Hey everyone! Welcome back! So, today I am going to be reviewing Great Value Vacations!
Here is their logo.
This past summer of 2015, my mom booked a vacation package through Travelzoo. She booked the Emerald Isle Break package for $499.00, which took us to three towns in Ireland. We were sent the itinerary and all the info before the trip, so I did my research. Before we get into details, let's get this straight: in Ireland, it is ALWAYS raining or overcast, and most of the preceding pictures will represent that. Another thing: the package included meals, and since it was a guided tour, we were with a tour group with a tour guide on a bus half the time. Now that that's out of the way, let's get started!
Day 1:
On the first day, we arrived at Dublin Airport at about 5:00 AM GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). Our flight the previous day was at about 5:30 PM EST (Eastern Standard Time). By time we got through security and customs and that stuff it was 6:00 AM (GMT) and we found a place to sleep in the airport since the tour guide didn't arrive until about 8:30 AM (GMT). We met up with the rest of the group shortly afterword and departed around 9:30 AM (GMT). We made a rest stop at Newbridge Silverware Museum and Shop, and then departed for our first town. The first town we stayed in was Kilkenny. We arrived around 2:30 PM (GMT). We decided to take a guided museum tour of Kilkenny Castle, which was built in the 13th century and home to the powerful Butler family for 600+ years. After, we ate a traditional Irish lunch at the restaurant An Poc Fada*. I had Fish and Chips and my mom had traditional Irish stew. The food at the place was good, so I definitely recommend you check them out if you go. After, we stopped at a gift shop and bought a sports jersey for a good friend of ours. We stayed that night at the Newpark Hotel. Before we went to bed, we went with another person in the tour group to Langton's Bar. My mom ordered a beer tray, which included O'hara's Irish Pale Ale, Kilkenny, and Guinness. My ended up liking Kilkenny the most. After, we went back to the hotel and went to sleep. That concludes Day 1. *Meals on day 1 were NOT included.
Arrived safe and sound!
Rest stop @ Newbridge
Kilkenny Castle!
Beer tray @ Langton's
Day 2:
In the morning, we ate lunch at Newpark**, and then departed for our next town, Killarney. We made a rest stop at a rest area, then made a side stop at the Rock of Cashel. Since the Rock was under construction, we didn't get to visit it, but we saw it from a distance. We made a stop at the Blarney Castle, where we toured the castle and kissed the Blarney Stone. The legend states that kissing the Stone will give you the gift of "eloquence" or gab. After the stone, we visited Blarney Woolen Mills to shop for wool clothes, and ate lunch at a restaurant near the shop*. Then, we departed for Killarney. When we arrived, we went shopping at Penny's and bought a skirt. That evening, the weather was exceptionally bad, so an early Christmas parade was supposed to happen, so the parade still went on, even though the weather was horrible. There weren't as many companies and floats as usual, but some were there, and it was freezing. Rainy and cold. The hotel we were supposed to stay in was Killarney Towers, but instead we stayed at Killarney Plaza Hotel (both hotels were owned by the same company). We ate dinner at the hotel**. After, I split up with my mom. She went to a pub, and I went to with some of the rest of the group to Sheehan's (a different pub). I was actually planning on just going to sleep after dinner, but ended up leaving, so I had to leave my mom a note in the room. After, we went to sleep. End of Day 2. *Lunch was NOT included in the package; **Breakfast and dinner WERE included in the package.
Rock of Cashel from a distance
Blarney Castle!
I kissed the stone!!!!
Dinner!
Sheehan's!
Day 3:
In the morning, we ate breakfast at the Plaza Hotel*, and then got on the tour bus to go around the Ring of Kerry. We made many stops along the way. One of the stops we made was the Bog Village. The village is a historical village that was turned into a museum. It was raining (of course) and it was a very messy place. The floor was wet and my boots actually got ruined from it. We stopped by many places to see the scenery. It was really nice. Another memorable place was Killarney National Park. We did a nature walk through the forest and stopped by Torc Waterfall. At night, we went back to the Hotel and ate dinner again*. We just went to the room. Nothing special after we were set free from the bus since it was late and everyone was tired from the previous night. End of Day 3. NOTE: Many stops were made on the Ring, but I don't remember many of them and there were to many to list. The two that I named were just the most memorable. *Breakfast and dinner WERE included (again).
Bog Village!
Scenery!
More scenery!
Torc Waterfall!
Killarney National Park!
Day 4:
In the morning, we ate breakfast at the Plaza Hotel*, and then departed for Dublin, which was our last town on the trip. On the way, we made a few stops, but when we arrived, we were on our own, aside from the mini panoramic tour our guide/driver gave us. We stopped by Trinity College, went shopping, and went to a pub (again). We stayed at the Davenport Hotel. We ate late lunch/dinner in the hotel**, and went to sleep. We didn't do much once we were let go, since I was tired, my mom was tired, everyone was tired and ready to go home. At this point, I got tired of pubs, hence why we ordered room service in the room. This last day is a blur since nothing of significance happened. The only significant thing was the visit to the infamous Trinity College. End of Day 4. *Breakfast WAS included; **Lunch and dinner were NOT included.
Trinity College!
Day 5:
We woke up late, and got on the bus to depart for Dublin Airport and home. Our return flight departed at around 3:50 PM (GMT) and we arrived home at around 6:40 PM (EST). End of the trip.
Aer Lingus Mini Review:
The airline company was Are Lingus, the airline of Ireland. The plane model was an airbus, which meant that we had very little space, since an airbus is usually a bit smaller than a regular commercial airplane model. It was fine, I sat next to my mom, and I travel a lot, so I was quite used to it being crowded. The staff members were nice, no problems there. I didn't have any problems with the air company at all. It was a normal flying experience. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Aer Lingus Cattle Car on the way there! :)
Overall, I really enjoyed this trip. It was 5 days 4 nights, and it was short. We got to see many tourist attractions. It was also perfect since it was over the Thanksgiving Break, which is only 4 days. I actually missed the first day back at school. The trip was a good price, considering everything that was included. My mom has always wanted to go to Ireland, and she enjoyed this trip as well. Being in a tour group was fun. There was only one problem, and it was resolved that night. It was very minor. If you have the money and time, I certainly recommend this package, and this company as a whole. It was totally worth it!
Group picture @ Killarney Plaza Hotel
Well, I hope you enjoyed this review. Sorry about it being so lengthy. I will be posting only the previous paragraph to trustpilot.com. If you came to this page from Trustpilot, congrats on making it through this review! This is what I mean by it being more in-depth here. If you need additional pictures or information, or have any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to tell me through messages or in the comments section below, and I will answer them to the best of my knowledge and as soon as possible. Also, I apologize for this review going up so late. Best wishes!
~Firestar
