I’m so excited to share this with you gals! I’ve been following for almost three years and have learned so much from you. This was our biggest trip yet on points, and we’ve taken many in the past three years.

Magical Trip to Ireland

We stayed in five different cities and towns while in Ireland for two weeks: Dublin, Kilkenny, Killarney, Doolin, and Galway—all on points! Our travel dates were May 3 through May 17, 2025. I started booking and planning in May 2024 (because I’m a planner and organizer at heart).

This was a bucket-list trip for my husband and me, made possible only by points! And being able to get there in business class was a plus!! Being part of the “Business Class Club” was a long-term goal, and achieving it after only two years in the hobby was a major win. 

Ireland is one of my top three countries we’ve visited: the scenery, the food, the vibe, the people. And we got lucky not getting a drop of rain, which meant we got to do everything on our itinerary.

Points/Cards Used

• Chase Ultimate Rewards® acquired through various business credit card welcome offers.
• American Express® Gold Card
• American Express Platinum Card®
• Marriott Bonvoy points
• Capital One Venture Miles (leftover points and the card we used when not working on bonuses to accumulate enough points for cash lodging)

Flights

Our departing flight was LAX to Dublin with a layover in Paris on Air France. We flew in business class for 55K Flying Blue miles each, transferred from American Express. We also paid $223 in taxes for each ticket. The cash value of the flight was $5,000.

It was our first business-class experience, and it was wonderful! We had our welcome champagne, followed by a four-course dinner and breakfast. I gobbled everything up, even if I wasn’t sure what it was, because it was that good. We had access to the lounges in LAX and Paris. The lounge food wasn’t great, but the drinks were. We also enjoyed the sleeping pods in Paris since my husband didn’t sleep much on the flight. 

The return flight was from Shannon to LAX with a layover in Newark. We flew on a United flight in economy for 41.2k United miles and $48.60 each. The cash value of the flight was $1,212 each. We used Chase Ultimate Rewards® to book these flights.

Lodging

Dublin

We stayed at the Hyatt Centric The Liberties for three nights, totaling 45K Hyatt points (transferred from Chase). The cash value was $1,213. We were upgraded to a family deluxe room with no view other than the side building.

The hotel was beautiful. We’ve stayed at other Centrics, and I love their décor. The location was perfect. We walked everywhere we needed to go without using Uber or public transportation apart from going from the airport to the hotel, which was easy and cost us €35. Breakfast at the hotel was included since we used a Guest of Honor award, and it was delicious! I believe the cash cost for breakfast was €15, which isn’t bad.

Kilkenny

We stayed at the Mount Juliet Estate using Marriott points. We used two free-night certificates plus 8,000 Marriott points. The cash value was $835. We were upgraded to their Manor House Executive King room. 

Breakfast was included with our stay since my husband has status through a Marriott credit card, and their breakfast was amazing. It felt like I was on the set of Bridgerton. The views from their breakfast room were stunning and so beautiful they almost looked fake. The entire grounds actually felt like Bridgerton! 

We didn’t leave the grounds for the entire stay because there was so much to do, and it was just gorgeous! We went horseback riding, fished, played golf, ate fancy dinner, had some drinks at the bar, ate lunch after golfing, went on bike rides, took evening strolls, and played games in their sitting rooms. It was beyond anything I could have imagined, and our stay was free! We obviously took full advantage of our stay, and we were also able to check out late, at 2 pm, since we have the Marriott card. This was my favorite stay in Ireland.

Killarney

We stayed at The Lake Hotel in Killarney for three nights and paid $795 on a Capital One credit card. The cost included a buffet breakfast. We used the Capital One travel eraser to cover the hotel cost with points.

This was a beautiful hotel on the lake in Killarney National Park. We rented bikes across the street and visited Torc Falls, Muckross Abbey, and Muckross Castle. The views were stunning whichever way you turned.

The following day we drove to Gap of Dunloe, parked at the start of the road, and took a horse carriage up the three-mile road . . . STUNNING!    

We stayed at Sheedy’s B&B for two nights, putting the cost on a Capital One card. It was $450, but then we used the travel eraser to cover it.

Doolin was the cutest small village we stayed at! The B&B was clean, spacious, and modern. And the owners’ dog, Birtie, was the highlight of our stay; he’s a literal teddy bear. 

Galway

In Galway, we stayed at Petra’s House B&B for three nights, spending $550, including breakfast. Again, we used the Capital One travel eraser to erase that cost with points.

This was our least favorite stay, only because we had been spoiled by how amazing our other stays were in terms of accommodations and food. It was a convenient location, with a safe, easy walk to the town center, so it worked out. 

We were also able to visit all these towns because we rented a car and my husband drove. Driving was also part of the adventure! Thank you for everything you share so we can travel nearly free!