Monica D. | Ireland | March, 2019
Full Name Monica
How would you rate your trip overall? 5 stars
Who was your Travel Expert? Amanda
How were your accommodations? Great. All hotels were great!
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? Yes. The car was great!
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? Cliffs of Moher and Kilkea Castle
What was your favorite part of the trip? Watching my husband enjoy Ireland so much
Would you travel with us again? Yes. Not a thing everything was perfect
Any other questions or comments? Amanda did an amazing job with the itinerary:
Hi Amanda!
Ireland was awesome, my husband loved it so much and that’s all I wanted! The flight home wasn’t as bad. The issue we had was placing our carry ons near us. Because there wasn’t storage above us, our luggage was back 19 rows and we had to go towards the back of the plane when people were trying to get off. As you could imagine it was difficult and people on the plane were very frustrated with us. Also I don’t know if you knew this but the first row, window seat next to the door doesn’t have much leg room. The door sticks out a bit and I wasn’t able to extend my left leg. I’m not complaining, I just wanted to give you feedback on that because if you have never sat there you wouldn’t know!
I love the way our itinerary was set up. Getting to spend 2 nights in each city was perfect. Even if we ventured out all day, being able to go out at night was great to explore more of the city. I absolutely loved Dublin! The first time I went to Ireland I was so delusional with the time change I don’t remember anything from Dublin because I only had one day to explore it! So I was so happy this time I got to embrace it all! My husband loved Killarney! Anytime we came back to the hotel he wanted to explore the city even if he was really tired. We’re both catholic so we went to mass at St. Mary’s in Killarney, I couldn’t believe how gorgeous the church was, it was like a castle! Galway was amazing, we had so much fun exploring that city and we thought the personalized note from you and your team was so sweet and thoughtful! 🙂 thank you! Spending our last night relaxing in a stunning castle was the perfect way to end our trip, and it was a great surprise to be on a golf course, my husband got to do what he loves! The Cliffs of Moher or the Ring of Kerry was probably my husband highlights, he could not believe his eyes! I don’t know if you watch game of thrones (I don’t) but he kept referring to it?? Anyway my highlight was visiting the ancient monastery in Clonmacnoise, which probably sounds so random but long story short we met a minister who happened to be working there. He was so sweet and inspiring and made us feels so emotional with his kind words so we decided to share our big news where we met him.
Overall an amazing trip and one we will always cherish. I can’t thank you enough for all of your help and making sure everything went perfectly! I couldn’t have created a better itinerary, you did a great job with everything!! I will fill out the survey once I sent this email! Also below are pictures of a few highlights!
Thank you Amanda!!!! You’re the best!!
Emma G. | Ireland | April, 2019
Name Emma
How would you rate your trip overall? 5 stars
Who was your Travel Expert? Amanda
How were your accommodations? Great. Ashford Castle was a fabulous place to stay! It was gorgeous. Our hotel at the airport left something to be desired – the staff was a little disorganized and unhelpful, but the room was clean and very convenient to the airport!
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? Yes. Amanda saved our trip by finding us new flights after the Boeing planes were grounded!
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? We enjoyed getting off the super tourist track by visiting Connemara! The Japanese Garden and Irish Stud outside of Dublin was also fun!
What was your favorite part of the trip? I don’t think I could pick one! It was awesome!
Would you travel with us again? Yes. I don’t think you need to send luggage tags in our trip package – save the plastic
Marcia M. | Scotland | May, 2019
Name Marcia
How would you rate your trip overall? 4 stars
Who was your Travel Expert? Amanda
How were your accommodations? Great. Two of our nights in Edinburgh our hotel room faced the castle; staff at all hotels were fabulous; hotels were well appointed.
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? Yes. I was able to upgrade our seats on one flight to get exit rows near the bathroom; most of the travel was hassle free. Flight from Edinburgh to IOM was delayed because they needed a part for the plane, but these things happen.
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? Isle of Man, St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, Islay
What was your favorite part of the trip? The Home of Rest for Retired Horses and Donkeys in Douglas, Isle of Man
Would you travel with us again? Yes. No suggestions. Amanda was very helpful and responsive.
Joe R. | Scotland | May, 2019
Name Joseph
How would you rate your trip overall? 4 stars
Who was your Travel Expert? Amanda
How were your accommodations? Great. The rooms were really nice and the food was good.
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? Yes. The bus and driver were great. Airport transfers went well.
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? Loch Ness boat ride, the city of Edinburgh. Just the overall beauty of the Scottish Highlands.
What was your favorite part of the trip? See last entry
Would you travel with us again? Yes. I don’t know if you can.
Any other questions or comments? The itinerary, vouchers, plane flight info, etc. that Amanda sent to us was very accurate and helpful.
Overall the trip was fantastic. The CIE people were really great. The tour guide was a very lovely and knowledgeable lady. You did a great job on everything that you sent to me which I referred to quite often (itinerary, plane info, vouchers).
The Scottish Highlands were really beautiful and the 3 hotels we stayed in were first class. I don’t know if I told you this or not but I have a daughter and grandson who live in Edinburgh. I got to see them. It was only for an hour and a half but it was worth it. The only downside to the trip was the airports. The airport in Edinburgh has to be the worst airport I’ve ever been in. But that’s not your fault. It’s just the world we live in now thanks to 9/11. Thanks for everything and you are now officially my travel agent. Maybe someday when we go to the Corrib, I’ll stop in and say hello. Thanks again!
Jamie P. | Italy | May, 2019
Name Jamie
How would you rate your trip overall? 5 stars
Who was your Travel Expert? Amanda
How were your accommodations? Great. The Old Bridge B&B in Florence was our favorite. It was in a great location and staff were friendly and helpful. It was a little confusing checking in because you actually have to go to the hotel across the street to check in.
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? Yes. Our flights were fine. The only issue with the trains was that the train to Rome from Naples changed so our car went from a passenger car to a dining car and the train staff were not very helpful in finding other seats.
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? We liked going on a walking tour in Florence as well as visiting the museums, taking a day trip out to the leaning tower of Pisa and visiting Mt Vesuvius and Pompeii.
What was your favorite part of the trip? We enjoyed the city of Florence the best. The museums and tours were great.
Would you travel with us again? Yes. We think starting the trip in Rome and being there a little longer would have been better.
Georgana C. | Ireland | May, 2019
Name Georgana
How would you rate your trip overall? 5 stars
Who was your Travel Expert? Amanda
How were your accommodations? Great. Dromoland Castle was so elegant, with such welcoming and helpful staff, and outstanding amenities that of course, it blew us away. But, The Old Bank House and Emlagh Country House had such charm, we have to mention them too. Plus Lyrath Estate – lovely! Camden Court and Park House were also very nice. All were located in very handy places.
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? Yes. Flights and car were great. Some problems with the tep but Amanda knows details on that.
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? Aran Islands were so unique we were very glad we saw them. Bob and I especially loved the gardens at Powerscourt and Muckross plus the Killarney National Park was truly spectacular. And, of course, we loved Dingle.
Bob has told us that the trip far exceeded his expectations, and it did ours, too. We also appreciated the way you arranged our route and loved Kinsale. Recommend Don & Barry’s walking tour for anyone going there. Thank you so much. We’re going to Botswana next year, but will be doing Scotland after that, so certainly will be in touch.
Lisa E. | Scotland & Ireland | May, 2019
Name Lisa
How would you rate your trip overall? 5 stars
Who was your Travel Expert? Amanda
How were your accommodations? Great. Quaint B&B and inns were exactly what we asked for. Edinburgh central location was great for walking, and country B&Bs in Ireland were wonderful way to experience ‘authentic’ Irish hospitality
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? Yes. Cars were fine, Scotland to Ireland flight was fine. Wished we had booked our international flights with you as well as we had a bunch of delays/cancelled flights etc. and would have been good to have support for that (we booked Delta on our own, so worked with Delta to resolve). They put us up in a hotel for 1 more night. Then the flights the next day were delayed waiting on flight crew, missed connections, etc. etc. But your part was fine!
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? Scotland: Edinburgh Castle, Culloden, Royal Mile shopping for clan tartan gifts, Whisky Restaurant Haggis Ireland: Newgrange, Slieve League Cliffs, Cliffs of Moher, Inishowen Peninsula 100 drive, Donegal Castle, Malin Point, All the ruins we saw by the side of the road and stopped to explore on our own (Greencastle was one).
What was your favorite part of the trip? Every day we had a new ‘favorite’.
Would you travel with us again? Yes. Everything was perfect
Jaime B. | Scotland | June, 2019
Name Jaime
How would you rate your trip overall? 5 stars
Who was your Travel Expert? Amanda
How were your accommodations? Great. My favorite location was Loch Ness Country House. Such a beautiful place, you feel like royalty. Next was Cuil an Daraich in Pitlochry. It was very relaxing and a beautiful property. It had toys in the breakfast room which my son took advantage of. My least favorite was Jurys inn in Edinburgh. The location was excellent but the carpet was dirty and bathroom was smelly.
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? Yes. Car was great and we had plenty of space for the 7 of us. One thing is that the fees you pay out of pocket are high. Even without extra insurance and extra driver the amount was about $200+. I drove most of the time and driving on the other side of the road was not a big deal. Finding the locations was easy.
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? Boat ride in Isle of Skye. Old man’s Storr. Finding the location of the James Bond movie “Skyfall” and recreating the picture with my son was my highlight. Glen Coe is breathtaking.
What was your favorite part of the trip? Hard to say because Scotland is gorgeous. Spending my birthday there and getting surprise chocolates from Crystal tours was sweet!
Would you travel with us again? Yes. Because my in-laws signed up later we were staying on hotels in a couple of locations. The one in Inverness even though it was only 5 miles away, it took about 20 minutes to pick them up and drop them off every time. A closer place would’ve been better.
Any other questions or comments? Thanks Amanda for organizing our trip. You really did an amazing job.
Summer R. | Ireland | July, 2019
Name Summer
How would you rate your trip overall?: 5 stars
Who was your Travel Expert?: Amanda
How were your accommodations?: Great. We loved the suggested itinerary and the variety of B&Bs. Applecroft had great breakfast selection. Garvey Farmhouse owners were really friendly and seeing the cows was fun. We loved being able to walk to the downtown area in Oughterard from Woodlands and the owners were really nice.
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation?: Yes. Flights went smoothly. The car rental was perfect. Only glitch was not knowing we didn’t need to rent a separate GPS from Hertz because the car already had a navigation system. Wish the gentleman at the Hertz counter had told us that!
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy?: We loved the Ring of Kerry, especially the Staigue Stone Fort! We really like Conor Pass and Inch Beach on Dingle peninsula. We were absolutely blown away by Keel Strand on Achill Island.
What was your favorite part of the trip?: The stone forts, the scenery of the Wild Atlantic Way, and Keem Bay.
Would you travel with us again?: Yes. Next time I think we would like a little less driving and a little more downtime. This was our choice and we definitely would have missed out on seeing as much as we did if we didn’t drive as much. The only other thing I would have liked to see better is that the itinerary made it hard to share and look up the property address. Having a web based itinerary and one with hyperlinks for the property websites would have been very convenient.
Any other questions or comments?: We really appreciated the added convenience of having all the B&B and car reservations made for us. It made it less stressful to know that we just needed to provide the vouchers and not have to worry about paying at each place. Thank you!
Anne C. | Ireland | August, 2019
Name Anne
How would you rate your trip overall? 5 stars
Who was your Travel Expert? Amanda
How were your accommodations? Great. Sheen Falls and Gregan’s Castle were both out of a storybook. Absolutely beautiful and filled with wonderful service and amenities.
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? Yes. We drove ourselves which was perfect. It allowed us to set our own pace and change things out at last minute depending on our moods!
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? Powerscourt, Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher
What was your favorite part of the trip? Taking in the absolutely beautiful country. The back roads filled with mountains, sheep, wild thistle to drives hugging the ocean.
Would you travel with us again? Yes. Amanda went above and beyond!
Any other questions or comments? We look forward to going back! I am still blown away by Gregan’s Castle and Sheen Falls – totally my favorites and the countryside itself was all we needed. We skipped Cork all together. I know I was demanding but you hit a home run!!!
Kate and Tom M. | France | September, 2019
Name Kate
How would you rate your trip? 5/5
Who was your travel expert? Amanda
How were your accommodations? Great. Hotel St Paul Rive Gauche is great! Small quirky hotel near Sorbonne with easy access to the Seine and Metro. Three very good restaurants steps from the hotel. Many many great bistros within 5 minutes.
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? Yes. Very smooth flights, excellent transportation to and from the airport. Air France has the best airline food!
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? We did our own schedule and visited uncrowded museums. Rodin museum, Picasso museum, Pantheon, etc. Very favorite was L’Orangerie!! Amazing round rooms of Monet continuous canvases! Breathtakingly beautiful!
What was your favorite part of the trip? L’Orangerie Monet museum, at the Tuilleries. And always French wines! Yum. And croissants, and patisseries…
Would you travel with us again? Yes. Crystal always bats 1000 for us!
Any other questions or comments? Love Paris! Thank you Amanda, always a pleasure booking with you.
Joe S. | Italy | September, 2019
Name Joseph
How would you rate your trip? 5/5
Who was your travel expert? Amanda
How were your accommodations? Great
What did you love? Quality of the rooms and the proximity to all of the sights. Hotel Minerva was fantastic. Breakfast, rooftop area, and the room were top notch.
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? Yes. The train was easy and efficient
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? The colosseum with a guide (Rosella the best) was fantastic.
Cooking class was awesome, loved going to the market to buy the ingredients! Tour of Tuscany was the cherry on top, an absolute must! Casamonti was great!
What was your favorite part of the trip? I enjoyed that each of the 3 cities were unique in their own way but equally fantastic to visit.
Would you travel with us again? Yes. The trip was so good, I don’t have any regrets at this time.
Any other questions or comments? The complimentary bottle provided by Crystal travel for my wife’s 50th birthday was a very nice gesture. Thank you Amanda!
Sharon G. | Scotland | September, 2019
Name Sharon
How would you rate your trip? 5/5
Who was your travel expert? Sabrina
How were your accommodations? Great. Loved the B&B’s and guest house but also the little hotels. Glasgow and Edinburgh hotels were typical hotels but had great people there. Service was awesome and meals were great. Favourite was the Ship’s Inn in Elie–right on the ocean and we got a room with a view of the harbour. Amazing service and food. Second but very close to the first was Buccleugh guest house in Fort William–amazing hosts, awesome room and breakfast, walking distance to town. All of the hotels were perfect for being able to leave the car behind and walk to places.
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? Yes. We loved everything about the trip. All went so well. In every town they knew we were coming and made us so welcome.
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? We did a self-drive tour. Changed some things along the way as far as what we had planned but everything was great.
What was your favorite part of the trip? Harbour and Fife Coastal route in Elie. Walking Man of Storr on Skye. Biking along the Caledonian canal in Fort William. Having Urquhart and Edinburgh castles almost to ourselves for 20-30 minutes because we had our Historic Scotland pass and because we were there right when they opened.
Would you travel with us again? Yes. Sabrina did an amazing job and changed things when requested.
We had an amazing time!! Seriously.
The places you picked for us to stay were perfect! Buccleuch guest house in Fort William was great. The owner made us feel like we were coming home to mom each night. Always asked what we had done and seen and was so excited for us and had so much enthusiasm. Our next favorite spot was Elie. We could have stayed there a lot longer. Being right on the ocean and having a room overlooking the harbor was amazing. I don’t know if you arranged that but it was perfect. Made my day!!
Everyone in Scotland was so friendly and helpful. Dining out was our biggest hassle. Can’t really book ahead because you don’t know what is available. Especially in Portree, everything was constantly booked for nights in a row. Too many tourists and not enough options. Had to have dinner at 8:45 one night which was a bit late, but was a really good meal. I would say that was the only negative to the whole 12 days we were away.
Our weather was absolutely amazing! Only had the one real day with rain—Hurricane Gabrielle. What can you do? We travelled most of that day anyway. I guess we have to see what the real Scottish weather is at some point, right? 🙂
Thanks again for all of your help with this. Oh, we got an upgrade on our car as well. Not necessarily the best thing because the roads are so narrow and we got a bigger car. We did ok, but the first few days were a bit stressful worrying about hitting curbs etc. 🙂 We can laugh now and have stories to tell. All worked out.
Matthew G. | Ireland | October, 2019
Name Matthew
How would you rate your trip? 5/5
Who was your travel expert? Sean
How were your accommodations? Great
What did you love? Our absolute favorite was the Mount Falcon Estates. Gorgeous grounds, estate, rooms, people, etc. It was a nice getaway for 2 days from the driving and moving around we did. Allowed us to just settle in and take a deep breath. I would say our least favorite was Ballsbridge Hotel in Dublin mostly due to the location being quite a bit outside the city. For the most part it felt like we had to taxi to get to the major destinations with everything being about a 40 minute walk. Also with the Dublin marathon going on, and the finish line was right outside the hotel, it made it even more difficult to get around.
Did everything go smoothly with your transportation? Yes
What did you love? Car was fantastic. Diesel and automatic was exactly what was needed and was in great shape. Also the trunk of the car was perfect for both our luggage’s which were quite large.
What tours, attractions, or activities did you particularly enjoy? We definitely enjoyed Guinness and Jameson a lot in Dublin. I paid for the upgraded “experiences” which I think are absolutely worth the extra dollars. Then to add the prison tour was incredibly fascinating along with trinity church and the Book of Kells. Outside of Dublin going to the many castles are a must see. Our favorite was definitely Rock of Cashel and Blarney. We then also hiked Connemara National Park, which gives amazing views.
What was your favorite part of the trip? We have so many favorite parts of the trip it’s hard to put your finger on one. We loved driving (and the freedom of it) the Wicklow Mountains and Ring of Kerry. This gave views that I couldn’t even have imagined. Then to follow the many castle tours were something to behold. The history and architecture behind them are so very fascinating.
Would you travel with us again? Yes
How can we improve for next time? Not much to improve, but I know on some of the vouchers be cautious with. Some were not clear if they were for 1 person or 2. Example was for Rock of Cashel. Only had 1 voucher in the book and was not clear on the voucher if it was for 2 people. Luckily the person at the stand allowed us through still with it, but definitely would try to define that more clearly.
Any other questions or comments? Had so many great pictures (over 800) so it was hard to pick a couple!
