with Adams & Butler
A self drive tour - from EUR 669 per person
sharing for 7 nights/ 8 days
Tours start on Sundays - other
days are available - call for prices.
To book email ireland@irishluxury.com or call 1-800-894 5712 / +353 1 288 9355
All over Ireland stately battlements peep over the leafy crests of groves of oak and beech trees. The average tourist, like the lame boy in the Pied Piper of Hamelin, sees them only from a distance, secluded behind their high walls, with their promise of Arthurian chivalry, knights in armour and fair maidens (not to mention the odd unicorn). They yearn with unrequited desire. You, however, can experience the full stately experience on this romantic castle tour. Some of these castles can usually cost over EUR500 per room per night - Our special offer is 75% less than the usual rates!!
Day 1
Arrive Dublin Airport and pick up your self drive car. Head North up the main
highway towards the Antrim Coast. If your flight has arrived early in the
morninng then we would recommend pulling into the Village of Hillsborough for a
pub lunch in the pretty Georgian square.
Stay in Ballygally Castle Hotel. Ideally located on the scenic Antrim coast only 26 miles from Belfast and close to Larne, it faces the soft, sandy beaches of Ballygally Bay. The Castle dates back to 1625
and is reputedly haunted by a friendly ghost. Brave guests can visit the 'ghost room' in one of the towers to see for themselves!
Day 2
Tour to Belfast city - visit St. Anne's Cathedral with its maze like floor and the city's Botanic Gardens, the Crown Liquor Saloon he Titanic Quarter, where the ill fated ship was built.
Carry on to see the gardens created by the Marquis of Londonderry at Mount
Stewart - they are beautiful beyond belief. The next vilage, Grey Abbey,
has a medieval herb garden in the shadow of the romantic ruins of the Cistecian
monastery, and the village itself is a charming place in which to explore
antique shops and tea rooms. Return to
Ballygally Castle for the night.
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Day 3
Head first to the Giant's Causeway
and Bushmills, famed for its distillery. Then to the walled city of Londonderry. Follow the River Finn to Strabane, where the printer of the Declaration of Independence was trained, and on to Donegal. Overnight Lough Eske Castle Follow the long sweeping drive through old woodlands to this magnificent Gaelic castle with its ornamental stonework and imposing 4-floor tower. Nestled within a 43-acre forest estate, the castle lies at the foot of the fabled Blue Stack Mountains near Lough Eske. Here, you can escape into a luxurious world of relaxed elegance and personal service. From the spa to the dining table to your beautifully appointed room, we provide a truly accommodating environment. The original castle has been transformed in to
Donegal's first 5-star hotel and spa.
Specially commissioned artwork adorns the walls throughout the hotel, bringing the historic building into the 21st century. The pool and spa treatment building sits in the footprint of the original glass house which once stood in its place. An aqua green and gold mosaic colour theme flows through the pool and spa areas. It is an amazing 5* hotel.
Day 4
Salthil Gardens in Mountcharles are unapoligetically modern. Further west
the tallest cliffs in Europe crash 2000 feet into the Atlantic. Yest still
further on there are little villages where tweed is still woven in traditional mills.
In the heart of the county are the stunning and startling gardens of Glenveagh
Castle, created in the 20th Century by Henry McIlhenny of
Philladalphia. Return to
Lough Eske Castle in Donegal through The Blue Stack Mountains
Day 5
Yeats Country - It inspired the poet W.B Yeats and will surely inspire you! Meander along the shores of
Sligo Bay - gape at the exquisite workmanship at the Beleek Porcelain Factory. Cruise the sylvan Lough Gill, beneath the mighty walls of Parkes Castle. By the prehistoric caves of Kesh, and across the River Shannon to
Lough Rynn Castle.
If Lough Rynn Castle is not available then the alternative is Kilronan Castle
Day 6
Through the Midlands of Ireland to Dublin’s Fair City – By way of the Lakelands and the horse racing homeland of County Kildare to overnight in the heat of the city in Ballsbridge. Ont the way see the longest Herbacaeous Border in Britaoin or Ireland at Strokestown Park, the wonderful walled garden and 18th Century gothic follies at Belvedere House and the Marie Antoinette Style "ferme ornee" at Larchill - the only survivour of a once highly fashionable type of gardening. Overnight in The Burlington Hotel in the heart of Dublin. - it is within a 15 minute stroll of Dublin City Centre but is quieter and more elegant than the city center. This very nice part of town, surrounded by Embassies and multi million dollar homes, has lots of life as well - neighbourhood cafes, pubs, galleries and shops.
Day 7
Dublin has long been a centre of art and culture. Stroll through the elegant Georgian streets of Merrion and Fitzwilliam Squares, shop in the elegant emporiums of Grafton Street and Powerscourt Townhouse. Further afield explore the collections of the National Museum and National Gallery, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, and many fine small private collections. The range of art and artefacts is enormous, and you will have no problem spending many hours enthralled.. The city is over a thousand years old, and many of the towns and settlements that surround it are equally ancient. Successive centuries have left their distinctive overlays of character and architecture which means that Dublin has a wealth of historically significant and fascinating sights to explore such as Dublin Castle, where the Normans ruled from the 12th Century, St Patrick's Cathedral, of which Jonathan Swift was Dean, and Trinity College, famous for The Book of Kells and for its alumni who include Oscar Wilde and Oliver Goldsmith. And no visit to Dublin could be complete without visiting either the Old Whiskey Distillery or the Guinness Storehouse!
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If you want to maintain the castle theme on you last night then we can arrange for you to stay a little outside the city centre in Clontarf Castle for a supplement of €20 per person sharing.
Clontarf Castle or Fitzpatrick's
Killiney Castle
Day 8
Depart Dublin Airport
Your tour includes 7 nights accommodation, including a full Irish breakfast every day, service and tax and a self drive stick shift compact car throughout your stay. This tour is available on all dates from May 1st - Sept 30 Except 23 July - 9th Aug. Additional nights are available from EUR 85 per person per night. For honeymoons and other romantic celebrations upgrades to luxury suites are also available. Once you have made your booking we will work with you on the itinerary of what to do, what to see, and where to eat, with a calendar of what's on covering the dates of your trip and we'll fine tune the trip to your interests.
For an alternative version of this tour ending in Shannon click here
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Adams & Butler Ltd, Luxury Travel Specialists since 1978
US Toll Free 1-800-8945 712
Adams & Butler is a limited company registered in Ireland No. 363096,
registered address 71, Waterloo Road, Dublin 4 Ireland