusing. We ended up booking ours through the non-voucher site and everything got a little botched up. Like I said, it was 100% our fault, but in the future I’d warn people about the way Ireland B&B has it set up – two IDENTICAL sites, but you should only book through one. And the one that has the iPhone app is the wrong one.

Please provide any comments regarding the Tenon Tours representative(s): Andrew was amazing. I had a thousand questions and he was extremely helpful and always nice. Even when I screwed up royally with the reservations, he was very apologetic (even though he didn’t need to be) and helped us rectify the mistake I’d made. He didn’t seem remotely irritated which he really had every right to be as I was irritated with myself. But overall, I would DEFINITELY tell people about Andrew and would book through him again…if he’d take us.

Please select the towns you stayed overnight in: Cork
Dublin
Killarney
Other: Ashford Castle and Adare Manor

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: Extremely professional services. The trip was planned out well, the driver and lodgings were great. Ashford Castle and Adare Manor were truly a treat. Our driver – Tom – what an asset – knowledgeable, smart, witty, well-versed in history and good tips on where to eat, etc. Stephanie was fantastic – from the planning to the response when we had an airline problem. Truly a representative that Tenon should keep.

Was there anything you disliked about your trip or our service?: Nothing really. The Blarney Stone was a little but of a let down, but I’m stretching to come up with a negative.

Please list the towns you visited and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Dublin, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Book of Kells and Trinity College Library; Killkenny city center shopping mall, Kilkenny Castle, St. Canice’s Cathedral,Rothe House, Kyteler’s Inn Pub, and Rock of Cashel; Kinsale,(shopping); Dingle and Dingle Peninsula; Tralee; Ballyseede Castle (loved the castle and our room but our bed was small and not that comfortable…this was the only uncomfortable bed); Cliffs of Mohr and Doolin, shopping was nice and scenery was great!

Please list the hotels, B&Bs, or other accommodations you stayed in, and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Trinity Capital Hotel was great. We were given suites and I am not sure why but we had two suites on the first day and again on the last day. Super king sized beds. Wonderful! We stayed at the Mena House in Kilkenny the following day of our trip and it was the quietest and most relaxing B&B we ever rented. The hostess, Katherine, was the greatest and gave us directions on what to do and where to drive! Hats off to her! I can not say enough positive things about her! The next night we stayed in Kinsale at Danabel B&B which was a great location and featured comfy beds, but the hostess was just ok and we felt she was just in the business for the money. She wasn’t really any help at all. The next night we were at Walsh Townhouse B&B in downtown Dingle. The rooms were nice but we were across from a bar and heard the crowd until about 3-4 p.m. Fortunately we had ear plugs and dismissed this downfall due to location. As the owners had a restaurant downstairs, I would have to say this place offered the best breakfast on the trip! (except for the castle). The following night we stayed at the Ballyseede Castle outside of Tralee and were awed by the beauty and splendor of the castle and location. The breakfast was wonderful; bed a little cramped because of antiques. But we really did enjoy the castle. The last night on the road we spent in Doolin at Danahers Doolin View B&B. This was a comfortable location and had nice facilities. The hostess was so so. We pretty much had to figure out the way back to Dublin by using the GPS. No tips were offered to us.

Please select your Dublin hotel: Trinity Capital Hotel

We were upgraded to suites for both nights which was a wonderful surprise. This was greatly appreciated as our flights were cancelled and delayed for more than 9 hours on the trip to Dublin.

Please provide any comments regarding the Tenon Tours representative(s): Stephanie was so gracious and always either called or emailed me with the information I needed. I never had to wait long to get the response.

Please provide any comments in regards to your driver(s): Tim, our guide in Dublin, was ultimately disappointing. He was a replacement and showed up at the hotel a half hour late. He was friendly but often a loss for directions and answers to our questions. Patrick, our guide/driver for Cork was terrific – friendly, knowledgeable and a good driver. The final driver/guide, Edward, was AMAZING. I cannot praise him enough. His passion for Ireland made for 4 very special days. He took three of us on a tour of Dingle I will remember forever. Edward had a wealth of good cheer and could always be counted on to direct us to the best pubs and to take us off the typical tourist path for some special treats. My next trip to Ireland will hopefully be with family members. And I seriously hope Edward will be available. Does Tenon put together family tours?

Why did you choose Tenon Tours?: Other: Tenon offered a gay tour.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: My favorite part of the service provided was our driver for Killarney, Edward. The fact that our tour ended up being only 5 people was also terrific. The mini-van allowed us to get around so easily without all the hassle of a large bus and tour group. Tenon should consider offering small tours of this kind. Also, I want to commend you on the gay tour aspect. The group’s common bond made for very comfortable and congenial social interaction.

Was there anything you disliked about your trip or our service?: There wasn’t anything I really disliked. But I would have liked a better hotel and more options in Dublin and Cork. The walking tour by Tim, he’s not Irish by the way, failed miserably compared to the service provided by Patrick and, especially, Edward.

Please list the towns you visited and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Dublin – loved it, not enough time, so much history, could spend 3 full days to catch what we missed.
Lismore – we would go back again in a moment and stay there for an extended period of time… like a month. We felt it was the friendliest and easiest to walk around than any place else.
Ventry – really liked staying there rather than the very touristy Dingle. Loved the small town and the great restaurant – Skipper
Ballyseede Castle in Claire was so Ireland. We did not go into town because the Castle provides food and beverage and we were there only one night. The drive there was the best – the big football game was being played in Kerry so the drive took forever from Ventry to the castle – but even that was an adventure:)
Newmarket on Fergus – we thought we were going to be in Shannon but weren’t and that ended up being ok. Lovely pubs with great home made soups and sandwiches!!
Cleggan was our second favorite. We were within walking distance of town and loved the local food and music. We would stay there longer if we went to the coast.
Armagh – we went because of family roots. The difference between the Republic of Ireland and No. Ireland were quite evident. We walked the town from one Church to the other a couple of times and did love the food. The B&B was actually in Keady which we loved.
Cavan was our last stop at the Cabra Castle. Again, no need to go anywhere because it was all provided. We had a wonderful time there.

Please list the hotels, B&Bs, or other accommodations you stayed in, and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Trinity Capital Hotel in Ireland was wonderful. Very accommodating when we arrived and helpful with directions. The whole hotel is very eclectic! Great location – would stay there again.

Pine Tree Inn in Lismore – we were a short walk to town. This B&B was great as far as the atmosphere, but had the tiniest bathroom I have ever seen. That being said it still did the job. We loved Lismore and would go back for a longer time

The Plough in Ventry – very nice accomodations, great breakfast, easy walk to town, hostess seemed hurried the whole time we were there. Loved the view from the front seating area. Son was very nice and explained the football to us.

Beechgrove B&B in New Market on Fergus – this was a great place, nice sized room, loved the animals that were right there. Food seemed like it had been made the night before and then warmed up for breakfast.. it was fine, just not good. Hostess was pleasant and helped us make arrangements for dinner at Bunratty Castle.

Hazelbrook in Cleggan was great. We loved being within walking distance to the village, Hostess provided us with great tips for where to sightsee and to stay away from the tourist stuff. Saw them out at the restaurant they recommended. It was good to see they frequent what they recommend. We would go back. Loved the “family suite” wonderful dog and relaxed atmosphere.

In Keady – we stayed at the Dundrum house, which was our second choice and we are tremendously thankful that our first was not available. By far the cleanest, most unique B&B we stayed in. Our host and hostess were fantastic. Larry was a delight and made sure we had a ride to the local restaurant, drove us out to see Bullet ball being practiced, gave us a tour of the local area where his family grew up. That being said… our only complaint is that we think the mattress on the bed was actually a box spring and was the worst sleep we had the entire trip. However, the proprietors of Dundrum more than made up for the discomfort of the bed. We would make that a first stop when we go back – look forward to seeing the progress they make on the property the next time.

Cavan – the Cabra Castle – was magnificant. We loved what they have done with the place, food was great, staff very friendly. Loved the fact they have kept so many old pieces of furniture, pictures, dishes, etc to compliment the castle.

What we both found frustrating was the inconsistencies of service. It was friendly but sporadic. Both castles need to review how they staff and service their pub and dining areas. It seemed in both places like confusion was present as to who did what, where they served, how they managed the bar, filled orders etc. Because it seemed so disjointed we were asking for service rather than it being provided. Those two places should have that down to a science. I could guarantee with a little work they could easily double the money they make in their pubs with just a little reworking of their service model.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: We loved the whole trip. The history of the country was what we spent most of our time enjoying. We are not into the traditional tourist things so all the recommendations we got from the locals we went with and never regretted. Tenon Tours was spot on with delivery of all documents and equipment prior to the trip and including being picked up at the airport – that was wonderful. Stephanie was great! She was very patient with all the changes we made as we went through our though process on planning this honeymoon trip!

Was there anything you disliked about your trip or our service?: There was nothing we wouldn’t do again! This was a learning experience and we found out quickly that we didn’t have the time to take what we thought we could. We had to pare back a lot so we could truly enjoy the places we went to. If Tenon Tours could do anything better, it would be to provide more information about where the B&B’s are actually located in reference to the nearby cities.. like Hazelbrook was in Cleggan and not wasn’t really in Galway… stuff like that. The other problem we had that we overcame was all our “reservations” were written in German. We ended up doing latitude and longitude to locate them.

Please provide any comments in regards to your driver(s): Dave was great! He had a wonderful sense of humor and we found him to be very knowledgeable. He gave us tips on the tours, made some great recommendations and even helped us get tickets to a great dance show. He never made us feel rushed or silly for asking questions. We were sad to leave him!

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: This was my first time to Ireland and I found the pre-trip bookings and tour portion all fantastic. The Ring of Kerry portion was my favorite part and when I come back I will want to revisit that area. The beauty of Ireland, it’s history and the people touched me deeply!

Was there anything you disliked about your trip or our service?: I didn’t like the location of the Grand Canal Hotel in Dublin. I would have preferred to have had all my nights there at the Ashling. The Abbey Tavern night was okay as far as the entertainment but the food was definitely lacking.

Please provide any comments regarding the Tenon Tours representative(s): Loved the service I got from Stephanie! I live in Canada and found Tenon while searching on the internet. I could have booked with a company here or through a local Travel Agent but the service I was getting from Stephanie whenever I emailed her was what cinched it for me!

Please list the towns you visited and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Dingle was fabulous. The scenery on the peninsula was awesome. We visited Cong, and went on the Quiet Man tour. Kylemore Abbey was beautiful. The Cliffs of Moher were spectacular. Galway was a lot of fun.

Please list the hotels, B&Bs, or other accommodations you stayed in, and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: We Stayed at Ross house in Galway for 2 nights, Sarah and Jerry were very helpful. The breakfast was yummy. Sarah suggested Connemara and we were thrilled with the area. We stayed at Devane’s in Dingle, and St. Judes in Lisdoonvarna, where Bernis met use with tea and scones. We then stayed at Bunratty Manor which was also really nice.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: It was all fantastic! Tenon Tours was very responsive to our needs. They always got back to us in a timely manner. Stephanie was great to work with. She stayed on top of things the entire process.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: Our trip was wonderful start to finish. Tenon did the arrangements and we took the trip. We were able to tailor the City-Hoppers to Killarney and Galway without doing the work.

Was there anything you disliked about your trip or our service?: Can’t think of anything I would change that Tenon provided. We were pleased with the choices they made for our trip to Ireland.

Please provide any comments regarding the Tenon Tours representative(s): Barbara Brown responded quickly to my initial request for information about the City-Hopper trips, introducing me to Andrew Sanborn who provided all the answers to our questions and developing a great plan for our trip to Ireland. I would not hesitate to consult with Tenon again and would definitely recommend them to family or friends.

Please list the towns you visited and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Dublin – quaint, busy, interesting
Kilkenny – loved the castle and the town
Waterford Castle – beautiful castle, probably wouldn’t do that again. Too pricey.
Kenmare – small town, very pleasant. Landscape beautiful.
Galway – Cliffs of Moher – what can I say
MANY other towns all around the coast. Best vacation we ever had. We will go back.

Please list the hotels, B&Bs, or other accommodations you stayed in, and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: AARD Oakleigh – Bennetsbridge – the best. Beautiful, and June was absolutely delightful
Trinity Capital – Dublin – fine, nothing outstanding. Rooms noisy.
Kenmare House – Kenmare – friendly, walking distance from town perfect
Mannin Lodge – off the beaten path but wonderful people and beautiful location.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided? Personable and quick to respond. [Stephanie Molettiere was] outstanding. Responsive, patient, answered all our questions. I would call on her again. Saving her name. Already sent someone else to her.

Was there anything you disliked about your trip or our service?: Well – i wish I knew when I said I wanted to stay in Galway that Galway was both a town and a county. We ended up 2 hours from Galway at a nice bed and breakfast but had to alter our plans for sightseeing. Lessons learned for us.

Please list the towns you visited and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Dublin – took bus tour and saw all the main sites.
Kildare – Lunch, castle and Japanese Gardens and Irish National Stud – do not miss this place!
Waterford – Waterford Crystal tour was awesome! Definitely do not miss…one of my favorite tours.
Macroom – minor site seeing, could have passed up
Blarney – everyone must go to the castle, city, etc.
Killarney/Tralee – nice site seeing
The west coast was our favorite drive and part. There is so much to see and the views are amazing! We would go back and spend more time on the west coast.
Limerick – castles, Hunt Museum, very cool city

Please list the hotels, B&Bs, or other accommodations you stayed in, and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Trinity Capital Hotel – Amazing! The room, restaurant, bar and everything was great. The hotel was so close to everything in Dublin and worked out perfectly for touring the city.
Claddagh (Waterford) – The owner was great, close to everything we wanted to see. Breakfast and room accommodations were great!
Findus House (9.5 KM from Macroom) – Owners were wonderful and so nice. We had coffee when we arrived in the afternoon. It was a long way off the main road, but the way up (and I mean very high up) was beautiful. The house is on a farm and outside the city. Although I didn’t realize how far we had passed Blarney, it was a great find. The pancakes advertised as a specialty were awesome!
Trebor (Limerick) – The room and parking was small/tight, but the owners were so nice and friendly. We had a problem locating the exact location and the owner talked us through and actually waited outside to direct us. They provided a great recommendation for dinner/pub. Very close and within walking distance to city center.
Ardtully Farmhouse (Kenmare) – Nice, clean and new room that was spacious. Friendly owner with beautiful garden.
Craglea Lodge (Lahinch) – This was our favorite B&B! The room was super big and spacious and the view of the Atlantic Ocean was amazing! Quick walk to downtown area with lots of shops and restaurants/pubs. Perfect!
Ballyseede Castle – Everyone booking a trip or staying in Ireland must stay at a castle. This one was great. The owner was so friendly and helpful. The restaurant and bar on site were great and the grounds were so pretty! Accommodations and room were wonderful too!

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: Everything went so smoothly. All the plans and details worked out so well. All the staff I worked with were friendly and helpful. I would definitely recommend to friends and family. Andrew was excellent!

Please list the towns you visited and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Galway City – liked the city but didn’t get enough time to explore it properly, thought it would be a great base to go to Doolin and Clifden from it but instead I should have just stayed in Doolin and Clifden so I didn’t spend most of my time driving.
Tralee – didn’t see much of it but the castle we stayed at was wonderful!
Ardmore – B&B self picked, love the little town.
Wicklow – Druids Glen Resort was top notch, wish we’d stayed longer! We drove through Wicklow earlier in the trip when we were in Nass for a Wedding and it was stunning.

Please list the hotels, B&Bs, or other accommodations you stayed in, and proived a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each:: Forster Court Hotel was not exactly as nice as I’d pictured it, I was very surprised it was recommended for us on a self-drive itinerary since they don’t have a car park of their own. You have to park in the city lot by the bus station which was ok but not ideal for getting your luggage out or for feeling very safe. I think next time I’ll pass on hotels in Ireland and go for B&Bs or manor houses only.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: I really did appreciate all the responses to our questions, I felt relieved about the help with the planning and it was nice pre-paying for everything in advance. Stephanie was amazingly patient with us! Wonderful service.

Was there anything you disliked about your trip or our service?: Nothing to do with Tenon Tours but of course there are always issues, particularly with car hires. All part of the experience!

Please list the towns you visited and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Edinburgh – wonderful city, so much to do and see. Preferred our time there in July. August was crowded with festivals although we did enjoy street performers. Highlights were the castle, St. Giles Cathedral and National Museum of Scotland. Took city bus tour – excellent.
Oban – wonderful seaside town. Easy to take the ferry to Mull/Iona.
Iona – beautiful sacred island to explore Celtic Christian history and current ecumenical community. Great hiking and walking. One of the highlights of the trip.
Stirling – Interesting medieval town surrounding the castle. Enjoyed the audio tour of castle.
Pitlochry – Loved this quaint town of theater, shops and river trails. Went to performance at theater – tribute band for “Queen” – fantastic. Boys fished along river bank.
St. Andrews – wonderful town to explore ruins of huge cathedral and buildings of St. Andrews University. I am not a golfer so cannot comment on courses. Great town for walking around. Took city bus tour – excellent.
Aberdeen – enjoyed seeing this very different city on north coast. We did not find as much to do or see here. Ferry tour was a waste of time.

Please list the hotels, B&Bs, or other accommodations you stayed in, and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Edinburgh – Flat on Hart Street in New Town – fantastic. Found through Flip Key website. Highly recommend.
Stirling – Whitehouse B & B – ok. Rooms were small. Not great location. Clean and food was good.
Pitlochry – Rosehill Guest House – Excellent! Loved location, rooms, wi fi access, breakfast room, food, and hosts. Highly recommend.
Oban – Dalintart B & B – found on own. Okay. Not great location – in residential area. Small rooms, no real common room. Lovely hostess.
Monturpie Guest House – this was a problem. We wanted to stay 2 nights in St. Andrews but this guest house “near” St. Andrews was 11 miles south of town in a rural area. Do not book this guest house if someone wants to stay in town. It was fine although toilet and shower did not work well. We ended up moving to Arran B & B in St. Andrews for second night and paying cash. Not happy about this booking.
Aberdeen – Douglas Hotel – downtown – it was okay. Maybe there are not many choices. I would prefer B & B, not older hotel. Room was dark and looked out at a dirty wall. Food was very good. Good location.
Edinburgh – Frederick House – Excellent! Wonderful place to stay near all the action of Princes and George Streets. Good food for breakfast across the street. Highly recommend.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: Stephanie was very helpful when our plans changed and she was able to rebook airlines, help get refund from travel insurance, change dates for car rentals, and book accommodations. Stephanie was very helpful and promptly responded to questions along the way. When my plans changed and my sister was going to go on part of trip, she was able to make those arrangements.

Was there anything you disliked about your trip or our service?: The places we stayed were inconsistent – some were outstanding, some were below what I expected.

Please list the towns you visited and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Dublin – Loved the Guinness and Jameson factory. The city is quite beautiful and we wished we had more time
Newgrange/Hill of Tara/Meath – Beautiful view. The roads on the way to the site was a little small for our car
Castletownshend/Skibberdeen – The roads were too narrow for our car. The view of the cliffs and the beach is amazing. Was disappointed to not have seen any dolphins
Blarney – Exceeded our expectations of how extensive the grounds of the Castle was.
Cobh – quaint little town with great harbor view. Was sad that the attractions were closed by the time we got into town. The pubs were very friendly and nice

Please list the hotels, B&Bs, or other accommodations you stayed in, and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Trinity College Hotel – decor was awesome and the bartender made the best mojito!
Cabra Castle – was gorgeous. We ordered room service for breakfast and it was late. We liked the complimentary tee time.
Sandy Cove B & B – had the most amazing view. Its a quaint quiet place.
Mountview – Hard to get to even with GPS. Had a beautiful view of the harbor from our room.
Mont Clare – The suite was spacious; AC did not work and did not like that we had to pay for Wifi.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: Tenon Tours picked an excellent castle. The trip was amazing and wished we could have stayed longer. Stephanie was very quick to respond to my requests and worked well with me in creating our itinerary.

Was there anything you disliked about your trip or our service?: Did not like that Enterprise closed at noon on Saturday. Would have liked that information beforehand and it would have affected our itinerary.

Please list the towns you visited and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: We stayed in Dublin for 3 nights and loved everything about it. The Trinity Capital that Tenon Tours booked for us was in the center of the city and could not be more convenient. 5 minute walk from Grafton street, the shopping street. We then picked up the rental car arranged by Tenon Tours. I would have to say it was a little far from our hotel but we loved walking and did not mind but if it is raining and you have suit cases and you are not a big fan of walking do not try walking to the HERTZ it is far from the hotel. We did not mind and the weather was warm and nice so it was not a problem. We drove to Galway and stayed there for 3 days. Galway is the city of Oysters and music… We loved it so much… We had booked our B&B through the website provided by Tenon Tours and we loved it very much. Then we drove to the midlands (BIRR) and stayed there for 3 days and absolutely loved the environment and city and the scenery, I would have to say people in Birr were amazing and friendly we enjoyed an evening with music at a pub just outside of Birr called JJ HOUGHS and the people and music were amazingggggggg!!!!!! Also, Kelly’s Pub and the owner JOHN were very friendly! I would definitely go back when I go to Ireland. We then drove to Kilkenny and stayed there for 2 days and again our B&B arranged by Tenon Tours were amazing….Sheila the owner was super helpful.

Finally, we drove back to Dublin and left from there. I would have to say the cellphone and GPS provided by Tenon Tours were super helpful and helped us find the way. Finding the roads and streets are very difficult if you do not have a GPS. Andrew, our agent was super helpful before, during and after the vacation! THANK YOU!

We were leaving Dublin and going to another country after and the GPS and phone provided by Tenon Tours needed to be returned if we did not want to be charged a fee. Fedex in Dublin does not accept to mail packages if you do not have an Ireland or UK based credit card, which I found very strange, there is a DHL office in the city though which was very helpful. Tenon Tours had the best price and were absolutely reliable. They gave me confidence although I did not find a review on Trip Advisor. I chose to book with them and I will do so again [Andrew] WAS JUST AMAZING! Patient and helpful!

Please list the towns you visited and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: We flew into Dublin, Dublin was a little too busy for us, from there we drove to Galway, didn’t get a chance to stay there on account of no accommodations available, a major horse race going on there, we continued along the coast and stayed in Doolin, great little town, had excellent meal there, continued on and stayed in Dingle the next night, beautiful city on the coast, from there we drove through the Ring of Kerry and stayed in Blarney, great castle there, from there we ended up in Youghal and then we stayed in Bunratty the last night.

Please list the hotels, B&Bs, or other accommodations you stayed in, and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: We stayed at the Trinity Capital Hotel, very nice rooms, we stayed at the following B&Bs: Briar Lodge in Bunratty, O’Connors guest house in Doolin, Beechwood house in Blarney and St Martins B&B In Youghal, all the B&Bs were great, very nice accommodations and very friendly people.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: I liked the fact that they had pretty much all the bases covered and I didn’t have to worry about making any arrangements. Stephanie was great to work with, she answered all my questions and kept in contact with me on any changes or questions, thanks Stephanie.

Please list the towns you visited and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Dublin was great and the hop-on hop off tour was so perfect for seeing most everything. LondonDerry was scary with the police officer with an automatic weapon stationed by the Walls of Derry. Doolin was a cute little village with some great pubs. Most of the large towns like Cork and Galway are so packed with stuff if you don’t have the time to get out and walk you won’t know what is there.

Please list the hotels, B&Bs, or other accommodations you stayed in, and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Ballyseede Castle- Pretty place, love the decor and the had a great breakfast as well as dinner. Ballynahinch Castle was so amazing, from the 4 star dinner to the beautiful walking paths on the grounds and our amazing suite. We stayed in 6 B&B’s, 4 were great. The one near the airport in Dublin (Riversdale) was not very friendly and Greenfield House our very first one seemed more annoyed that we were there than welcoming. All the other ones were fabulous, very talkative, shared recipes, gave great information etc.

Please provide any comments you’d like to share regarding the use of the GPS: I think the GPS lady liked to take indirect routes, I passed a bicyclist, turned off on some random road, eventually got back on the other road, behind the same bicyclist!

Stephanie was so accommodating, checked in with me and got it right! I was super nervous about doing such a big trip, but everything was perfect!!

Why did you choose Tenon Tours?: We were looking for a tour that gave us the option of traveling with our small group as well as some free time along with the tours.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: We enjoyed whole trip very much. Even with the rain, which we were told was the most on record for this time of year! The service from Tenon Tours was very professional. Any questions I had, which were many, were always answered almost immediately. We also had to make numerous date changes which were also accommodating.

Stephanie was very helpful and accommodating with our numerous date changes and answering all my questions. Never once made me feel like it was a silly question. This was our first trip overseas and we were a little nervous at how things worked. Stephanie was very reassuring. She is awesome!

Please list the towns you visited and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Dublin: eateries closed early; would be good to know ahead of time places that serve food late. Oranmore: wonderful small village close to Galway; beautiful scenery. Doolin: great location to visit Aran Islands; would have been good to know that it is somewhat touristy nowadays. Tralee: town itself is small and similar to many others; great stay at Ballyseede Castle, though. Blarney: somewhat touristy in the actual town near the Castle, but perfect location to stay at B&B outside of Cork. Woodsgift: small town in Co. Kilkenny that is a good spot to get to Carlow, Kilkenny, etc.; beautiful and unspoiled farmland.

Please list the hotels, B&Bs, or other accommodations you stayed in, and provide a brief summary of what you liked or disliked about each: Oranmore: Castleview B&B; Patricia Collins was extremely kind and a pleasure to stay with. Doolin: Danaher’s Doolin View B&B; Yvonne Danaher was very informative of the area and their home is very new and clean. Blarney: Glenmaroon B&B; Ann and Eddie Fogarty were wonderful and very courteous; Ann went above and beyond in providing food and tea when I was sick one day. Woodsgift: The Bungalow Farmhouse B&B; Gretta Power was a delight; good food, wonderful scenery and animal life.

What did you like best about your trip and the service Tenon Tours provided?: Quick response time. Willingness to answer all questions at all times. Andrew was extremely professional and kind. Helped with the planning and gave good advice.