We are looking for avise on booking a tour of Irland. Can anyone tell us about their experiance?

I just came back from the Irish Explorer tour by Cosmos. (We had exceptional weather.) I was pleased with the itinerary, the pace of the trip and - for the most part - hotel accommodations and food.

The bus had a maximum capacity of 50 and we had 46 passengers. However, you can never tell how many people will be on your tour bus.. .. .

The countryside is incredibly beautiful and we oohed and aahed our way around the country which is rather small. We didn't stay in Northern Ireland but drove there from Sligo and visited Derry and Belleek. (If I were going back, I would try to get an itinerary that includes the Giant's Causeway.)

The hotels were all quite good although the mattresses were in much the same condition as Ireland's roads - very bumpy. The meals were fine too. As for optional excursions, the only ones I would bother taking again are the final dinner/cabaret show and the jaunty car ride through the park. There is a dinner at the Bunratty Castle with medieval type entertainment but the meal was very disappointing and the cost is not cheap.

The Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsulas are absolutely breathtaking. When choosing an itinerary, I would watch for these feature if you are really big on beautiful scenery. You might want to extend your stay in Dublin either before or after the trip to give yourself more time there in case the tour you choose doesn't include much. In fact, arriving early gives North Americans and Australians a day or two to make the adjustment to the time change.

The Cosmos tour director's commentary was exceptionally interesting and it is obvious that she loves her country.

I see that Trafalgar's Irish Experience tour covers more of North Ireland - but it does not include (from what I can see) the Dingle Peninsula. I don't know.. .. . If I had it to do again, and prcie were not an issue I might choose the Trafalgar trip.

Does this help?