Alfa Travel
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Wild Atlantic Way
We have recently returned from an amazing Wild Atlantic Way tour with Alfa travel. The trip was perfect from start to finish. Our feeder coach picked us up on time but we had a longer wait than usual at Burtonwood. However, it was a lovely day and time passed quickly as past experiences were shared with fellow travellers. We departed Burtonwood at 11.15 and made our way to Holyhead with a 30 minute stop en route at Llanfair PG. We were given vouchers for 10% discount on duty free at the port (alcohol only) and one course meal with tea or coffee on board the Stenna line ferry. After a very smooth crossing we made our way to the Plaza Hotel, Tallaght for a one night stay. The rooms were spacious and comfortable and the lovely buffet breakfast had plenty of choice. En route to Westport we visited Brigits Gardens where we had an interesting guided tour and Brigid cross making demonstration. An optional soup and sandwich lunch with hot drink was provided for €15. We had a 4 night stay at the Westport Woods Hotel. Rooms were spacious, clean and comfortable. Breakfast was buffet style and had plenty of choice with juices, cereals, fruit and yogurt, breads and pastries as well as hot food for a full Irish breakfast. It was table service for the delicious, tasty 3 course evening meals. All staff were friendly and efficient. On day 3, after a morning cruise on Killary Fjord with interesting commentary, we journeyed through Connemara National Park to Kylemore Abbey. We could have spent a full day here as there is so much to see and do. After a quick snack in the cafe we walked to the beautiful abbey where we learned about the history of the building which was once home to the Henry family, Duke and Duchess of Manchester, and later the Benedictine nuns. We then followed the trail alongside the lake and past the boat house to the Gothic church which is currently undergoing some external renovation. As we returned to our starting point a shuttle bus was about to set off to the walled garden. Unfortunately our time was limited so the tour of the garden was very brief and we used the shuttle bus again to return to base and our awaiting coach. On our morning in Galway we hopped on the little land train for a 45 minute tour (€15pp). We had a walk around the area near Eyre Square then back to the cathedral to meet the coach. The afternoon visit to Connemara crystal was amazing, watching a demonstration by a skilled craftsman creating a work of art. Day 5 was our driver's day off but he accompanied us on the trip. The local driver was very knowledgeable and informative as we toured the spectacular Achill Island. On our return journey we were given the choice of being dropped off for free time in Westport or returning to the hotel. The walk back took about 15 minutes. There was entertainment each night but it only started at 9.3 so a bit late for us. Each evening we had a walk around the hotel gardens, down to the harbour or to Westwood House. There was free time in Dublin on day 6. The coach parked close to Trinity college and we took in some of the sights including the Mollie Molone statue and Ha'penny and Millennium bridges on the River Liffey. We had a lovely walk through St Stephen's Park, following an informative trail relating to the potato famine. Several artists displayed a diverse range of work on railings around the outside of the park. Of course a visit to Dublin is not complete without a pint of Guinness and after tasting my husband's pint I can confirm it really does taste better in Ireland. Our final night's stay was at the Pillo Hotel, Ashbourne. Once again the rooms were large and comfortable. The evening meal was tasty, plentiful and nicely presented but the vegetables were undercooked. We had an early start on our last morning leaving the hotel at 5.30 am. and had breakfast on board the ferry. We had a short stop in Llandudno on the way back to Burtonwood. A little church had an interesting VE Day exhibition which included a dress made with 5000 poppies which were knitted and crochet by residents of Criccieth during Covid lockdown. We had a little rain as we left Dublin on Day 2 but it had brightened up by the the time we had our first comfort stop and remained warm and sunny all week.