BrendanvacationsReviews of brendanvacations.com

In December 2023 I took a Brendan Vacations Locally Hosted Rail journey, and it was incredible! The trip was perfectly planned, and everything was top-notch from the hotels to the trains and the sightseeing tours. Even though I was traveling on my own, I never felt alone because in each city I was met by a local host who was able to provide restaurant recommendations and insider information that only a local can know. Plus, I loved traveling in the winter as there were no crowds when exploring the famed Ring of Kerry and Cliffs of Moher and the hotels were beautifully decorated for Christmas. Working with Brendan Vacations was a breeze and took a lot of pressure off of me as I didn’t have to spend hours of my time researching and planning the trip. The hotels they booked fit my needs and they were able to suggest experiences that I wouldn’t have thought of myself. The highlight was staying at Dromoland Castle and doing the falconry experience – it’s a memory I’ll never forget. Thank you, Brendan Vacations! I can’t wait to return to the Celtic Isles with you.

Love Brendan Vacations! I use them any time I'm visiting Ireland because they make it easy! Our family rail trip throughout Ireland was amazing! The train ride between Dublin, Cork, and Killarney was a breeze. Brendan helped me find 4-star hotels near the rail station. A local Brendan host greeted us in each hotel to share information about the city/town. We could even pre-book experiences. I worry about space filling up for popular activities in Ireland. Brendan helps secure experiences in advance so you don't miss out. I also booked a self-drive trip with them. I arrived in Dublin, picked up my luggage, my rental car from Hertz, and was on my way to Galway. I appreciated the automatic vehicle. Brendan helped me secure a 3-night hotel stay in Galway. The price was perfect for our budget.

The best travel director, This was my 3rd trip with Brendan and they just get better and better, hotels were fabulous and the experiences were memories of a lifetime. This was a first for me traveling to Ireland in the winter and it was so cozy. Well done Brendan Vacations!

I recently did a couple of trips with Brendan Vacations, firstly I started with a tour on a coach. This trip really got us seeing all the highlights that Ireland has to offer. We saw Dublin, walking tour with a local specialist was great as we had the opportunity to learn about the destination. We saw the Guinness Store house and I got to get my face printed on a pint, which was fun! The gravity bar was also amazing with 360 views of Dublin. What I like about the trip was there was free time in Dublin too and our travel director Leisa helped us plan out that free time. We then visited Cork, and Killarney. What great places to visit and I was so thankful we had the travel director with us to guide us and help us with everything we saw on trip. She was truly a Celtic Expert in the destination. I also liked that we did not have to navigate or drive ourselves! Everything was taken care of us we could enjoy the trip. Other must sees we experienced were Blarney Castle, Killkenny, Killarney, Jaunting Carriage ride and ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher. These were all included in the trip. The trip was so well organized and I could tell it was done by people that really care about travel to their homelands. Once I was done with the guided tour I went on with a couple of friends to experience the private driver travel style. This is where we got to design the last 3 days of our trip. Eric our driver picked us up for Killarney and took us sightseeing, here we did a bike ride on the Aran Islands with local specialist Ollie. What a knowledge he had for Inish Oirr and he made the day really fun! Now I was holding the group up a little because I am not the best on a bike, it had been nearly 20 years since I had been on one. Ollie noticed that I was a little concerned and at one of our stops he arranged for an electric bike to replace the bike I was riding! WOW what service for that local specialist to help me along the way and make my time on the island so much more fun! I am thankful for Brendan recommending and booking this experience for us. Part of the private driver trip was staying in a Dromoland Castle and wow was that an incredible accommodation, I am so happy that Brendan had this in their portfolio and recommended it for us because it was a highlight of this part of the trip. Other things we did on the private driver portion of the trip were Burren Smoke house to learn about sustainable Salmon Smoking, Burren Farmhouse and then Gowth walking tour. Eric was such an incredible guide and we had so much fun diving deeper into the destination! I loved working with Celtic experts and whole trip was truly amazing and memories that will last a life time!

My family and I just got back from a wonderful self-drive trip across western Ireland. We flew in and out of Shannon and drove down to Cork. We are a family of five so they ensured we had an SUV big enough for our suitcases and car seats already ordere which made packing easier. From Cork we visited Blarney Castle and gardens which was a beautiful and fun afternoon. They also coordinated and made suggestions for the kids! From there we went to Killarney and did a horse cart ride in the National Park which was a huge highlight for the kids. We also had them coordinate a boat ride on one of the lakes and a visit to a local farm where they got to see all the baby animals since it was spring! Our accommodation and time in Killarney was relaxing yet still packed with family friendly activities! Last but not least we ended our trip at the most amazing castle - Dromoland. Our kids were spoiled from the moment we arrived - there was a crib set up for my youngest in ALL the hotels including the castle. At the castle they had little tiny robes for them, which they loved. Brendan Vacations had set up for us to do a falconry walk which the kids for to pet an owl then we walked around the grounds with a hawk. So cool. Also on the grounds was a fairy walk which my 3 little kids had so much fun! They could write a letter to the fairies. Definitely one of the best vacations and we all cannot wait to go back again!