Testimonials
Private Tour Reviews
You would like to find out more about previous guests’ experiences before booking your customized Ireland vacation with Desmond Tours?
We create fun-filled memorable experiences for all of our guests but don’t just take our word for it! Our continuously high review scores tell you all you need to know. We are proud to have created many happy memories for previous guests. Just like one of our past guests recently said:
“You Have a Home and Family with Des in Ireland”
We strive to provide this same wonderful experience for every one of our clients.
Check out the testimonials below and view even more recent reviews on Facebook and TripAdvisor.
Happy Guests. Unforgettable Tours. Not a Single Review Under 5 Stars.
EXCELLENTVerified Delightful We had a group tour with Paul on 20 June to Kilkenny from Dublin. A group of 7. The van was clean and comfortable and the guide did an amazing job. Engaging and interesting. I highly recommend.Posted on TripadvisorVerified Best decision we made! We booked an 8 day itinerary through Desmond tours. Desmond did not disappoint. We are a family of 6 with 4 adult children. This was a once in a lifetime trip for us to travel together before the kids have family of their own. We did everything we set out to do. With the help of Des and Luisa we were able to relax enjoy the scenery and most of all enjoy our family time together with no stress!! Des is a true historian and we got so much information. The laughs were nonstop too!! He took care of all our needs and wants. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this company to anyone. If you’re thinking of a private driver reach out. All your questions will be answered promptly and thoroughly!! Thanks for a truly amazing experience!!!Posted on TripadvisorVerified Perfect trip (again)! This was our second trip with Desmond, and if we are fortunate to go again, we will schedule a third trip with him. He's knowledgeable, fun, easy to be with, and knows where to stop for delicious, local food and drink. He is very observant about his clients, so he knows what makes them happy - timing, places to see, what and when to eat. We have driven on our own several times, but riding with Desmond makes the trip much more relaxing and enjoyable. Plus you get his witty, bright commentary! I highly recommend Desmond Tours!Posted on TripadvisorVerified A Magical Day South of Dublin So happy we 3 sisters opted for a private day tour with Desmond Tours. Our driver/tour guide Brede provided expert driving and knowledgeable history and stories as we traveled through the Wicklow Mountains, toured Glendalough and wandered around and shopped in Kilkenny. Brede’s flexibility on a rainy day and selection of an excellent lunch spot, the Wicklow Heather were greatly appreciated. All in all, this tour day was the highlight of my birthday celebration in Ireland.Posted on TripadvisorVerified Trip of a lifetime!! I am so glad we came across Desmond Tours when researching for our trip! His service was top notch from start to finish! The amount of knowledge he possesses about Ireland and it’s history is absolutely incredible. Desmond has a wonderful personality and we felt comfortable from the very start! He listened to what we wanted, changed up when needed (hubby not a museum lover) and the suggestions for hotels were spot on! We felt like we were royalty being escorted around in his sweet Mercedes Benz. I cannot express enough how hiring his service 100% made our trip truly a trip of a lifetime and we feel like we have a new friend!Hope to see you again Desmond either in Ireland or the states!Posted on TripadvisorVerified One hundred thousand Thank you’s - from the Pittsburgh Crew! March 2025 Our March 2025 Ireland vacation was magical from start to finish! Traveling across Ireland from Dublin to Kilkenny to Galway showcased this beautiful country!Special recognition must be given to the our driver and educator, Desmond Phelan, owner of Desmond travel.Desmond embodied the full essence of Irish kindness, professionalism and gentlemen decorum. He shared his remarkable knowledge of Ireland’s history with delicate delight! I am truly thankful for the opportunity to see and learn the legacy of Ireland through his Irish eyes! “céad míle fáilte” - (one hundred thousand welcomes) is exactly have Desmond made our group feel!Posted on TripadvisorVerified Fantastic experience Great service to Croke park bus is very clean and lots of space I would recommend this bus for all occasions to take you where you need to go!Posted on TripadvisorVerified Fantastic A fantastic tour to Croke Park in Dublin. Luisa & Des looked after us so well. Their tour bus is clean spacious & comfortable I would highly recommend Desmond Tours.Posted on TripadvisorVerified International women’s day in croke park with Desmond Tours Thank you so much to Desmond Tours for an amazing day ,Des brought us to Croke Park Dublin for international women’s Day with network Ireland . A very enjoyable trip with lots of chat Thank you so much Anne Biddys Good Luck Horse ShoesPosted on TripadvisorVerified Outstanding customer service While we have yet to take our tour, the communication, pricing, assistance and immediate response that was offered during the planning process was outstanding! We look forward to touring with this company!
EXCELLENTTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. This was my second trip with Desmond Tours. It was another wonderful experimente. I can wholeheartedly recommend Desmond Tours. This time, we explored the areas around Dingle and Kilkenny. The landscape around the Dingle Peninsula is beautiful, and we were very lucky with the weather at the end of October. We visited many historical sites, cozy pubs and excellent restaurants, and enjoyed the breathtaking scenery. Des shared so much information about the places we visited, as well as the history and culture of Ireland. His knowledge is impressive, and his way of telling stories is absolutely entertaining. Luisa and Des are two incredibly warm, attentive, humorous, and cheerful people who went out of their way to make our trip unforgettable. Thank you so much for this amazing journey!Posted on GoogleTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I'm just back from a terrific trip to Kilkenny / Waterford with Desmond Tours. On the front end, Luisa did a terrific job understanding my interests and making suggestions. And on the ground, our driver George was flexible and knowledgeable. I feel like I learned so much (great interactions with various artisans) without any stress of figuring out how to get tickets, driving, parking etc. I'd definitely recommend them!Posted on GoogleTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. My wife and I booked a private tour with Desmond that took us from the Dingle Peninsula, where we had finished a four-day hike, to Kinsale (where we spent a night), then Kilkenny (ditto), then up to Dublin. We both liked our driver, Pat Nugent, very much—just a wonderful guy, easy to spend time with in the car and as accommodating to us and our schedule as he could possibly have been. And a really terrific driver: we always felt we were in good hands. Our limited time in Ireland kept us from seeing all the sights Pat had suggested for us, but we thoroughly enjoyed those we were able to take in. Desmond also recommended, and booked for us, hotels in Kinsale and Kilkenny, both of which were excellent. All in all, a first-rate experience.Posted on GoogleTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Desmond Tours was a wonderful company to work with, and we would highly recommend to anyone who is taking their first trip or their tenth. Cannot say enough wonderful things about Luisa and Desmon who helped us coordinate our trip from start to finish considering this was our first trip to Ireland. They are both friendly and professional. We had the pleasure of traveling through Ireland with Ambrose, and the experience exceeded our expectations. From the start of our tour, it was clear that we were in the hands of someone who not only knows Ireland inside & out but also has a passion for sharing history, culture, and hidden gems. Ambrose has the perfect balance of storytelling, humor, and practical organization. Every stop from a small town on the Dingle peninsula to touring a distillery have been wonderful experiences. What stands out is the personal touch by Ambrose to each moment of the tour which has made this trip an incredible experience leaving us with many great memories! We highly recommend Ambrose to anyone visiting Ireland!! If you want a personalized, 5 star experience instead of just ‘sightseeing’, no doubt about it that there is no better way to visit this magical place! Don’t think about it, just book it! Trust us that you will not regret it.Posted on GoogleTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Worth every penny! Our journey with Desmond tours started with a perfect initial intake call. The interest they showed in understanding what we wanted to do and what we were interested in was outstanding. Desmond tours put together a trip that was truly memorable for us. We agreed on a 6-day tour from Dublin to Galway, then south to Killarney, and then back to Dublin via an overnight stop near Kilkenny. The tour and especially our driver and guide extraordinaire did not disappoint! Desmond met and exceeded our expectations on every point. He’s a skilled driver on the narrow roads of Ireland – we were very at ease with him behind the wheel. The van is extremely comfortable and clean. But the best part was our fun, witty and extremely knowledgeable driver and guide, Desmond Phelan. Desmond proved to be a wealth of knowledge on all things Irish. We wanted to gain some understanding of Irish and church history, and see a good sampling of the Irish countryside, notable sights, and charming towns. Desmond’s itinerary was perfect. His commentary of the history added tremendous depth and detail to what we were viewing. He selected a few castles and abbeys and personally took us through them, providing commentary and stories that made what could have been just a location of ruins come to life with history. On a number of occasions, he was able to bypass the long lines and bus traffic to get us vistas that weren’t overrun with tourists. He knew the best spots and even led us to the best meals, including an incredible fresh crab roll from a food truck in a spectacular setting. Luisa was also a delight. She was extremely helpful in the planning phase. Once the itinerary was established, she provided us with a list of recommended lodging in each location. We were pleased with her recommendations. She handled all our transactions with professionalism and courtesy. We would highly recommend Desmond Tours to anyone wishing to tour Ireland in a spectacular way. You can’t go wrong.Posted on GoogleTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I wanted to go to Ireland and see it my way rather than a tour that your time is not your own. I asked a friend of mine who is from Limerick/Cork who she recommends. She came back with Desmond Tours. This is the only way I would go to Ireland now! Des was phenomenal and I am originally from NY, so I do not give compliments out just willy nilly. I had a list of things I wanted to see and do that pertained more to the countryside than the cities. Luisa is a fantastic communicator and always put my mind at ease. She set up our itinerary beautifully. We even missed a day due to an airline error and still saw everything we had on our list and more. They mapped out the trip amazingly, had excellent recommendations for hotels and places to eat. Des is an excellent driver and I was never concerned. He took care of us impeccably, always had water and always willing to help or adjust plans for us. The van was very clean. We traveled around. We started in Dublin, headed to Kilkenny, Cork, Blarney, Killarney, Kerry, Dingle, Galway, Inishmore, Achill island, Connemara, Westport, Sligo. Des added in many stops along the way and it truly added immensely to our time and enjoyment. I had a decent handle on my history but it was enriched with his knowledge. Also, he has an excellent outgoing personality, has multiple connections, has wit and humor and we had many laughs along the way. He was personable and when I left, I felt we were now family. Des and Luisa are an power team. You are in extremely good hands when you book with them. take the stress out of your trip and leave it to them. I even got to see my beloved wolfhounds as an added bonus and was thrilled when Des set that up. Take it from me, this is the way to do Ireland! The only people who should not consider going with Des and Luisa are people who are sourpusses! Have fun, laugh, enjoy the pubs, the music and go with the flow. If you want a regimented schedule, this is not for you. If you find misery easy, don't book here... :)Posted on GoogleTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Desmond and Luisa of Desmond Tours were amazing to work with. The pre-trip communication from Luisa was immediate and thoughtful. Desmond also has a is a wealth of knowledge and always willing to go the extra mile (literally!). He knows all the spots in every city/town we visited and put in thoughtful touches such as a mini Ring of Kerry excursion to fill some down time. We started as clients and ended the trip as friends. We cannot recommend Desmond Tours enough!Posted on GoogleTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. One of the people on our trip set up an awesome itinerary. He found this company through an internet search. From the onset he was super impressed with Luisa and how thorough she was with the planning and communication. After a day in Dublin on our own, Desmond greeted us and toured us to the West coast and then down the coast. Desmond is a wealth of knowledge on Ireland and it's culture. I swear he knows almost every nook and cranny... and he always knew who to talk to or give a wink at to continue to make our trip even more fantastic. Desmond is a wonderful and hilarious human being. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little concerned about being with the tour guide for 6-7 strait days... that concern was out of my mind almost immediately upon meeting him. He related to the almost 50 year old all the way down to the late teenagers making sure we all enjoyed our trip to the maximum. Without a doubt when we get back to this beautiful country we'll be ringing Desmond and Luisa to help set it up and see it through... THANKS!!!Posted on GoogleTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Our decision to use Desmond tours was the best decision that we made to have an unforgettable trip to Ireland. Our first interaction was with Luisa. She is a godsend! She took our initial request (and a lot of others) on short notice. She was so patient with me and helped answer all our questions and always was able to find a way to help us. This wasn't just before our trip but during and after. She helped get us airport transfers and had so many suggestions for what we should do in the different stops that we selected, based on our interactions. She immediately became a friend that I have never met and helped to calm me during a time that was so tense in trying to plan this trip. To say that she is welcoming, kind and genuine would be an understatement. After our first interaction with her, we knew that we wanted to use this Company in our travels and a decision that has not been regretted. Luisa paired us with Dave Marmion as our driver and our tour of Ireland was nothing short of magical, thanks to Dave. Dave was incredible and I have already started recommending him to anyone that has spoken to me about traveling to Ireland. Also, if anyone is going to Ireland for golfing, Dave is definitely your tour guide! Dave really helped to put our dreams of seeing Ireland into reality. We packed a lot into every day and his enthusiasm for what he does was very evident as he was always willing to make sure we were able to see and experience as much as we could. We also appreciated him helping us understand the rich heritage of Ireland while sharing local legends, parades and festivals. He was very welcoming, organized, professional and passionate about what he does and is very good at it. The bus we had was always very clean, spacious and comfortable. Every day, we would go through what we wanted to see, and he had some amazing additional suggestions that allowed us to see places, sites and have experiences that we didn't know existed. Dave was always committed to making sure that we had the vacation (holiday) of our dreams but was also honest with us, which I appreciated most, about which sites may not be worth our time. As we spoke about the different options, he ended up bringing us to some sights that I hadn't read in any of the Ireland recommendations, and these became some of the top favorites of our trip! Some examples were the Killarney Cliffs, the 911 Memorial, the Lusitania, the sheep dog show, Powerscourt gardens, etc. I can go on and on. He continued to go above and beyond, as he got to know our group more, to make sure that we had an exceptional experience. One example is that we had some golfers in our group, and he was able to take them to see some golf courses that we normally would not have had access to. Outside of the daily agenda, Dave provided us with extra services that we didn't even think of in the planning process. These were invaluable, such as he made arrangements for our lunches and dinners, which were always amazing and varied. He made sure that we always got group pictures and called ahead to almost any place that we were visiting to allow us to maximize our time. He really made us feel like VIPs. He was a wealth of knowledge for every type of question that we threw at him. I know that there are a lot of drivers and group tours that can be chosen, and I feel that had we had a different driver, we would have still had a great experience but feel that the experience we had was even more amazing and that was all attributable to Dave, Luisa and Desmond Tours. Our whole group was extremely impressed with him and them.Posted on GoogleTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Working with Desmond Tours was the best decision our group made! We were a party of 12- a combination of families and college friends. Luisa not only connected us with Dave for 7 days but also arranged for our airport transfers and helped answer all of our questions very quickly. Dave provided us with a clean and comfortable 14 passenger bus. He was personable, knowledgeable, punctual and flexible. He started and ended each day full of energy and somehow made our entire group completely content the whole week. Being able to alleviate the stress of navigating the island, choosing restaurants for meals and adding in hidden sight-seeing gems with fun facts everywhere we turned made having Dave invaluable. I also want to give a special note for Asher-our airport transfer driver when he arrived. He was so sweet and fully engaged with our arrival party which was myself, my Mom, husband, and daughters. He would not leave our side until he knew we were able to check in to our hotel. It was such a kind introduction to Ireland knowing we were being looked after when we were in a new country and completely jet lagged. Desmond Tours (especially Luisa!) will forever be our #1 recommendation to anyone who plans to visit Ireland and our first call when we return to see more or spend some time in our favorite villages!