2020/2021 Testimonials

Carol Ann Lute, AZ, Custom Self Drive, Scotland, September 2021

We had a wonderful time. Thank your ladies for all the work they did to arrange this. Even the car tire problem was an adventure. We loved all the castles except Norwood Hall. I would not include this in an itinerary. No castle look or feel. I would also recommend a 2 night stay at Glengorm on Mull. It is the most authentic castle and took a long time to get there, especially with ferry. It was a trip of a lifetime. Castles were amazing. Everything you planned went smoothly with no problems. Ladies were extremely responsive to all emails and concerns from beginning to end. I originally was working with you and another agency. You quickly pulled ahead and I dropped the other. Job well done

Carol Ann Lute, AZ

Martha Hawthorne, NJ, Escorted Castle Tour, Ireland, September 2021

The Ireland Castles tour was fantastic. What a beautiful country, friendly people, and excellent cuisine! Love love love those adorable sheep everywhere! For me, staying in the castles and enjoying great cuisine was the best (Ashford of course at the top); loved Ballyseede too with the owners’ dogs giving us a warm welcome. I give our driver/guide John very high marks. He was punctual, polite, and very knowledgeable—provided answers to all our quirky questions but didn’t try to overload us with information as we were touring around. Even cleaned the bus windows when they got dirty. The fridge with water was appreciated. The accommodations were all luxurious with comfortable beds and nicely upgraded baths. I really loved Blarney Castle – and the grounds, although didn’t make it to the top due to my vertigo. I enjoyed Cliffs of Moher- it was sunny so got great photos. St. John’s Castle was very interesting. Kylemore Abbey I liked- I spent a lot of time in the manor home. The high tea was okay, but the more interesting thing that day was the old cemetery after our carriage jaunt. Wish we had had more time there just to read the family gravestones. I will say, though, I never felt rushed (except as above) or that there wasn’t enough time to really explore. The food at all the castles was really excellent- the fresh fish (I love salmon especially), the fresh butter, cream, and jams. Of course I’d like to spend the rest of my life at beautiful Ashford Castle. That was heaven. Beautiful room after room to explore – gorgeous grounds, had a spa treatment that was about the best massage I’ve ever had— I am sure I will go back there as a special getaway. Everyone there was working hard to make sure we had the best experience possible. My only regret was not ordering the sumptuous pancakes for breakfast!!!! Today I received the crystal I bought at Connemara- most of it is put away for Christmas. They had the craftsman who made some of the pieces sign & date them for us. Need I mention that it is worth the trip to Ireland just for the shopping!!!!! I also bought Beleek which I love and lots of other stuff. John very kindly gave us a stop at Bunratty Castle & village on the way back to Dublin and that was fun. I’ll see you again — I’m thinking about Scotland for next year!

Martha Hawthorne, NJ

Debra Doyle, OH, Escorted Castle Tour, Ireland, September 2021

What a wonderful lifetime vacation! We are so glad that we took the trip this year as we enjoyed not having to compete for tourist attractions both on our own and with your travel company. I can see where some areas would attract very large crowds. I’ll go thru each day of accommodations and tours.

Fitpatrick Castle – I realize this castle is close to Dublin, but as you know we didn’t have a good experience here. This was my least favorite place to stay.

Ballyseede Castle – We loved this hotel. The staff were very friendly and welcoming and the breakfasts and dinner delicious. Loved spending two days here.

Glenlo Abbey Hotel – Loved dining in the Pullman. It felt very authentic and unlike any other dining experience.

Ashford Castle – Absolutely the best – The hotel, the staff, the rooms, the food, the activities were all splendid. We could have stayed here all week, but glad we had at least two days here. We really enjoyed the lake tour, getting some beautiful shots of the castle from the lake view.

Dromoland Castle – This castle was lovely as well. Since we didn’t have much time here, we choose not to eat in the “fancy” dining room and choose another restaurant on site. We didn’t want to spend all our time eating and allowed some time to walk around the grounds. I think this was a good decision.

Guinness – We would have passed on this tour if it was an option as we have been to breweries before. This felt very touristy and I understand your logic for including it in package, it just wasn’t our thing.

The National Stud & Japanese Gardens – We enjoyed hearing the horse history and learning about thoroughbreds. We really didn’t have time to tour the Japanese Gardens so I can’t comment about those.

Blarney Castle – this was a good tour. Only one of us was brave enough to kiss the stone (covid, you know), even though it was being sanitized each time. Very worthwhile stop.

Skellig Six 18 Distillery Tour – This was a startup operation and the tour was less than stellar. I would recommend this tour being removed as we would of rather had more time at the castle.

Jaunting Car Tour– This was lovely, only wish we could have actually toured the Muckross House at the end of the carriage ride.

Adare Walking Tour – The tour guide was difficult to understand (strong Irish accent) and was mostly on the main road, which was heavily covered in autos. So the accent combined with the road noise made this tour less desirable. It might be better if they had headsets (which would possibly drown out most of the road noise). It was nice to enjoy lunch in a small town cafe.

King John’s Castle – This castle was enjoyable to walk thru and try to experience life in a castle.

Connemara Crystal – We really enjoyed this stop, seeing first hand crystal carvings and made some nice purchases. One of our party even bought the piece that was demonstrated for us.

Kylemore Abbey – This castle is truly beautiful, only wish we could have seen more rooms in the castle, but understand it was “in use”.

Ailwee Cave – This was interesting and worth a quick stop. We really enjoyed the Birds of Prey demonstration.

Cliffs of Moher – Unbelievably beautiful as far as you can see. We enjoyed strolling along the edge of the cliffs.

The trip was truly a 5 star experience. I would definitely recommend Sheenco Travel to anyone looking for an Ireland trip. It was a small enough group that it was almost a private tour. We found most Irish people to be fun and very spirited. And we felt welcomed into your country by all. A truly lovely trip.

Debra Doyle, OH

Vivian Pezet, FL, Custom Chauffeur Driven, Ireland, September 2021

We just returned from our amazing trip to Ireland. The entire Sheenco team was outstanding! From accommodating all of our hotel requests to helping us connect with our driver after our flights had been delayed. We cannot say enough nice things about our driver, Jerry. He was one of the highlights of our trip. He took great care of us and was very considerate of our parents’ needs. Thank you so much for helping make my father’s dream a reality and providing such a wonderful service. I look forward to booking another trip with you soon.

Vivian Pezet, FL

Kevin Paasch, VA, Custom Chauffeur Driven, Ireland, September 2021

We had an absolute fabulous time. We enjoyed Steve our driver. He was wonderful. On a scale of 1-10, it was an absolute 10+ However, a couple of thoughts for the trip. Kinnitty Castle was a wonderful location, but the rooms were a little dated. Not sure we would go back. However, we did have a great time – one night is all someone would need or want. The wine tasting at Ashford Castle was incredible, but for the price – we only were allowed in the space for a limited period of time and the amount of wine was minimal. Other that that all else was wonderful and beyond expectations.

Kevin Paasch, VA

Katherine Mistilis, MS, Custom Chauffeur Driven, Ireland, March 2020

This trip was perhaps my favorite of all the trips I have made to Ireland with Sheenco Travel. I started traveling with this company when they were Shamrock Vacations and have made many trips since then.

Our trip started with the best, Ashford Castle, dating back to 1228 and once the home of the Guinness family. We felt like we were coming home as we were welcomed so warmly by Catherine who had been so kind to us on previous trips. Everyone was delighted with their lake view rooms and looking forward to dinner in the George V Dining Room. The dinner was exceptional and we celebrated a birthday with singing and special desserts. We spent the next day at the Castle with several activities with the favorite being Falconry. The water was too high for our boat ride. The third day was a lovely day trip with our Dapper Danny. He has been our driver on several trips and we really enjoy him. We had good weather, enjoyed several stops such as the fabulous Kylemore Abbey, Ireland’s only Fiord and Leenaun, a picturesque village. We had a delightful lunch at a favorite Castle, Ballynahinch.

The next morning some of us went on a dog walk with the Irish Wolfhounds, Cronan and Garvan. They are residents at Ashford. We left Ashford for the next 3 nights at Adare Manor. We stopped in Galway for a bit of shopping. It is a beautiful Renaissance City with cobblestone streets. We then went for lunch at a famous thatched roof cottage overlooking the Bay. We spotted a Swan across the Bay upon leaving. Galway Oysters were the specialty at this restaurant. Afterwards we went to Adare, voted the prettiest village in Ireland. The Adare Manor has undergone a 200 million restoration and it was beautifully done. Our rooms were gorgeous with views of the river and famous golf course. We enjoyed an 8 course dinner that night that was spectacular. The food presentations were beautifully done and the food perfection.

We toured with Danny the next day and stopped at a charming little fishing village en route to the Cliffs of Moher. After enjoying the Cliffs, we went to Doolin for Fish and Chips before a little turf fire. Danny had us go out in the Burren to give us a nature lesson on this unusual rocky area of Ireland. It would seem that nothing could grow in this strange terrain but surprisingly there is a great amount of vegetation between the rocks. We got back to the Castle in time to get dressed and go into the quaint little village for a delightful dinner at The Wild Geese. There was a cheery fire inside where you sat and over a beverage decide on your dinner entree. You then move into the dining room for your meal. It was a wonderful dinner and after finishing our hostess rang Adare Manor for transportation back to our Castle.

The next day was a free day and was so lovely. We went for a very interesting tour of Adare Manor and everyone enjoyed it. We saw much of the Castle from the basement wine cellar to the top of the turret where an employee was put to death by hanging. We also went to Afternoon Tea which was in the gorgeous room where our breakfast was held. The tea began with complimentary Champagne and consisted of three courses with choices of 24 teas that change with each course. It was the most fabulous tea with the most delicious food that we have ever experienced.

We reluctantly left Adare Manor for our final Castle Dromoland. Our first stop en route was at King John’s Castle in Limerick and we had a very creative self tour. It was a most interesting and informative Museum on the banks of the Shannon River. The next stop was so much fun. Any trip to Ireland is not complete without a visit to Dirty Nellie’s Pub. After a delicious meal, we went to Bunratty Castle and the Folk Park. The last stop was a spot of shopping at Blarney’s.

We arrived at Dromoland Castle and received a warm welcome. Our rooms were the largest of the three hotels and were very comfortable. Our dinner was wonderful as well. The next day, most of us visited the Spa and enjoyed the massages very much. All of the rooms had outstanding amenities. We left very early the next morning and was pleasantly surprised that a continental breakfast had been set out for us.

A special thank you to Sheenco Travel for helping my sister and me change our airline tickets to leave early and skip our plans for England. It was a weekend and difficult to get our calls through but Sheenco Travel was able to help us with the details. We needed to get home ASAP because of the Corona Virus.

We can’t thank Sheenco enough for the excellent planning for our trip. Ruth and Elaine were outstanding and were helpful in every aspect of the trip. Every detail had been thought out and their suggestions were right on. Sheenco exceeded my expectations and I would recommend them highly.

Katherine Mistilis, MS