Irish Cycling Safaris

[oldbikah]

Anyone have any experience with the company called Irish Cycling Safaris?
I have emailed them twice looking for info about joining a group tour, but they do not answer. The seem to be an old company, have good prices, but.........

[DeniseGoldberg]

Personally I wouldn't do business with a company that didn't reply in a timely manner. That lack of response makes me suspect that their customer service isn't at a level that I would accept.

There are other options for touring Ireland too.

I did a trip there back in 2003 (you can see my journal at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journ...ise2003ireland if you're interested in my experience). My tour was solo & self-supported, but I had Tony Boyd of http://www.irondonkey.com plan the trip for me. That was my lazy approach to trip planning (or non-planning) that year. I had a really good experience with them, from emails requesting info and full of questions that were answered quickly, to getting references (I think I talked to one couple for over an hour about their experiences), to a phone call with Tony before I made my final decision.

Iron Donkey arranges tours like the one that I took on my own - but they also run supported tours. It's probably worth checking their web site out to see if one of their supported tours goes where you want to wander.

I can't remember who it is, but at least one other forum participant also had a good experience with Iron Donkey. Maybe she'll chime in...

--- Denise

[oldbikah]

Of course, that is true--no reply is a blot on customer service. I had not intended to sign up with them, but was asking more to hear about the experiences of anyone else. Iron Donkey was quick with a reply; I had contacted them as well. Thanks for the response, though.

[remigo]

Excuse me for jumping in so very late to this thread, but I just wanted to put up a little defence for Irish Safaris. That's run by the shop that I bought my lovely commuter bike and they provided an excellent sales & after-sales service.
Can I ask - did you just email them, and not phone? As someone who will always prefer to dash off an email, rather than pick up the phone, I am frequently disappointed in receiving replies till I make the call.
Hope you have a wonderful time in Ireland, and if you have any questions for an Irish woman, I'll do my best to write back!

[VenusdeVelo]

I contacted Irish cycling Safaris about 2 yrs ago or so regarding their tours. We ended up not going as we wanted a fully supported ride (with guide etc.) but I have to say they were the nicest people. They provided me with tons of info, info about the different locales in Ireland, and just genuinely sweet, friendly people. Of course, I love the Irish -- I find them great. We did most of our conversing on email, a little by phone.