Ireland Traveler Testimonials

Hello tour mates,
I'm glad I was able to meet each and every one of you… You helped make our trip a special one and I hope our paths cross again soon… As I'm sure we all did, I had a WONDERFUL time and although it was nice to get home, it was VERY tough to leave Ireland. I hope to return very soon.

To The Elders, Searson and Hammond Tours: Thank you VERY much for putting together a GREAT tour to Ireland… The AWESOME memories will stay in my memory banks for the rest of my life. I hope to be part of your next tour to Ireland.
Brian G.
November 2012

I wanted to send along a photo of my sister and I with our driver, Greg Creagh. He really made the trip extra special for us, with his kindness, knowledge and obvious devotion to his country. We had a great time with him, and we appreciate all the effort he put into making the tour a success, especially at the last minute. If you have a way to send this along to him, please do so.

We are looking forward to seeing what next year has in store!
Katie D
October 2012

Anxiously awaiting next year's plans...and when it may be....personally, I would love to visit
Dingle. Thank you for putting together an extraordinary trip for us, and obviously Ashford
was a highlight. Thank you again.
Mary B
September 2012

The people, the weather, the Driver Guide, the hotels, all perfect
Thank you
Alice
June 2012

Such a beautiful place perfectly done, great job
Rod
July 2012

Thank you for a wonderful holiday. It was so well done. It was spectacular!
Marilyn A.
November 2012

I just wanted to thank you for such an amazing tour! I loved every second of it and look forward to
going back!
Amy C.
October 2012

Hi all from James and Linda W.
We just thoughtvwe'd drop you a note letting you know how much we enjoyed the Irish trip that you planned for us. In particular we'd like to recognize our driver Pat Buckly who was absolutely fabulous!!! We stared every day with Pat's cheerful humor and never tied of his endless tales, history, anecdotes and experience.

Well done Hammond tours!!! Well done!!!

Best,
Linda & James W.
July 2012

Dear Michele,
I wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our trip to Ireland! We especially enjoyed our driver. He was an absolute delight! His name is Michael Quinlan, and I would highly recommend him. The fact that we had a driver allowed us to enjoy the scenery, and he knew the areas, and showed us things that we would have never found on our own. He was extremely knowledgeable about each area, but in addition made it very fun for us by telling stories and singing each county song as we passed through. I would highly recommend that people get a driver. It was well worth the extra cost of the vacation!

The accommodations you picked out were also great with the exception of the B&B in Kenmare. The B&B in Kenmare was way out on a busy road and there was little atmosphere. The proprietor was polite, but not friendly. In contrast we absolutely loved the Pax House. It too was a little out of Dingle, but the host was so accommodating and went out of his way to make everyone feel special that a little inconvenience was worth it. The views from the sun room at Pax House were breathtaking. Of all the areas we saw in Ireland, Dingle was my favorite. If we return we will stay at least 3 days in this area.

I would also highly recommend staying at the Ashford Castle. It is the most beautiful castle and grounds that I have ever seen. My husband and I have stayed in castles in Germany and England, but Ashford was the grandest. Well worth the cost.

All in all it was one of the most fun vacations we have been on, and pubs and music was great. Thanks for helping us. I have recommended you to several people already.

Sincerely,
Sharron S.
September 2011

Dear Mr. Hammond:
Thank you for a well planned and executed trip. I had some problems but none because of you; it was my new scooter that shut down on me, holding me hostage for three days, until my wife arranged a wheel chair for us in each city. Hotels were fine, and food excellent, thank you for saving us from the hell of BB as people told us horror stories. In all my wife and I will return next year with my son, hopefully for a two week vacation to tour the country on a motorcycle. I assure you that your services were excellent and indeed we now have a new travel agent for the family and friends. I wish my wife had not booked the cruise at the end of this year for I would have enjoyed your services, but we look forward to the trips to Israel in February and June to Scotland and Ireland.
Yours sincerely,

Haider A. Ph.D.
August 2011

Michele,
We recently returned from our trip to Ireland and we wanted to pass along what a great job our guide, Pat Pendergast, did on the tour. His recommendations for what to visit and where to eat were consistently great and he was able to entertain us for the entire time we were together.

Thanks for organizing this for us. We had a great time.

Dan F.
July 2011

Dear John and Michele,
We returned from our Ireland Honeymoon about 2 weeks ago and had been meaning to send you an email ever since, to thank you and tell you how great our trip was thanks to your planning, advice, and assistance.
Every hotel we stayed at was great. We have no complaints about any one of them as they were all in great locations with nice rooms and amenities and helpful staff. Also, the car rental from Dan Dooley rentals worked out great too. It was great to have the freedom to drive around on our own schedule when we wanted to.

We also wanted to let you know that the Bank House and Dromoland upgraded our rooms because you had told them it was our honeymoon, which made the trip even better.

We especially enjoyed our day trips from Killarney - Dingle and hiking the Gap of Dunloe. The Aran Islands day trip from Galway was my favorite part and we both really enjoyed everything about Galway itself including the food and bars there. And of course, Dromoland was amazing and a great way to end our trip.

So thank you again, hope all is well with you two, and we look forward to our next Ireland visit.

Andy & Beth
June 2011

Michele,
We want to thank you for a wonderful trip. We enjoyed every minute of it. Joe, our driver, was great. He was very knowledge and accommodating. He was a great asset in making our trip so wonderful. The rehearsal dinner and service was also very good. Again thanks and we'll be talking about this trip until we make our next trip to Ireland.

Tom & Dorothy B.
June 2011

Hi Michele,
We are back in the states, waiting in Newark for our flight to Milwaukee. We had a fabulous visit, despite the delay and the rain of the last 3 days. Both Tom and Frank were delightful. We greatly enjoyed their company and their extensive knowledge of Ireland, we were well cared for! Thank you for your wonderful planning, and arrangements, we can't wait to go back!
Heather.

Heather J. K. June 2011

Dear Michele and John,
We just got home from our trip to Ireland. Our chauffeur was Frank Madden. He was exceptional!! It was such a wonderful trip and it would not have been the same without our wonderful tour guide. I will highly recommend your company to all my friends, and we will definitely return. I cried when I said goodbye the Frank and we will all miss him. Thank you for planning our wonderful trip with such care.
Sincerely,

Kelly A.
June 2011

Dear Michele,
I wanted to thank you again for all your time, effort and advice. I am sure it would not surprise you to know that I got more than one quote - in addition to being competitive on the pricing, your quote included suggestions that made for a more comfortable and exciting trip.

A final FYI - the larger van actually had space and seat belts for 12. While we could never have fit all our luggage into one van, it was useful when we went to dinner as a group to just have the one vehicle. There were two bench seats in the very back that actually gave better viewing so on the days we did the Dingle and the Ring of Kerry in both vans, some of the six in that van chose to sit in the way back.
All the best,

Megan
April 2011

Michele and John,
I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful Ireland FAM. My mother and I fully enjoyed ourselves. Michelle-thank you for helping us come up with alternative travel options after missing our connecting flight to Shannon. We were able to take the train from Dublin into Limerick and all was well.

The accommodations were superb. I only wish we had more time to see Adare Manor, a breathtaking place to stay. I was immensely impressed with Killarney Royal and Hayfield Manor. The Scally family's hospitality was unmatched. I've never felt so welcome and taken care of and at home, all in one place. I cannot wait to stay at the Royal and stay again in Hayfield. You better believe I will recommend them to everyone.

John Costello was such a treat. He was the quintessential Irishman. His knowledge of his country was staggering. There was not one question asked that he did not have the answer to. John's personality enhanced the trip; it was great having a typical Irishman as our tour guide. I won't be able to think of Ireland without hearing "ahh, sh", "you don't deserve it" or "think of the paperwork". He was just a character. Also, he out did himself when he volunteered to drive us to Kinsale, which was not a part of his regular schedule for the day. I can see now why you fought so hard to recruit him, he is absolutely fabulous.

Again, thank you both. If you do another FAM please keep me in mind, I would love to go. Also, I wanted to mention to you both that I am a certified Sign Language Interpreter. If you ever have any Deaf tour groups, keep me in mind to interpret them. Keep up the good work, it's appreciated!

Jessica I.
Spring 2011

Our tour of Ireland with your company was fantastic. We saw the beauty of your country and learned so much of its history. The trip was definitely one of the best that I have taken and John Costello was one of the best guides that I have ever had. He was not only informative and professional, he went out of his way to accommodate our needs and make us all feel important. His wit and humor was the "icing on the cake".

Sharon R.
Group Leader - October 2010

Michele,
I just wanted to let you know that we all had a great trip. Every phase was 'bumpless'---even the airlines!

Noel McCaffrey was/is a jewel! It is very obvious that he not only has experience, but is genuine and caring!

Thank you for such a wonderful experience! I will certainly be glad to recommend you to any individual or agent.
Sincerely,

Diana E. S.
Fall 2010