10 days
On this chauffeur-driven journey, Dream Escape will showcase the world’s longest coastal drive; the Wild Atlantic Way. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will take you off the beaten track and to the most beautiful parts of Ireland.
Passing by towering cliffs and twisting roads, your excursions will range from helicopter flights to exclusive access to magnificent stately homes, and your trip is completed with intimate and luxurious accommodation.
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Dream Escape recommends an array of five-star accommodation for your trip including authentic Irish castle that will feel very much like a ‘home away from home’. The scenic Wild Atlantic Way offers breath-taking views no matter where you stay.
Killarney is an excellent spot from which to explore the outstanding natural scenery of Co. Kerry. Today and the National Park is renowned for its beauty; Ireland’s highest mountains raise a jagged edge to the sky while at their feet rest three still lakes (Upper Lake, Muckross Lake and Lough Leane) studded with little islands.
Muckross House is an imposing mansion built in 1843 in Elizabethan style. Upstairs the elegantly furnished rooms are decorated with period features, portraying the lifestyles of the landed gentry, while downstairs one can experience the working conditions of the servants employed in the House. The gardens are renowned world-wide, with much work having been done in preparation for the visit of Queen Victoria in 1861.
Skellig Michael is named by Lonely Planet as one of the top regions in travel for 2017. One of only two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country, this inhospitable rock rising out of the Atlantic covers an area of less than 50 acres. Monks settled on the rock during the 6th century; perched on a ledge and reached by an amazing 1,000-year-old stairway is an isolated early Christian monastery.
Garnish Island is known as the “Garden Island” – it is a delightful and peaceful place to reflect and wander, and see the charming Italian gardens, pool, miniature temple and towers.
Discover the literature, language and way of life of the inhabitants of the Blasket Islands. Scene of many shipwrecks over the centuries and once the home of a close-knit fishing and farming community, they have been uninhabited since 1953.
Perfectly positioned in the Bay from which it takes is name is the palatial Bantry Estate. The gardens and grounds were created between 1844 –1867, while in the ownership of the 2nd Earl of Bantry.
Visit the Foynes Flying boat museum and learn the art of making the genuine Irish coffee – it was invented here!
Visits to local private gardens can be arranged including tea with owners, while staying at Glin Castle.
A private tour of Scotland’s oldest working single malt distillery, including an exclusive visit to the Warehouse which houses maturing casks of sleeping spirit, and a tasting of four premium whiskies.
Located in the mouth of Galway Bay. Collectively, called the “Islands of Saints and Scholars”, they are a ‘must-see’. Gaelic Irish is the first language of the islanders and is still spoken in everyday life. They are known for their geological formation, historical monuments, cultural heritage and of course, knitwear. The off- white jumpers are highly recognisable due to the cable patterns on the chest.
Selected as one of the Signature Experiences of the Wild Atlantic Way, the Cliffs of Moher are a breath-taking Discovery Point. They are the crowning glory of the Co. Clare coastline. Like a viewing platform for prehistoric giants who wish to peer over the edge of Europe, they provide an unrivalled view across the vast boiling wildness of the Atlantic Ocean
Cork is Ireland’s second largest and southernmost city with a history dating back to the 6th century; Founded on islands in an estuary, waterways circle the city centre crossed by over 20 bridges. Hilly neighbourhoods climb the river banks, stacked with colourful houses. These along with the Georgian architecture give the city a Continental feel. It is a creative and exciting city, renowned for learning, with a world class university and specialist colleges. It has a rich musical traditional and is home to no less than 24 festivals running throughout the year.
The Burren is truly is a special place full of wonder, beauty and discovery. It is a karst landscape made up of an extraordinarily rich geological, botanical and archaeological heritage with parts of the region classed as a National Park. This limestone plateau resembles a lunar landscape; in the spring and summer months, great colour abounds against the stark landscape. Ruined forts and castles and numerous prehistoric sites dot the landscape; the region has been aptly described as ‘one vast memorial to bygone cultures’.
Is possibly Ireland’s most famous scenic drive. It encounters some of the country’s finest landscapes, weaving around a breath-taking mosaic of rugged, storm-bashed coast, steep mountains, medievalruins, slate-coloured glacial lakes and welcoming towns and villages. As you might expect, there are many wonderful photo opportunities.
Galway is the official European Region of Gastronomy 2018. The region stretches from green fields and rich farmlands to the unique karst landscape of the Burren and into Galway city, the trout fishing capital of Europe, and along the wild, rugged Atlantic coast. Galway has one of the highest densities of restaurants in Ireland and includes two of the country ‘s Michelin Star restaurants: Aniar and Loam. Galway is a city with a proud seafaring tradition and Galway Bay is one of the most celebrated oyster fisheries, where the native Irish oyster is widely prized as a delicacy in the later months of the year.
