On the Road with Reid: 'Round Ireland on Four Wheels (cont'd)

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When I say "castle," I don't mean just some glorified big, old stone house. These are the real McCoy—imposing, rambling piles of glowering stone fortress, each hundreds of years old and fitted with battlements and turrets and sometimes even protective moats.

There are three Irish castles from which to choose, and luckily all have Web sites so you can scope them out yourself: The massive-yet-genteel 18th-century Adare Manor (www.adaremanor.com) with its Robert Trent Jones, Sr. golf course; the enormous and medievally evocative 1228 Ashford Castle (www.ashford.ie), and the Ashford's 1543 cousin Dromoland Castle (www.dromoland.ie).

Sceptre remains the price champ when it comes to the basic package, but if you want more wiggle room or to stay longer, some of its competitors such as CIE Tours (www.cietours.com) or Brendan Worldwide Vacations (www.brendanvacations.com) might work out best for you. Though the castle upgrade and some other options are pretty standard at all, each company throws in different little extras and discounts, so peruse the offerings at several before picking which one best suits your plans and needs.

By the way, if fully guided tours are your thing—though in a country as familiar-seeming as Ireland where everyone speaks English (well, sort of) is an easy one to do on your own—all the companies mentioned above do well-regarded bus tours of varying lengths and themes that start at just a but more than $100 per person per day.

For something to put a bit more spring in your touring step, the Canadian outfit Active Journeys (www.activejourneys.com) is offering a series of fantastic-sounding guided hiking tours that last eight days/seven nights and cost $725 to $930 including accommodations, breakfasts, some lunches, the guide, and support staff.

Copyright © 2003 by Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc.