Paula Albers
Published October 2026
Ireland feels homely and warm. It has a heart and character you need to experience firsthand to fully appreciate. Beyond the scenery and the castles, it is the hospitality, the local stories and the people that stay with you.
I spent just over a week in Northern Ireland and Ireland as a guest of Tourism Ireland on a travel industry familiarisation trip, or famil. These are working trips. We stay in the hotels, try the experiences and meet the people who run them, so that when I recommend something I am speaking from experience and not from a brochure.
It started fast. I landed in Dublin around lunchtime after two flights from Brisbane and by mid-afternoon I was standing in front of the Iron Throne. Three very full days in Northern Ireland followed, then the west of Ireland, the Midlands and Dublin. This is what we did, what stood out and what it means if you are planning your own trip.
Our route, with each stop numbered in the order we visited. Tap the map to see it full size.
The Game of Thrones Studio Tour was our first stop. It is housed at one of the show’s original filming locations, about midway between Belfast and Dublin. That makes it an easy stop on the drive north. You walk through original sets, costumes, weapons and props from the series. We had a little over an hour there.
From there it was on to Belfast, a quick check-in at the AC Hotel and straight out to dinner at the Morning Star. It is a pub tucked down a laneway in the city centre and we were entertained with traditional music over dinner.
Saturday started at St George’s Market with a Taste & Tour food walk through the market and the city centre. One of the tastings was smoked salmon on brown bread with Abernethy butter, Sawers chilli jam and Irish Black Butter, a dark spread made with Armagh Bramley apples, cider and spices. Sawers has been trading in Belfast since 1897 and the cheese counter is worth a look on its own. A food tour on your first morning is one of the best ways to get your bearings in a new city.
The Iron Throne, a tasting on the Belfast food tour and the cheese counter at Sawers.
Then came Titanic Belfast. The building stands on the slipways where the ship was built and the galleries take you from the shipyard through to the sinking. The original artefacts are what stay with you. They include a lifejacket and the violin that belonged to bandmaster Wallace Hartley.
Titanic Belfast, Wallace Hartley’s violin, the galleries inside and an original lifejacket.
Lunch was at the Titanic Hotel, the former headquarters of shipbuilder Harland & Wolff.
The Gobbins got a genuine “woah” from me. It is a guided walk along the cliffs at Islandmagee, across bridges, through tunnels and down stairs cut into the rock, with the Irish Sea right beside you. The path first opened in 1902 and has since been restored.
You cannot just turn up. The path is only open on a guided tour, which leaves from the visitor centre and has to be booked ahead on The Gobbins website or by phone. It is a proper walk, so you wear a helmet and need sturdy walking boots. Children under 1.2 metres cannot take part. We had blue sky for it and the views along the cliff face were worth every step.
On The Gobbins cliff path.
From there we followed the Causeway Coastal Route north, with a stop at Dunluce Castle for photos and a view of the coastline, to Portrush for a night at the Adelphi. Dinner was at the Bushmills Inn.
Dunluce Castle and the coastline beside it.
The Adelphi in Portrush and the Bushmills Inn at dusk.
Sunday morning was the Giant’s Causeway. It was wet and windy and it made no difference. Around 40,000 basalt columns step down into the sea here, formed by volcanic activity about 60 million years ago. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A wet and windy morning at the Giant’s Causeway.
Afterwards we warmed up over a hosted morning tea at The Causeway Hotel, which sits right beside the Causeway.
Morning tea at The Causeway Hotel: the table set for us, our group, the room and tea and scones.
From the north coast we drove to County Fermanagh, the lake country in the south-west of Northern Ireland. In Enniskillen we boarded the Erne Water Taxi, a fully electric boat, for a cruise around the islands.
Enniskillen Castle and the views from the Erne Water Taxi.
Next was a tour and tasting at the Boatyard Distillery on the shore of Lower Lough Erne, where you can arrive by boat as easily as by car.
The still, a tasting and our group at the Boatyard Distillery.
Then jeeps took us out to the Cuilcagh Boardwalk, better known as the Stairway to Heaven. The boardwalk was built to protect the blanket bog beneath it, a rare and fragile landscape that walkers were wearing away. It finishes with 450 steps up the mountain. We had time for a taste of it in the late afternoon sun, which was enough to see why people make the trip. Note: Getting the jeep up is not a standard experience, those who want to see this will need to do the 3-4hrs return hike
Cuilcagh Mountain Park: our 4×4 Jeep transfer into the boardwalk, our group on the boardwalk, and a cow beside the track.
We stayed at Lough Erne Resort, a five-star golf resort that hosted world leaders for the G8 Summit in 2013. We were hosted for a wonderful dinner at the Catalina Restaurant. The next morning we zipped around the grounds in golf buggies for a full tour of the property.
Lough Erne Resort: the entrance and the lounge.
Dinner at the Catalina Restaurant: the table set with the menu, a canapé, the scallop course, the main course and dessert.
The spa at Lough Erne Resort: the pool, the steam room, the sauna looking out to the pool and the hot tub.
The grounds: looking across to the water, the golf buggy tour and our group out on the course.
Northern Ireland deserves real time in an itinerary. The history, scenery and activities could easily fill much more than three days.
After leaving Northern Ireland we crossed into the Republic and made our way down to Westport, a gorgeous coastal town in County Mayo. We explored the town with Westport Walking Tours, I tried my first Guinness and even managed a wee spot of shopping in our first bit of free time since landing. Dinner was at JJ O’Malley’s.
Westport town, one of its pubs and a mural of Grace O’Malley, the Pirate Queen.
We stayed at The Grace Hotel Westport Estate, a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. It sits on 430 acres yet is still within easy walking distance of town. Seeing a new property like this in person tells me who it will suit in a way a website cannot.
The Grace Hotel Westport Estate: the entrance, a welcome plate and the lounge.
Inside The Grace Hotel, Westport.
After checking out we headed into Connemara to visit DK Connemara Oysters on Ballinakill Bay, where oysters have been farmed since 1893. We learnt all about how they grow them, which takes three years from seed to plate. It was so interesting to see where they come from and hear it from the people who do the work.
Then it was time to zoom off to Kylemore Abbey for a guided tour. It was built in 1868 as a private castle and has been home to a community of Benedictine nuns since 1920. We almost got blown away. The wind was wild.
Connemara, the oysters at DK Connemara Oysters and Kylemore Abbey.
Kylemore Abbey: our group outside, the dining room, more of the rooms inside and the walled garden.
From there we made our way to Ballynahinch Castle for the night and… woah. Just woah.
Ballynahinch Castle from across the river, and the ivy turning red on its walls.
The castle dates from 1756 and sits on 700 acres, with 48 rooms, fireplaces around every corner and a wonderful atmosphere. We were hosted for a fine-dining dinner in the castle’s Owenmore Restaurant and the caviar was top tier.
Ballynahinch Castle: the sign on the way in, the front door, the library, a room, the river from the windows and the caviar course at dinner.
One of my highlights of the whole trip was the sauna down by the lake. You take a golf buggy to get there, which somehow made it even better. Of course I followed the sauna with a freezing cold plunge into the lake to really enhance the “wellness” experience.
Meeting the horses at Ballynahinch, then the woodland sauna by the lake, outside and in.
Ballynahinch is one of those places I will never forget. It is somewhere to settle into and enjoy, not simply a bed for the night.
Around the estate of Ballynahinch Castle
After Connemara we continued towards Galway, stopping at Ashford Castle for a hosted lunch in the George V Dining Room. The castle dates back to 1228 and was once home to the Guinness family. A site inspection of the rooms and grounds followed, then a spot of clay pigeon shooting, which was such a fun experience. It was a good reminder to look beyond the room when choosing a hotel. The dining, grounds and activities matter just as much.
Arriving at Ashford Castle, the interiors and lunch set in the George V Dining Room.
The Kennedy Suite at Ashford Castle, the wine cellar, and clay pigeon shooting with Ashford Outdoors.
That afternoon we arrived in Galway city and joined a Stroll to the Stout walking tour, which mixes local stories with the chance to pour your own pint. I poured my first Guinness and tried Guinness pie. We stayed the night at The Hardiman.
Pouring my first Guinness on the Stroll to the Stout tour, then out and about at The Quays.
Galway at dusk.
The next morning we visited The Hawthorn by Galway Bay for a site inspection. It opened this year as Galway’s first new five-star hotel in more than two decades and overlooks its own championship golf course and Galway Bay.
The Hawthorn by Galway Bay: the lounge, the sauna and an outdoor copper bath.
Leaving Galway we headed into the Midlands and Margaret’s Kitchen in County Roscommon, where we learnt to make traditional Irish soda bread. While our bread baked, Margaret put on a homemade lunch of honey-glazed ham, fresh salads from the garden and plenty of other homemade goodies. Sitting down to food made by a local host captures the warmth of Ireland better than any sightseeing stop.
Margaret’s Kitchen in County Roscommon: the welcome outside, the kitchen set up for us and the class under way.
A wholesome experience at Margaret’s Kitchen
My final overnight stop was Wineport Lodge, a lakeside hotel on Lough Ree, where I was lucky enough to have a lake-view suite. That evening Tourism Ireland organised a networking dinner with tour operators, hoteliers and castle owners from across Ireland.
My lakeside room at Wineport Lodge
There was simply no way we could experience everything Ireland has to offer in one week, so this was a clever way to send us home jam-packed with knowledge. It also showed how much you can miss by relying only on the big online booking sites. Some of the best experiences come through local knowledge and direct connections.
The next morning started with yet another lakeside spa experience, sauna and cold plunge included. This is wellness. And yep, apparently this is work this week.
The lakeside hot tub at Wineport Lodge.
Final stop, Dublin. With a 10pm flight I made every minute count before I headed off.
After driving in from the Midlands we boarded the Jeanie Johnston. She is a replica of the ship that carried more than 2,500 emigrants to North America across 16 voyages during the Irish Famine without losing a single life. EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum came next, then a Vintage Tea Trip around Dublin on a double-decker bus, which combines sightseeing with afternoon tea.
The Jeanie Johnston, above and below deck, then the Vintage Tea Trips bus and afternoon tea on board.
Around Dublin: The Temple Bar pub, the Guinness brewery gate and a flower stall.
With a few hours of free time before the airport there was only one way to finish: another sauna, spa and cold plunge, this time at the new Bask Thermal Spa at The Davenport. Apparently I have become accustomed to this lifestyle.
I honestly could not have imagined a more perfect ending to the most incredible trip. You can book one or two-hour Thermal Spa experiences online, so if you have a late flight like I did, this is a wonderful way to spend those last few hours in Dublin, relaxing in the pool, Himalayan salt sauna, steam room, vitality pool and cold plunge before heading to the airport feeling completely refreshed.
And with that, it was finally time to say goodbye to Ireland. What a trip.
Bask Thermal Spa at The Davenport: the pools, the Himalayan salt sauna and the way to the cold water plunge and steam cabin.
That’s a wrap on one very jam-packed week. My biggest takeaway is the variety. One itinerary can bring together city stays, coastal walks, historic sites, food experiences, golf, castle hotels and time to unwind.
It also reinforced the value of slowing down. Our days were non-stop from morning until night because that is how a famil works. For clients I would allow more time in each place. A long lunch, a chat with a local guide or an afternoon in a hotel’s grounds can end up being the highlight of the holiday.
If you are planning to drive, I have two tips. Allow more time than you think for every journey. And leave toll roads switched on in your maps app.
Having stayed in these hotels and tried these experiences myself, I can match them to your interests and travel style. I can also build an itinerary that balances the well-known sights with the things you might otherwise miss.
If Ireland or Northern Ireland is on your wish list, get in touch and we can start planning.
Thank you to Tourism Ireland and all of our hosts for a week of warm hospitality and so much knowledge to bring home.
