IrelandBest ways to improve this book: Add a few color photos. Molly Wilsbacher in Dublin, OH USA 08/24/2008 Modify the driving map (w/ distances and estimated times) to be more accurate/realistic. Margaret in Milwaukee, WI USA 08/11/2008 I can't think of any because this was my first trip abroad. It really gave us a great starting point for our trip. The distances between places was helpful in planning our drive. Maybe a bit more coverage of the area NW of Galway? Kara Porter in Portland, OR USA 07/11/2008 Just keep on listening to us - and thanks for a great job so far Rob Wilson in San Francisco , CA USA 07/07/2008 Best guide book, carried with us all the time. Judy G in Paris, TN USA 06/15/2008 Remove Ashe Townhouse Robin in Austin, TX USA 06/03/2008 you cant,great value. a must have bible george clake in London, uk 05/28/2008 Give more details on the Patton Flyer. We thought we could catch it at the airport, but where to catch it should be added to the book. It definitely leaves right on time. We arrived quite late in the evening from Venice, so we splurged on a cab, and Mary O'Farrell was right on the button when she said it would cost about 40 euros. I believe the cab was 39.30 euros, and it was well worth it at that time of night. Judith Medeiros in Naples, FL USA 05/28/2008 Don't make any radical changes. Noel & Denise Underwood in Vienna, VA USA 05/25/2008 You do a great job! Add Adare--loved the Foolish Fairy shop and the people there are so friendly. Also loved Sneem in Kerry. Mary E. Thanasouras in Palm Beach, FL USA 05/22/2008 I love your book! M. Thanasouras in Palm Beach, FL USA 05/15/2008 Continue to add additional locations. The one problem with the popularity of Rick Steves is the fact that we end up interacting more with others carrying the blue book than we do with locals. I love the approach, but I want to spend more time with the local experience, and less with other Americans who also follow the Rick Steves approach. Sarah Alexander in Seattle, WA USA 04/21/2008 We appreciated all the tips. It's impossible to include everything but it's a great summary. Natalie in Martin, WI USA 04/08/2008 We drove around southern Ireland and found the recommended atlas very helpful for the most part. Unfortunately, the atlas does not have good city maps. Knowing this beforehand would have been helpful. Many of the city maps in the Ireland book were not helpful because they do not cover the whole city or identify one-way and pedestrian only roads (we drove down a few of these!). We ended up lost in almost every city we entered which led to much frustration. Perhaps you could include some tear out city maps in the back of the Ireland book or improve upon the city maps in each chapter. Rachel McGinnis in Brookline, MA USA 02/27/2008 get off the beaten track harry watson in Raleigh, nc USA 02/12/2008 Add some information about northern County Mayo, Achill Island, etc. We stayed in Ballsbridge, outside the City Center in Dublin. A quiet neigborhood with easy access by bus or train to the City Center. You might want to add some information about this area. Nelson Tennison in Mandeville, LA USA 12/09/2007 More Maps Dan Hogan in St. Louis, MO USA 11/16/2007 We went to a Jazz Festival Oct. 26th, 27th, 28th in Cork. It was not mentioned in your book under holidays and festivals. It was its 30th year. We saved Trim for our last travel day.Is there a way from Belfast on the train and bus to Trim? We ended up going to Dublin Oconnell station, then to the bus station in Dublin (put luggage in lockers at the bus station).Went to Trim by bus.After a few hours in Trim, we returned to Dublin to get our luggage and took a bus to an airport hotel for flight next day.It was awkward, but it worked. It was nice to meet Rick in Mesa,AZ.on Oct. 17th. It was my sister's birthay,and going to his travel class was her surprise present!! Thanks for the autograph and photo!! Deborah Wehunt in Mesa, AZ USA 11/12/2007 Include more restaurants! Linda in Kailua, HI USA 11/01/2007 It's flawless! Kris in Glendale, CA USA 10/17/2007 It would be handy to have tabs inserted in a post-it format so our chosen sites could be tabbed by county. We love that all sites are in alphabetical order in the index. Carol & Rich Fike in Montrose, CO USA 10/14/2007 Add more of your excellent self-guided walking tours and museum tours. Your book neglects the old, historic area of north Belfast up around St. Anne's Cathedral. We found this area very interesting and I think you could make it into a good walking tour. The city has added numerous helpful explanatory signs throughout this area. Richard Pine in Rockville , MD USA 10/12/2007 Add Killarney and Portstewart. janet james in smiths falls, on canada 10/12/2007 Just keep on traveling and writing! Theresa in Walnut Creek, CA USA 10/01/2007 thanks - the book was our bible chris and jim helman in berea, oh USA 09/22/2007 Remove the Ashe Townhouse in Tralee from the recommended sleeping section of the Ireland book. Tom Fraher in Chicago, IL USA 09/16/2007 you should add the garnish house in cork city. it is the best b& b I have ever been to in my life-- i posted a comment on it under the graffiti page-- under Garnish House and my first name! melissa in boston, ma USA 09/05/2007 Maybe darken part of the edge of pages of major cities (Dublin, Galway, Cork) so you can flip to those sections faster. D Husby in Moraga, CA USA 08/24/2007 Do not include dingy, depressing places when there are really nice places to stay at the same price. Jean Boler in Seattle , Wa USA 08/11/2007 I think the bood is good, but Ireland is so diverse and has so many things to see; I used Rick's book along with Lonely Planet and Rough Guides and all three covered all the bases. Melissa in Mason, OH USA 08/11/2007 None! We referred to it often while driving through Ireland. C. Ruiz in Phoenix, AZ USA 08/08/2007 See my comments above. The book is great....the Heritage Card is a great buy. We followed almost all of the book's advice and appreciated it. Dan Peterson in Brier, WA USA 08/08/2007 Inform readers that street names or not posted on signs but often on buildings when they are navigating city maps. Mary Wise in Bay Village, OH USA 08/02/2007 Add more historical information about the sightes in the book. James in Seattle , WA USA 08/01/2007 Provide a few options outside of Dingle Town on the Dingle peninsula for accomodations. Amy in Kloese, IL USA 07/27/2007 More info included on Northern Ireland accomadations. Margaret Hansen in Eugene, OR USA 07/19/2007 More information about Cork City. Paul Stanley in Maple Ridge, BC Canada 07/19/2007 Just keep on keepin on! Thanks Arleen Amato in Paducah, KY USA 07/18/2007 I must say your book was a wonderful guide. Your recommendations were on the mark. I wouldn't have missed Kilmainham Gaol:tour guide was so mesmerizing with his love of history & Guinness Factory Tour gave a great site of Dublin from the roof top bar. Kilkenny Castle & Rock of Cashel/ Hoar Abbey and the walk up to the spire at St. Canice's cathedral Fort Charles walk in Kinsale (high road there and the low road back) Wished we stayed longer at Killarney National Park. The horse and buggy tour was great fun thanks to Anthony our guide. We were unable to see Muckross House and traditional farms because we had such a lovely hike up to the waterfall in the park. I think this park is well worth two days Kathy Ryan in Rockaway Beach, NY USA 07/18/2007 Confirm and Update the info on Bushmill's tour Northern Ireland. Possibly omit the volunteer information. They no longer take volunteers. Elaine Hart in Dallas, Tx USA 07/16/2007 College Crest B&B should be included in your guide. It was definatley most hospitable guest house I have ever stayed in! Karen Platt in Cardiff, n/ Wales 07/02/2007 As noted above, by providing lodging options in Doolin; we stayed at Daly's House, 065-707-4242 / www.dalys-doolin.com and were very pleased with charming Susan Daly and our accommodations; we also noted that the Roadford House had new and convenient lodging, and that there are now many other options in Doolin. Bob Lata in Paso Robles, CA USA 07/01/2007 I flew into Dublin and out of Shannon. With the public transportation, it took quite a while to get from Dingle to Shannon Airport. I had an early flight, so I just needed somewhere cheap to crash the night before. I ended up in a bed and breakfast in Limerick, which I would not recommend, but it was an easy connection to the airport the next morning. It would have been great to have a couple of inexpensive options there. Angela McConnell in Madras, OR USA 06/29/2007 Rick's books were a HUGE help in planning our trip. We suggest them to fellow travelers. Linda Jacobsen in Perry, IA USA 06/29/2007 This book is outstanding. My only regret is not reading it twice before my trip (or take more notes). There is so much great information. I am very pleased and grateful for the help. Go raibh maith agat! William Lavey in Wakefield, MA USA 06/24/2007 This is the gold standard. The number of people talking 'Steves' floored us. I would suggest a page where all of the three star and two star attractions (and location) are listed as a quick reference to people wanting to dig out the highlights quickly McNeil's On Canda 06/04/2007 Wherever possible, include a category of best off-season tips so such first-time travelers can make the most of the experience (like weekdays in the big cities to get live music, on weekends you can find it easier in even the smaller towns, etc). Colleen in Bloom, MD USA 06/04/2007 Verify times and dates for unique events before publishing them in the book. David Evans in Oak Hill, VA USA 06/01/2007 Better driving map. Kathleen Surrette in Stratford, CT USA 05/07/2007 More on Northern Ireland. We loved and had many wonderful experiences. The pubs were great and really enjoyed the traditional Irish Music when we could find it! HarLyn Mlynek in Colorado Springs, Co USA 05/06/2007 I would have liked to seen recommendations for Cork city. While other towns in County Cork are discussed, noting is mentioned about the city of Cork. Jessica Jacko in Merrillville, IN USA 04/30/2007 There was no information about the interior of the country! We loved the interior! We stayed in Athlone and visited O'Shea's. . . the oldest pub in Ireland. . . according to Guiness Book of Records. Great Pub! Three rooms; one for the bar, one for watching football on the TV, and one big one outside for enjoying the weather and atmostphere. Heather Pardue in Ocala, FL USA 04/16/2007 No complaints by me. More detailed directions in certain areas would be helpful. List Cill Bhreac House Meg Young in Colorado, USA 04/15/2007 Explain the rating system for lodging better. The guide says that rates are per person. So, it wasn't clear whether the "double" rooms rates were for the room or per person staying in the room. I'm still trying to figure this out. Heather in Arlington, VA USA 04/04/2007 My husband and I used your book as our "bible" during our trip. The travel tips, recommendations, and cultural/historical information helped to make our trip outstanding. My only recommendation would be to give suggested trip itineraries to maximaze experiences and help give realistic ideas that can be doable in a a certain period of time. Erin Peabody in Great Lakes, IL USA 03/30/2007 More driving directions and more day trip itineraries Todd Peabody in Great Lakes, IL USA 03/29/2007 I just purchased the Ireland 2007 and do not see any reference to recommendations for B&B accommodations for Dublin city. I wondered why? Suburbs - yes, but nothing for center city Dublin. James McCartney in New Ringgold, PA USA 02/22/2007 Perhaps consider noting that Dublin isn't particularly kid friendly. Also note that train travel is not terribly expensive, provides great views of the country for those not inclined to drive, and isn't as crammed as on the continent. Brett Fleitz in Carmel, In USA 01/10/2007 While traveling to Galway Ireland this past August 2006, my wife and I were stranded at Heathrow airport on the day of the terrorist arrests. This caused us to delay our arrival at Auburn House in Galway, Ireland where we were to join our daughter and her friend. Proprietors of Auburn House, Roddy and Mary Wyer completely understood our situation and provided all the comfort and supervision to our daughter and friend in our absence. Arriving in Galway a day late and without my luggage, we began our Irish vacation. Due to their concern for our well-being and gentle hospitality, the Wyers made this much less stressful than it could have been. Roddy very kindly provided me with all the clothes necessary until my baggage arrived at Auburn House. Mary Wyer then personally delivered my bag to our hotel as we had already moved to our next destination. Their hospitality alone is worth the visit to their B&B, which is beautiful, very clean, and Mary is a marvelous cook. I cannot say enough about the experience at their home. I believe Auburn House is worthy of mention and should be included within your Irish travel books not only because of the personal service which they provide but it is very conveniently located on the bus line coming to and from Shannon Airport and is minutes from downtown Galway. Their contact info is Auburn House B&B, 1 Merlin Gate, Dublin Road, Galway, tel. 011-353-91-771018, www.auburnhousegalway.com.
Wiley T. Brooks, Jr in Ellicott City, MD USA 01/01/2007 Love the book! Agree with previous poster that maybe your demographic is aging/changing. Would like a bigger range of accomodations recommendations, or at least refer people to TripAdvisor. We are 40 traveling with our kids, prefer off season travel (we just came back from Christmas in Dingle) and appreciate info more appropriate to us (Have you ever been to the Wren Festival the day after Christmas in Dingle? It's awesome!) These are the best books out there. Because we were traveling off season, many sites and tourist offices were closed, we absolutely relied on the Rick Steve's self guided tours of the Dingle Peninsula and the Rock of Cashel etc. Thanks to you we are doing what we only dreamed of doing before, and bringing our kids up to be citizens of a greater, global community. Thanks Rick! Liz Sarkisian in Binghamton, NY USA 12/31/2006 Everyone I see carrying this book (and I see a lot of them) are pushing well into middle age, but the book still seems pretty focused on the backpacking/hostel crowd. Your market is graying and you might need to think about more comfortable stays, golf destinations and who offers senior discounts (almost everybody). John Zesbaugh in Pine River, MN USA 12/17/2006 We found limited information for some of the areas we visited. Asking locals for tips on where to eat was helpful. Usually we found brochures for ideas on where to visit. Wilma Sutton in Hudson, IN USA 12/13/2006 It would be good if more B&B's who accept vouchers were researched and reviewed We had good luck with them and the accomadations excellent. The vouchers allow you to pre-pay and thus carry less cash. No negotiations, you get your bed, breakfast and en suite room, all hassle free. John Bradley & Charles Keenan in Jersey City, NJ USA 12/06/2006 In the index highlight all three star sites. Either show three stars next to these sites or another symbol or use bold lettering to highlight them. It would make all your guide books much more user friendly. Use english Newgrange and Dingle in the index. You should add a section on the Bunratty area. I understand your derision for the big-bus American tour group sites but there are a number of B&B's in the area. Due to it's location only 15 minutes from the Shannon Airport makes it a perfect location for a final night in Ireland. Our last night in Ireland we stayed at Gallowsview B&B. http://www.ireland-bnb.net/display.html?id=838 Nice accommodations (32E each) wonderful breakfast. Four choices in addition to cereals. Very nice Irish woman (Mary). This is the only place in all of Europe that I have found wash clothes! The plus is that if you fly out of Shannon you are very close to the airport. There are about 10 B&B's within 2 kilometers to the Castle. In Bunratty we had dinner at Durty Nelly's which had fine bar food and a warm peat fire. Good shopping for any last minute items before leaving Ireland. Mention that all US-Ireland flights must pass through Shannon coming or going. We planned our trip on Delta. We timed our trip for non-stops from ATL-SNN then SNN-ATL. Delta (my favorite airline) flies from JFK and ATL to DUB-SNN or SNN-DUB. It is the largest US airline to Ireland and all of Europe. We liked Shannon rather than Dublin airport because of it's location. Mention that you will clear US Customs in Shannon (similar to Canada) so you will skip this time consuming requirement once you land in the US. Jon T. Haugen in VANCOUVER, WA USA 11/26/2006 Use Rick's recommendations regarding the Dingle Penninsula, vs. the Ring of Kerry. We were there the first week of November, 2006 so we didn't have to battle the tourists. The drive, however, really didn't compare to the shorter ring (Rick's favorite) from Dingle. Dick Vaughan in Houston, Tx USA 11/09/2006 A great guide as always. My friend and I started to refer to Rick as though he were on the trip with us. "So what does Rick have to say about this place?" It's also a great conversation starter - several people, when seeing me carry my Rick Steves book would comment "Oh this hill is just as steep as Rick said it would be, isn't it?" Carolyn S. in Seattle, WA USA 11/03/2006 Wouldn't change a thing:) Michele & Jay Carter in Austin, TX USA 10/29/2006 the book is great. gary beck in valley mills, tx USA 10/13/2006 Your book is wonderful and helped us have a wonderful trip. Thanks so much...we love the way you travel! JBY OR USA 10/11/2006 I sweared by this book in Ireland, I love the step by step tours and you give valuable info! Sarah Napoli in Brattleboro, VT USA 10/06/2006 Mention the best way to drive from point a to point b. For example, what is the best way to drive from Derry to Waterford. We found that it must not be down the middle of Ireland. Perhaps to Dublin and then to Derry -- less curves and wider roads. Frank Sharp in Norcross , Ga USA 09/30/2006 Add Valerie McFall's B&B (Valley View) to the section under sleeping for the Antrim Coast. It is easily missed only being mentioned near Bushmills. Brad Bessant in Seffner, fl USA 09/26/2006 Remind people in the Places to Sleep sections to question and clarify for accurate information and be wary of places that don't give you information up front in a clear and businesslike manner. Cathy in Ashland, OR USA 09/23/2006 You forgot to mention that the Ryder Cup is here in Ireland, starting tomorrow, Sept. 22, 2006. This is a big deal in the golf world and a big tourist attraction for visitors to Ireland. It also means that accommodations are nearly sold out in and around Dublin. Linda Matar in Tampa, FL USA 09/21/2006 Caution anyone who is heading for Giant's Causeway any months outside July and August to either rent a car or contact Bobby 07967 682162. Troy Morgan in Belfast, NI UK 09/20/2006 Lest restrictive feedback for one; we appreciated your book and would like to help you in return; it's difficult in this format. Philip Osattin in Kew Gardens, NY USA 08/07/2006 You should have a space on this feedback form for general praise. Your maps of cities are much better than Irish Tourism maps! Dublin highlights ere great. Advice on Dingle self- guided tour was perfect; thanks for helping us avoid Bunratty castle; Kytelers Inn and the witch were great. It got so that my husband was sick of me saying, 'Rick Steve says' every day of our trip but it was worth it. We definitely won't travel without you again! Helen Johnson in Sydney, NS Australia 08/07/2006 This book is an excellent resource for excellent travel "intel". Printing out all of the comments here, good and bad, added 42 pages of up-to-the-minute excellent information. The combination of the book and these "extra" pages saved us a lot of time and money and made for an outstanding vacation!! Terry McCarthy in Austin, TX USA 08/02/2006 Given the available subject matter, I don't see how it could be improved without turning each book into a small encyclopedia. But, Rick's ability to update each book an a yearly basis is one of the better features. Even the Stein Store operator in St. Goar Germany told mee that Rick comes in at least once evey othe year to check the place out. That syas a lot. William Gruesbeck in Beavercreek, Oh USA 08/01/2006 Honestly cannot think of a thing that would make it more clear or more informative. S.S. in Indianapolis, IN USA 07/30/2006 Check out our favorite B&B in Kenmare: Whispering Pines, with Mary and John Fitzgerald. Ginger and Walt in Auburn, AL USA 07/19/2006 Take out The Gallery B&B, Kinsale. Change the mileage info to kilometers as that is what the cars will have. A bit more direction on VAT refunds would have been helpful too. And one tip for Dublin airport--it may have just been the ticketing agent we had, but she nearly made me check my TravelPro rollaboard carry on bag. I have taken it all over the world with no problems, but she said they are very strict on carry on size in Dublin. Kennis Hyder in Dade City, FL USA 07/10/2006 Add more about Donegal; add one or two places to stop on the drive between Dublin and Galway. Tzaddi Smith in san francisco, ca USA 07/06/2006 The driving times need to be more realistic. Driving always took much longer even if we did not stop to sightsee. The speed limit may be 100 kph or 80 kph but we found that realistically we often averaged less than 50 kph. Many of the regional roads are too narrow, twisty, and rough edged to travel very fast. Keith Wood in Lawrence, KS USA 07/03/2006 More recommendations on B&B's. Your recommendations are so good, they're often booked unless you contact several weeks in advance. Sherry Cavanaugh in Clearwater, FL USA 06/27/2006 Add Inch Beach Guest House to your list. Also Sammie's Restaurant on Inch Beach. They served a duck that was to die for. Anne Pontuso in Charlottesville, Va USA 06/22/2006 Include more in the Connemarra region. We spent a day driving through and loved it. Other than that I thought everything was great. We had a great trip. Hilary Domush in Madison, WI USA 06/14/2006 Add Howth as a Dublin area base with some additional B&B research and recommendations. Jim Reddington in West Hartford, CT USA 06/12/2006 A better scale for the map drawings. And/or a clear statement that objects in drawing are closer/farther than they may appear. Bruce Grabowski in Barrington, Il USA 06/05/2006 For laundrettes, please double-check whether they are self-serve or just drop-off. The Snow White in Waterford is just drop-off. Susan Scruggs in Longmont, CO USA 06/03/2006 Include more on Connemara, Sligo, Donegal. I had to use the internet for these areas and felt like I was at a disadvantage because of that. Rosalie & Roger in Albany, NY USA 05/29/2006 I'd recommending a section on Baltimore, County Cork. We went to Fiddle Fair in May and it was wonderful: world class traditional fiddle music from Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Denmark, America, etc. www.fiddlefair.com Talk with Declan McCarthy. it's a very small festival, however and he may not want to let the cat out of the bag! Also, we ate at Rolf's in Baltimore and it was a charming setting and the food was superb. We also took the ferry out to the little island just off Baltimore and hiked around one day. It was lovely! Mary Burdette in Hammondsport, NY USA 05/22/2006 It would be good if you could mention if accomodations accepted "travel vouchers" or not. Carol in Apex, NC USA 05/12/2006 add the Kings Head Pub as a place to go out for a pint & see live music. Great fun & great crowd. Catherine C in Sacramento, CA USA 04/28/2006 loved it--highly recommended. Thanks! It sure made the trip a lot more interesting. Cathryn Alpaugh in Lincoln, NE USA 04/18/2006 Add info that the statue of O. Wilde in Dublin is made of different colored marble (it is NOT dyed.) We found this fascinatingwhen our guide pointed it out Expand the section on northern Ireland. We found this to be the most beautiful part of our trip. Also, more routees in Donegal to include craft towns (Adara, Donkeneally (spelling?) etc.) Amy Apine in Eau Claire, WI USA 04/05/2006 We were surprised at how difficult it was to get lodging in Belfast. We tried several different dates and it was quite full the entire time. I would recommend some information about lodging just outside the city. We traveled there March 19-26, 2006 and both coming and going we had trouble getting rooms. They have apparently pursued convention business with some success. It was recommended that we try Carrick Fergus - but that was out of the way and I had no leads. We found a wonderful B&B near Portadown - with a pub just down the road. I would highly recommend this one for a future book. The Cottage Country House is run by Ruth Turkington. We showed up on her doorstep and she not only had room for us but had a fire laid in a family/TV room and drinks in a small refrigerator outside our room. After directing us to the pub for dinner she lit the fire and we had a lovely and relaxed evening. Details: located at 17, Gallrock Road, Portadown, County Armagh BT62 1NP Tel/Fax. 028 38 852189 Cash only. The home is large and she has room for families and larger groups. Suzanne O'Neill in Elizabeth, CO USA 04/01/2006 Improve your maps! Matt in Somerville, MA USA 01/29/2006 |
