Traveling to Ireland with Chauffeurdrive Ireland West.

I recently wrote a little about Ryanair and my own personal feelings about that airline. They get a lot of criticism, and a lot of it is most unfair in my opinion. I have used Ryanair quiet a number of times and i cannot say that i have ever had a bad experience. Ryanair is a low cost budget airline and anybody using their service has to accept that they cannot provide the type of service you get on airlines that charge premium rates. If you want to get from A to B at a low cost then you cannot do better than Ryanair. Their planes are first class and their safety record is second to none. They also have a wonderful record when it comes to getting you there in time. You are not talking long-haul flights with Ryanair and if you cannot do without your extras for a short while, whatever they might be, then maybe you should dig deeper in that pocket of yours and pay for your luxuries. They charge if you bring a suitcase to put in the hold but you are allowed what i would consider a reasonable amount of cabin luggage (10 Kilos) to bring on board with you. If you do happen to have a lot of luggage that you have to bring with you then i suggest that you check with different airlines and see if you can get a better deal. If you cannot....then stop complaining. Many people travel with a lot of unnecessary luggage, and i should know. I see people coming to tour with me and you would think that they were leaving home. I even do it myself and find that i often bring items back with me that i have not even unpacked. There is an art in sensible packing and i think that if you want to bring heavy bags with you then you should be prepared to pay for them. Just try posting that suitcase and see how much it would cost....and that travels in a plane also. Now Ryanair are going to charge one Euro to use the toilet on their planes. Most of my flights with Ryanair have been short ones where i never needed to use the toilet but, if you do use a toilet, then somebody has to pay for the upkeep of that toilet and the items provided such as tissues and hand-wash etc, not to mention maintainance. I do not have a problem with that if it keeps the fare down. Then you have priority boarding where you get to the head of the queue when boarding the plane. Do you really want to be ahead of everybody else? if you do, then pay for it. I do not mind waiting a few minutes longer....and that is all it takes. I never use it. The only thing about using Ryanair that i find a nuisance is the actual booking online. Like a lot of seniors i am not great at the computer and i have to be careful making these bookings. Just be careful when filling in your booking form online. If you make a mistake and end up paying for something that you did not want then that is your own fault and you cannot blame anybody else for that. I do not pay the extra insurance as i have travel insurance already. I just book for the bare minimum with no trimmings. I know i have to pay the extra for using my credit card but that is the norm anyway. Like i already said....if you want to get from A to B in comfort and ontime in good planes with a great safety record then stick with Ryanair and ignore the fuss-pots who like to pretend that they are used to first class everything. We have an old expression here in Ireland which we use when somebody acts like they are members of the Royal family...." It's far from that you were reared". If it were not for Ryanair i just wonder how much extra we would be paying for our short-haul flights which so many of us here in Ireland use to travel to England and the continent. Michael O' Leary deserves great credit for the service he provides for us...regardless of, and despite, the critics.
Ireland is basking in beautiful sunshine today and anybody who is fortunate enough to be here right now is blessed. It looks set to stay a while also and our long range forecast is good. I am constantly asked by people coming to tour with me just when would be the best time to come here weather wise. Right now, the middle of April, can be just as good, if not better, than the middle of the Summer. In Ireland you just cannot predict with any accuracy. The one thing you can be sure of though is that Ireland is a wonderful place to visit regardless of when you come. I have been providing a chauffeurdrive service here for quiet a number of years now and i can honestly say that i have never had a tour that was a disaster because of the weather. We do get our share of rain but we do get good weather also, and even when it rains, you get plenty of breaks in that also.
I believe that the cost of car-hire here has risen quiet a bit so maybe you should consider your own car and driver option. A quote does not cost you anything and if you come to travel with me you get more than a car and driver. I think my experience is worth quiet a lot if you want that special vacation.

Dave