A few of us were discussing Monaco and F1 travel in another thread, and I thought travel might be a nice, separate discussion, that met the new rules.

We are planning to go to Ireland, and could use some suggestions. We know about the big stuff like the Cliffs of Moher, Trinity College, Guinness. and the Causeway, but we were wondering about some of the more cultural, historic off beat spots and where to stay?

Looking back on our trips, our bests were New Zealand and Sicily, for very different reasons. New Zealand is an outdoor lover's dream, with dramatic landscapes and beautiful settings, some Maori culture, and we took in an All Blacks match against Australia which must be like going to a late round FIFA match. Food is okay, they have a decent wine region (not nearly as good as say Sonoma/Napa). The people are very out-going, like to do outdoor things, and are a lot of fun. Mother Nature herself makes this a bucket list location

Sicliy has been conquered by just about everyone and therefore has unparalleled cultural and food depth. On the south of the Island there are African influences and the in the North, Norman and Spanish influences. There are dramatic and in tact Greek, Roman and other civilization ruins (use guides), dramatic landscapes (climbing or just driving Mt. Etna above charming Taormina, with its lunar landscapes and views of the world is a must). There are great beaches and resorts, cities that are hilltop gems, a lot of Baroque glitter (the Norman and Spanish Churches in Palermo have more gold and jewelry than anywhere else I have been been), not to mention tons of art. I could go on - there is just a ton of stuff to see.

The food is different (and I found generally better) that mainland Italy- yes I did say that. There are 24 Michelin star restaurants for you foodies, at least one in every town of any size, and the food varies by region. Besides diverse cultural stuff, there is the Costa Nostra and it's history. Sicily is inexpensive and thus you see a lot of college age tourists in the larger beach cities during summer. Summer is hot, so unless your college age or looking to connect, go during spring or fall.

So everyone, what were dream travels?

I was in Ireland for a week. Dublin is fine but it's basically another big city IMO. The Guinness tour was interesting and the view from the top is cool. Theres a place in Dublin that is the oldest pub in Ireland. I can't remember the name. It was fun to go there. Also, there is an upscale restaurant that I also don't remember the name of, but I believe it's in a building that used to be a bank. It's worth going to if you tire of fish and chips.

We spent most of our time using Killarney as a base then using a driver to get to SW region golf courses. I absolutely love Killarney. Small enough that it is almost like a rural village but big enough that it's not. From Killarney there's a million castles and other things of local historical import that I loved.

Be aware that the Irish love America and Americans. It's an easy trip in that sense. One last final tip. When I went, you could fly direct from San Francisco to Dublin and you could clear US customs in Dublin on the return home. That was pretty excellent.