Agent blog: More surprises as Anna heads to Kilarney, Adare, Limerick and Galway

Our roaming travel agent Anna Carter, from Bath Travel in Dorset, continues her Insight Vacations fam tour of Ireland.

Day Three – Ring of Kerry

After a lovely late breakfast, we walked across the square in Killarney – appreciating the great central location of the hotel – to meet the jaunting carriages for our 40 minute ride around the national park. Again shame about the rain – but this is Ireland – and it did not dampen our spirits! Lots of Irish humour from our driver!

Then by coach to the Fox pub for an Insight flourish – Irish coffees – what a wonderful surprise! The flourishes are little touches that the tour directors throw in to surprise guests on all tours – they may be different each time. It’s so unique – can’t wait to tell my clients all about it.

Then onwards for the beautiful scenic drive that is the Ring of Kerry – through the Macgillicuddy Reeks, the highest mountain range in Ireland, and the three lakes of Killarney. Again en route we learnt more about this country’s amazing history from Shona, for example about the potato famine of 1846. We stopped for lunch at the town of Sneem – a great local pub full of Irish charm, history and real characters like the local farmers we got chatting to.

A lovely free afternoon – time for shopping and to use the pool and spa at the Killarney Towers Hotel – good to have a chill out after a busy few days.

Then tonight we experienced an Insight Dine Around meal at a traditional Irish restaurant. With Dine Around, guests choose from a number of different local restaurants. It’s a more intimate experience and gives guest the choice of a few, but actually most of us went for dinner at Treyvaud. And what a great choice it was too.

Day Four – Adare, Limerick and Galway

An early start today – left Killarney to a lovely sunrise – no rain so far today, hooray!
Heading north today – with Shona telling us more history on Ireland as we travel of course. It really is interesting, helping me to get under the skin of the destination – you would never get to hear all this travelling independently – something I will really stress to my clients back in my agency.

Passed through lovely little town of Adare – felt quite quintessentially English with lots of thatched cottages, swans on the river etc. Just lovely.

Had time to drive through Limerick – very interesting town. We visited the Hunt museum full of gold treasures – and the Treaty stone which King William signed in 1691. We also called in to visit the George Boutique Hotel used by Insight, another great example of a centrally located hotel. It’s by river and shopping area. We then had a perfect coffee stop at Durty Nellys cafe, which dates back to 1640 – fab. It’s just next to the Bunratty castle and has amazing cakes and shopping! And boy, the South Africans in our group can shop.

Today we are packing in what would take two and a half days on a normal tour. So there’s lots of driving – but I understand for clients on a real tour it would be much less. Our driver Damien has been brilliant along the narrow roads too.

We stopped for lunch at Galway – a vibrant college town. And the sun even came out in Galway. It’s a bustling town with a busy high street and a big cathedral on the river. It’s not at all what I expected – lots of young people and lots going on.

We enjoyed a brief stop at the Irish marble factory – beautiful showroom – and between us we purchased a few pieces of green Connemara marble. We took a surprise detour to Ashford castle (circa 1228) a gorgeous hotel used on Insight’s Gold Irish Elegance Tour tour. It was AMAZING – any client who comes into my shop and requests Ireland will be booking an Irish Elegance tour. The hotel has a golf course and fantastic grounds overlooking the loch. WOW WOW! We had tea and homemade biscuits in the lounge and a little tour – the best experience so far.

This trip has been brilliant so far – I have seen touring in a different light and will have so much more confidence in selling tours now.