7 Night House & Garden Tour from Shannon

Dublin City is a fantastic stop on any honeymoon tour of Ireland due to the wealth of cultural activities available at its doorstep and the host of exciting touring options available. Your Irish Tourism Itinerary will detail the places we recommend you visit including Christchurch Cathedral, Trinity College and The Guinness Storehouse to name but a few. This evening you may wish to spend some time in temple bar where some of Dublin’s best pubs, bars and restaurants line the cobblestone street that ends at Christ Church Cathedral. This area is often referred to as the city’s ‘arts zone’ and here you are sure to find a good selection of Irish Music as well as stylish shops and galleries. Your accommodation in Dublin will be the super luxury Shelbourne Hotel. The Shelbourne has been welcoming honeymoon couples to Dublin since 1824 and continues to this day to offer the highest standards of accommodation and service. The hotel has a prime city centre location giving you a great opportunity to discover much of Dublin on foot.

You have a number of options for your journey to the Cliff House Hotel from Dublin, the most direct route will take you via historic Kilkenny where you can visit Kilkenny Castle or Saint Canice Cathedral. The longer route will take you via the coast of Wicklow and Wexford or you could even choose a third option passing by Glendalough where you will find lovely lakeside romantic walks. The Cliff House Hotel is the perfect location for a romantic getaway; the hotel features an intimate spa as well as a Michelin-starred restaurant with a breath-taking seafront position. From the hotel there are lovely romantic Cliff Walks, you will also find a splendid beach in the area, some good pubs and the historic Ardmore Cathedral.

Stops we recommend on your journey today include Cobh, Cork City and Blarney Castle. The port town of Cobh serves as a poignant reminder of Ireland’s far reaching history of emigration. Millions of people left from Cobh during the great famine years and beyond and this Cobh was also the final departure port of the ill-fated Titanic in 1912. Two great museums pay tribute to these events and both are well worth a visit. Further west Cork City can be explored, the city has fantastic shops, bars, restaurants and cafes, Shandon Church is well worth a visit, as is the English Market. Before you leave Cork you may decide to visit Blarney Castle, famous here and abroad, legends tell us that if you climb to the top and kiss the Blarney stone you will be forever endowed with the gift of the gab! Your accommodation for the next two nights is the outstanding Park Hotel in Kenmare where luxury adorns each unique bedroom through rich fabrics, original antiques and interesting art. The hotel also has a deluxe spa, 25 metre swimming pool, an onsite cinema and daily lifestyle classes.

Kenmare where the Park Hotel is located is ideally situated to explore the famous Ring of Kerry. On your journey you will pass majestic mountains and magnificently beautiful coastal scenery, dotted with towns and villages that have kept a lot of their distinctive Irish character. Start in Kenmare where the beautiful Kenmare Bay which stretches 50 kilometres from Kenmare out to the Atlantic Ocean is located. Further west you will come across Caherdaniel, the ancestral home of Daniel O'Connell, known in Irish history as 'The Liberator' and further still Waterville, a favourite holiday spot of Charlie Chaplin who visited often with his family. Continuing around the ring, the next town you come to is Ballinskelligs which has another beautiful sandy beach and on from there visit Valentia Island, where you will find a striking mix of period buildings & houses most notably The Royal Hotel and the former Transatlantic Cable Buildings on the waterfront. The Ring of Kerry may well be the highlight of your honeymoon in Ireland!

Set off early today to give you enough time to truly enjoy the luxury surrounding Dromoland Castle. The castle is steeped in history, its roots going back as far as 1014 when the son of Brian Boru held a fortress here. The current structure was built in 1800 and was opened to guests in the early 1960’s. Dromoland Castle is undoubtedly one of Ireland’s most luxurious castles due to the high standard imposed on every feature; from the well-designed bedrooms to the impeccably landscaped grounds. The hotel has a superb spa and leisure centre that is perfect for the discerning honeymoon couple and plenty of other activities for you both to enjoy, from the onsite falconry, archery, horse-riding and fishing to their world renowned golf course. Dromland Castle is a great location to discover all that Clare has to offer including the Burren where you will find romance in every corner! Scramble over karst limestone formations where the bleak landscape and unusual plants give the area an other-worldly ambience. In the Southern area of the Burren the limestone rock gives way to the black shale and sandstone that form the magnificent Cliffs of Moher. The cliffs are one of Ireland’s most visited attractions and they offer outstanding ocean views. Well-worn visitor walkways lead in both directions, offering various viewing points.

You might want to spend another day at Dromoland taking in some of the many activities that there are on site, if you decide to venture out today you will find plenty of excellent beaches. Bishop’s Quarter near Ballyvaughan has fabulous views over Galway Bay and across the Burren, Kilkee beach is quite compact but has a lovely seaside village beside it with a few nice places to eat, Lahinch is generally accepted to be one of Irelands finest beaches and is a hot spot for surfing and other water sport. Continuing with your Burren sightseeing you may wish to check out Aillwee Cave, the name Aillwee comes from the Irish Aill Bhuí which means "yellow cliff".  Not too far away, the Burren Perfumery is another popular stop, they make all kinds of Irish perfumes and organic cosmetics inspired by the Burren Landscape. During the summer season they often organise spontaneous talks by staff on perfume, soap-making and skincare.

Ashford Castle hotel is ideally situated to explore the wild region of Connemara, encompassing mountains, bogs and a ruggedly beautiful coastline. Visit Kylemore Abbey, stunningly sheltered by the slopes of the 12 bens mountains, the Abbey was once a castle built by Mitchell Henry for his wife Margaret after she fell in love with the area whilst they visited on their honeymoon. Visit Clifden, the principle town of Connemara with its colourful craft shops and lively pubs or the town of Cong where Ashford Castle is situated. Cong is most famous for being the location of John Ford’s Oscar winning film The Quiet Man, tours of the set are available and Cong Abbey is also worth a visit. Ashford Castle is an authentic Irish Castle with its roots going back as far as 1228. The Castle has been restored and expanded throughout the centuries and now is one of the best five star luxury hotels in Ireland. The hotel is fitted throughout with classic furnishings and fabrics in keeping with the style of the castle. Each room commands spectacular views and has every amenity needed. The estate has plenty of activities to keep you entertained including Golf, falconry, lake cruises, horse riding, archery, kayaking and fishing.

You might wish to spend some time on Galway City before you return to Dublin. Due to its compact size, it is easy to explore on foot. There are many traditional shops, bars and restaurants around the Eyre Square and Shop Street areas and the city always has a wonderful atmosphere provided in part by the street performers that often take up position at various points along these streets. From Galway, Dublin City is not a long journey. You might decide to travel directly getting some extra sightseeing time in Dublin or stop at Clonmacnoise an early Christian Monastic site or take one of the excellent whiskey distillery tours at Kilbeggan or Tullamore. On your return to Dublin, check into the Shelbourne hotel for the final night of you luxury honeymoon in Ireland.