Taste of Britain & Ireland Reviews

What a tremendous trip it was. Special thanks to Tom the tour director and Graham the driver we cant begin to describe the fun we had and would do it again at the drop of a hat.

Our tour guide was fabulous - thanks Gordon! Driver just as fabulous, made some turns that we couldn't believe in that huge bus - thanks Dave! I guess my only complaint is that there were too many dinner shows, I know the guides have nothing to do with this, so we can't blame them! Would rather have seen more sights or maybe had a demonstration of Scottish ...read more dancing with just our group. Or gone to see where they make all the woolen items. Dublin, we didn't see too much and were there for 2 nights, I want to be busy the whole day (not get a dinner theatre and then find something to do - pretty sure that is what we paid CIE for). Longer time in York - we only had a few hours, same with a couple of towns. CIE does take care of you - the hotels are nice, food is good most of the time and tour guide shows you what he can. Limit yourself to a smaller area say Ireland- that way you will see more of that country! Thanks CIE for a great birthday holiday! Hopefully we will see you next year for just Ireland!!

Right now I am sadly at the end of a fantastic journey, once again with CIE! Last year I was fortunate to go on a Taste of Ireland and Scotland and exactly one year later I am back with the Taste of Britain and Ireland Tour. Next year I hope to just do the beautiful island of Ireland all on its own! If you are wondering if you can travel alone as a ...read more woman and feel comfortable don't give it a second thought CIE is perfect for single people like myself. We were lucky enough to be on one of the brand new coaches, fast wi-fi etc. However the age of the coach does not matter if you don't have a good guide and our young (compared to all of us) Aiden Carrigy was WONDERFUL! He can drive a bus better than anyone I have ever seen with one exception Noel Harte (our guide and driver last year). Aiden was very knowledgeable about his beautiful country and he put up with me saying he was our precious bus driver!! So, any of you sitting on the fence just jump off and come join the journey with CIE and their great guides like Aiden!

Gary Horn was our driver/guide - I don't know how he does it. He is a great driver and one of the smartest and most intelligent men I ever met. He divides his attention between all passengers and has the knack to make each one feel special. He is passionate about his country and has taught this whole busload of Americans more than we ever knew about ...read more London, Ireland and Scotland. He is constantly working and studying his itinerary for the next day. Also he is calling to confirm our next days visitation places and confirming our time schedule so we don't leave anything out. CIE must be proud to have such an high quality person working for them. He made our trip a top notch one and he deserves a big thank you. It was a privilege having him as our guide, teacher and instructor.

Our holiday of a lifetime was exactly that. We had the most wonderful time. We were the only Aussies with a bus full of wonderful Americans, who helped make our holiday very enjoyable. A huge thank you to David Turner our tour director, a very professional, very organised, very informative and very, very funny man. David and Dave our driver made our ...read more holiday one we will never forget. If we feel we can top this holiday and go for another we will definitely go with CIE and hopefully with David and Dave as well. We will recommend CIE Tours to everyone.

Our sincere thanks go to CIE Tours for the superb choice of locations, attractions, accommodations and guides. The hotels on the tour, with only one exception, were simply magnificent, of great charm and high standards. The breakfast buffets and dinners were delicious, the staff from porters to receptionists and waiters outstanding. The special evenings, ...read more be it Scottish, Irish or Welsh will be staying with us forever, as framed gems in a crown. The scenic highlights, vistas, exhibitions and shows we've been brought to couldn't have been of more variety and beauty. The chosen local guides for the city tours were so much fun, so full of knowledge and charm and just such amazing human beings that one wants to pocket and keep them all forever. But the entire wonderful tour would be nothing without the absolutely magnificent driver Jim and our tour guide/manager Mary. Jim is able to perform miracles with such a big vehicle on a daily basis and Mary - wonderful Mary - full of funny anecdotes, wisdom, great, never-ending knowledge of history, all tumbling into the bus and over us all like spring-water rain onto a parched plot of land. Every mother-hen can look up to Mary when it comes to care for a flock of chicks - because before every arrival - Mary was already there with a phone call to announce us. We knew that we will never be left behind anywhere, which didn't stop us from being the most punctual group of chicks, lovely Mary has ever dealt with. The entire trip was a magnificent treat with a lovely group of fellow travellers, thanks to your wise and wonderful choices (and great weather, whenever needed most). So thank you again - all of you - for a journey of superlatives.

This was our first time to the UK. It was my family and my mum. Our guide (Dierdre) and our driver (Sarah) were amazing. Our kids (12 and 9) were the youngest and our driver/guide did little things for them throughout the trip to make them feel special. We had an amazing time! One of my favourite vacations ever. We are looking forward to our next o ...read morene.

This was a fantastic vacation. The drivers and tour guides were very informative, charming and fun, especially Pat and Eamon. We were in London during the attack and CIE checked with our guide to make sure everyone was safe. Edinburgh had a record making rainfall while we were visiting, but it was still fun. I took the opportunity to post a little everyday ...read more into my Facebook page-and it was only a little of all the activities. Thank you CIE.

Completed the Taste of Britain & Ireland Tour on 27 July and had a fantastic time. From the hotels, meals and inclusions, everything was top notch. We loved that there were no optional extras. Our Guide Damian McKenna was tops - so obliging and made everyone feel so comfortable and relaxed, nothing was a problem to him, and we had every confidence in ...read more our driver Dave who was great. Top job CIE and we will certainly be spreading the word here in Australia. Thank you so much.