Reviews of my Tours
The following are some of the reviews of tours I have given of the Vatican.They are actual and honest; I have not edited them. I show them here with the kind permission of the clients.
I ask people to write a short note and give me a mark out of 5 (5 being good, 1 being bad).
It is very important to me that my clients enjoy my tours and I enjoy and always remember positive clients.
If you take one of my tours, you too could be here...
Testimonials
"Dara was excellent, funny, and knowledgable. The tour guide provided wonderful insight into all the rooms, paintings, sculptures, mosaics and tapestries. His pace was very good, including humor with historic details. Even our daughter enjoyed it, and she hates museums!"
Scott Rumery - 25/11/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Our party of 3, including a 15 year old, was there on November 29, 2011, and if I could give Dara a rating higher than 'Excellent,' I would. He was personable, informative, and funny. The tour was paced well, not too fast, and not too slow. The stories Dara told us about the various paintings, rooms and sculptures were colorful and provided insight into the personalities involved at the time. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and my 15 year old stayed interested and actively involved from start to finish. Thank you so much!"
Christine - 29/11/2011 - 5 out of 5
"We enjoyed his good humor and insightfulness.
Steve Cox - 08/11/2011 - 5 out of 5
"We thought Dara struck the right balance. He was informative and injected the tour with dry humour. We felt we gained much more from the experience than we would have done had we gone under our own steam and rented an audio guide."
Lesley Reynolds - 23/11/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara was terrific, and made the tour so interesting. Very knowledgeable and entertaining. We covered so much in three hours! I would recommend it to others."
Carol Savage - 21/11/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara had a good, dry sense of humour. he was very knowledgeable and helpful. What we learnt on the tour went way beyond an offical guidebook and beyond just info about the vatican. An unmissable tour."
John Brooks - 28/10/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara was well versed in his subject, and injected humour into what could be a droll subject."
Cheryl French - 14/11/2011 - 5 out 5
"Dara has a great sense of humor and made the tour entertaining."
Chrisey - 05/11/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Really enjoyed the tour, Dara was an excellent guide with a good mix of information and wit."
Adrienne Heaney - 05/11/2011 - 5 out 5
"Dara was very informative and funny."
Haley - 28/10/2011 5 out of 5
"Dara was an exceptional guide! He was knowledgable, humorous and accommodating. Would recommend this tour to family and friends. Thanks again for the great experience."
Ross Lancaster - 27/10/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara was both informative and entertaining, even our 15 and 12 year old boys enjoyed the day immensely."
Richard Tomlinson - 22/10/2011 - 5 out 5
"Very easy to listen to - had a great light hearted way of putting the information across."
Colin Gordon - 25/10/2011 - 5 out 5
"Dara was most entertaining and informative. We would recommend this tour and Dara of course to anyone going to Rome."
Robin Smith - 17/10/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Awesome knowledge of the Vatican and its history! He made sure everyone had a great time."
Carla Avalos - 18/10/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Great tour. Dara keeps it interesting."
Carolyn mountain - 18/10/2011 - 5 out of 5
"He was very informative and very personable. He is a great and congenial guide with a very humorous slant to the austere Vatican."
Charles - 18/10/2011 - 5 out of 5
"We had a great time. Two of our group had been on a Vatican tour before and said they found Dara's tour a far better experience than the previous tour - his commentary was enlightening, as well as entertaining, and they saw things that were not covered on their prior tour."
Athena Sasso - 19/10/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Really interesting tour - Dara was also entertaining and had great stories to share."
Lindsey Stone - 15/10/2011 - 5 out 5
"Outstanding tour, Dara is great."
Dan Gll - 15/10/2011 - 5 out 5
"Excellent, informative, amusing and worth every penny."
Judith Ross - 13/10/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara was terrific. I would never have enjoyed my Vatican visit as much as I did without his commentary and guidance."
Marlene Gottheil - 13/10/2011 - 5 out of 5
"He was so great - and we are catholics so his take on the whole experience of the Vatican was colorful with another look at the whole picture. You see the Vatican as not just the site of the church but as a real treasure for the world. My daughter bought us the tour and we had only one day so this was really great."
Martha Leebolt - 29/09/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara did a fine job in bringing the Vatican to life and explaining the wonderful artifacts. I particularly liked Dara's sense of humor. He was easy to understand; and, I thought, very good at what he does. He is an asset to your company."
Sandra Brooks - 07/10/2011 - 5 out of 5
"The English speaking Irishman and his sense of humor were EXCELLENT- he made the tour an A++... you should give him a big raise !!"
Paul c johnson - 07/10/2011 - 5 out 5
This happens quite a bit - some people just cannot understand my name because it is not Anglo-Saxon! - Dara.
"Dara was fantastic good explainations with humour"
John Traynor - 06/10/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara was an excellent tour guide who brought a whole perspective to the Vatican and St Peter's. Dara was a fountain of knowledge on the tour and added an element of humour to the tour. Dara was a great guide!"
Linda and James Dickie - 29/09/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara was great."
Annette kerr - 13/09/2011 - 5 out of 5
"It was very well done - Dara was easy to understand and gave us timely breaks. The audio system was super."
Kathy - 28/09/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara was delightful! He gave great information and the added humor was a bonus. Thank you!"
Lisa S. - 06/09/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Great tour! Dara was exceptional!"
Debra Javarone - 16/09/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Great tour. Very informative. Dara was a wonderful guide."
Tracie Yostpille - 22/08/2011 - 5 out of 5
"We enjoyed our tour. Information was conveyed in a light but informative manner. Could recommend to friends."
Hilary & Scott Falconer - 20/09/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Very informative and funny. Dara made the tour exciting and fun."
Stacy McCraney - 16/09/2011 - 5 ouf of 5
"I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Dara's commentary really brought it to life and added lots of interesting details. He was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour. I also liked the radio system that allowed us to hear Dara without being glued to his side."
Pauline Lukey - 14/09/2011 - 5 out of 5
"I had a great time! The tour guide was very informative, knowledgeable, funny and pleasant."
Fiordaliza Gonzalez - 09/09/2011 - 5 out of 5
"He was great had a good sense of humour."
05/08/2011 - Enrica Huston - 5 ouf of 5
"Dara was an excellet guide with lots of useful information. He made it all very interesting.
Even our 13year old enjoyed it."
Susan Chiekrie - 13/08/2011 - 5 ouf of 5
"NICE VISIT THANK YOU"
BONFANTE MONIQUE - 24/08/2011 - 5 out of 5
"The tour and Dara were fantastic."
Arshad Daud and Virisila Buadromo - 05/09/2011 - 5 out 5
"Dara was intelligent, well informed and had a nice touch of humour which made the tour extra special.
We would never have managed to see so much if we hadn't booked the tour. First rate!"
Jane & Julian Fisher - 27/08/2011 - 5 out of 5
"This was our favorite tour because our guide was so very good -- he used humor to keep us interested -- we didn't want to miss a word. Our 15 yr old grandson rated this his favorite tour also -- just very, very good."
Jeraldine Crews - 05/08/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Very enjoyable and Dara was very knowledgeable."
Mike Mullman - 27/08/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara made the tour interesting, and was very easy to understand."
A. Pesce - 09/08/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Worth the money."
Mike - 06/08/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Great Tour"
Mark Calentino - 05/08/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara was very informative and made the tour very light hearted. We learnt a lot about what we were seeing and thoroughly enjoyed the tour."
Sharon Feiner - 24/08/2011 - 5 out 5
"Although it was very crowded at the Vatican on the day of our tour, Dara didn't lose us because he was organized and let us know exactly where he was at all times. He explained everything well and we are happy to have been on his tour."
Wendy Payne - 09/08/2011 - 5 out of 5
"I was really excited about going to the Vatican as it is one of the most famous places in Rome.
Our tourguide, Dara, was extremely knowledgable about the history of the Vatican."
Lynda - 06/08/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara was a great tour guide - extremely informative and interesting and went at exactly the right pace."
Maneka Fernando - 12/08/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Very knowledgable about the subject matter. Great sense of humor and very clear and concise about the important details."
Logan - 10/08/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Our Tour Guide was excellent. We loved his Irish humour and insights. We'd recommend him for anybody, especially from North America. Or the UK."
Rick Nihda - 12/08/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Excellent tour!"
Jean M - 02/08/2011 - 5 out of 5
"EXPENSIVE BUT WELL WORTHWHILE"
PILKINGTON - 03/08/2011 - 5 out of 5
This guy booked me through another company, booking me directly is cheaper - Dara.
"I would recommend this tour without hesitation.
At first glance one might be forgiven for thinking that the tour was quite costly however,
we never had to queue for anything and Dara was an entertaining ad very knowledgeable guide.
All in all this was great value for money."
Mike and Ann Zammit - 30/07/2011 - 5 out of 5
"My girlfriend and I really enjoyed the tour. Dara obviously knew a lot about the Vatican and the whole experience was made more interesting by his jokes and facts. Highly recommended tour!"
Stephen Kelly - 21/07/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Very informative and good use of time available."
Margaret Jennings - 28/07/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Very informative and entertaining. A real pleasure."
John Nowoselski - 21/07/2011 - 5 out of 5
"My advice is that tour this is a "must". Having done several guided tours while in Italy a "native" English speaker makes a huge difference."
Cyna Khalily - 25/07/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara was the best guide we had during our entire tour of 4 countries. His wit and knowledge made the tour very enjoyable and informative."
Sam Keller - 14/07/2011 - 5 out 5
"It was the best tour that we took out of the 15 tours that we attended across 7 cities."
Caroline - 14/07/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara did a good job !"
Thomas + Andrea - 22/07/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Our tour guide was knowledgeable and entertaining."
Sherri Maugur - 06/07/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara had a great sense of humour which was refreshing when you are visiting "stuffy" old institutions, beautiful as they are."
Stuart Blackie - 06/07/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Our guide, Dara, was very informative, easy to understand and had a very pleasing sense of humour.
We were not rushed and our questions were answered. The hear devices worked well. I would not have done the Vatican any other way and would highly recommend this tour."
Heidi Barberio - 27/05/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Although it was extremely hot and crowded Dara was an exceptional guide and kept the humor light, we definately enjoyed his humorous outlook on the whole history of the Vatican and his indepth knowledge of it."
David & Cindy Lawson - 27/05/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Very amusing guy, made us feel very comfortable and safe. He seemed to have a lot of knowledge of each area as well as specific details in the paintings themselves! Great sense of humour as some of the content could have been very dry....."
Eleonor Wilson - 25/06/2011 - 5 out 5
"He was very witty...He made it fun."
Theresa westgard - 21/06/2011 - 5 out 5
"Tour was very good - guide was very knowledgeable and enertaining."
Susan Aslett - 17/06/2011 - 5 out of 5
"We really liked the night tour and Dara was very entertaining and informative.
He also was helpful in getting to our bus stop home."
tiffany quy - 20/05/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara told a story so well that it was like he was there and not just reading from a script.
I would recommend anyone to take this tour with him."
Thomas Guyton - 17/06/2011 - 5 out of 5
"We learned so much from Dara. He was very knowledgeable yet added his lovely Irish wit to everything.
He was also very accommodating to the group, finding shade when we were in the courtyard."
Tom & Dianne Goff - 20/06/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara was awesome. He was very knowledgeable and sprinkled in a few jokes to keep it interesting
(not that it wasn't interesting by itself). I thought the night tour would be a little less crowded,
but there were still a lot of people in the building. Still, it was a great tour."
Eric Gisler - 17/06/2011 - 5 out of 5
"He was one of the best tour guides I have ever had in my life - and I have been on many group tours.
His humor was the best addition to his information. I find myself able to repeat stories with facts
because I remember the humorous comments. He has got to be one of your best! I'm grateful we ended up on his tour."
Sister Phyllis Esposito - 16/06/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara was great. Knew his info and delivered it with an amusing twist. Great Job Dara!"
Cleo Tanko - 11/06/2011 - 5 out of 5
"First of all, booking in advance saved time and money. If I'd had to queue I would have given up!
Dara was very thoughful, knowledgeable and entertaining."
Veronica McCreadie - 08/06/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara was excellent. He was well informed, and keep the discussion always interesting.
It would not had been a pleasant experience without a guide and the explanations about the Vatican.
Also, avoiding those long lines was a real plus."
Jane Goesch - 03/06/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Dara was absolutely fantastic. Very knowledgeable and humorous.
Kept things moving at a perfect pace, while taking time to highlight the most important aspects of the current feature. Would highly recommend and do again - so much to cover even in 3 hours."
Kyle & Steph - 07/06/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Great tour and tour guide! Very informative and interesting.
It was nice to have the short break in the middle to use the restrooms, get food, or just rest.
It was a good pace and just the right amount of information. I would recommend it to others."
Lynn Swiggum - 07/06/2011 - 5 out of 5
"I just wanted to thank your staff for such fantastic tour this week.
Dara was a fantastic Vatican guide and very engaging. It is obvious that they all enjoy their work
and have a true love for the subject. He really brought the history of Rome to life for us.
It was the highlight of our trip!"
Veronica McCreadie - 08/06/2011 - 5 out of 5
"This was a great tour. We loved it."
Adrienne and Donald Mann - 13/05/2011 - 5 out of 5
"I thought Dara made the tour interesting and his witty humor was a nice change.
It was also great that I could understand him so well."
Aimee Zabrin - 03/06/2011 - 5 out of 5
"I really enjoyed the tour and Dara's dry sense of humour. Very informative. Good stuff!"
Craig Rogers - 06/05/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Just the right amount of information gently interspersed with humour."
Aled Jones - 27/05/2011 - 5 out of 5
"Our guide, Dara, was excellent. He was entertaining and informative."
Steve and Ro Sunshine - 09/11/2010 - 5 out of 5
"All four people in my group thoroughly enjoyed the information and explanations that our wonderful tour guide demonstated to us. His knowledge and enthusiasm for his subject-matter was quite evident throughout his entire presentation. He was very personable and we certainly went away knowing a great deal about the real inside stories concerning the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and Michelangelo. Loved the whole tour very, very much and will reccommend it to all our friends who visit Rome."
Sheryl and Ronald Klein ; Connie and Roger Martel - 08/11/2010 - 5 out of 5
"The whole experience was terrific.
Dara added a lot of insight into the Vatican that we had no knowledge of prior to this tour.
His use of pithy details and humor made this tour very interesting and memorable.
He also had a lot of insight into tour groups and their need for frequent rest stops and water breaks.
Even though the tour was lengthy, our time went very quickly.
We consider Dara to be the very best leader of any of the 6 tours we took during our time in Europe."
Cecil and Karen Memory - 04/11/2010 - 5 out of 5
"Dara was great--we enjoyed his tour of the Vatican, and learned so much.
He was insightful, clever and warm. I found the use of the personal receivers to be a great bonus.
With Dara speaking into his transmitter, we could hear his commentary just fine even though there were hundreds of other people in the area. It also allowed us to be able to step away if we wanted to look closer at an exhibit without losing his narrative.
Highly recommend this tour company."
Paula & Tom Wuori - 04/11/2010 - 5 out of 5
(These people booked me through a company which provides radios)
"Informative and pleasant."
Bill Marks - 03/11/2010 - 5 out of 5
"A really good and informative tour."
John Lubbock - 29/10/2010 - 5 out of 5
"I was incredibly impressed with Dara's knowledge and the tour given.
I have even purchased a book about the art of the Sistine Chapel in order to develop my knowledge!!
Very impressed and would highly recommend."
Lisa McMonagle - 24/06/2009 - 5 out 5
"Excellent tour.
Our guide was wonderful and really cared about everything.
Dara was great . .... very knowledeable and answered all questions. Very nice."
Peggy Collias - 01/07/2009 - 5 out of 5
"Dara did a fantastic job.
His sense of humor was a definite plus and kept us all engaged."
Roger Koppy - 03/07/2009 - 5 out of 5
"Worth every penny."
Scott Kalkin - 04/07/2009 - 5 out of 5
"Dara was very informative."
Jeff Kennedy - 05/07/2009 - 5 out of 5
"My husband and I went on the tour and enjoyed it very much.
It was very professional."
Marianne Sweeney - 13/07/2009 - 5 out of 5
"Our tour guide Dara was very informative and knew the history of all the statues and art paintings and frescoes on the walls and ceilings. We are very glad we took this guided tour. We would not have known what we were looking at.
Excellent work to Dara. Thanks!"
Katherine R. Yazzie - 14/07/2009 - 5 out of 5
"Dara was amazing. Very funny and he knew his stuff!!!"
Andrea Green - 14/07/2009 - 5 out of 5
"I don't know how people go to the Vatican without a guided tour.
There is no other way of doing it. Our guide was incredibly informed and very intelligent.
I learnt so much with this tour! He was amazing and there is no complaint to be made.
On a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being the highest), he ranks at a 10+. :-)
Thank you for making our Vatican tour the best!"
Melissa Kelly - 15/07/2009 - 5 out of 5
"Dara made the whole foot pounding experience very interesting with a touch of humour thrown in for good measure. Without him pointing out things on the way we would have missed a lot. My teenage daughter was not looking forward to the tour, but afterwards she commented on how much she got out of it and found it very funny."
Mr Parlour - 18/07/2009 - 5 out of 5
"Dara was very informative and interesting. He made the tour very successful.
We recommended that some collegues we were later meeting book their tour with you.
Steven Hardin - 20/07/2009 - 5 out of 5
"What a funny guy! Truly enjoyed the commentary whether it was related or not!
He is a great tour guide, super personality!"
Melissa Laycock - 23/07/2009 - 5 out of 5
"Very friendly and nice tour guide. Had a lot of knowledge and was presenting it in an efficient and enjoyable manner. Answered all questions to our satisfaction. We have enjoyed the tour very, very much.
We will recommend this tour to our friends.
M.G (Fred) Drotskie - 23/07/2009 - 5 out of 5
"Thank you for providing a wonderful tour of the Vatican - with special thanks to Dara who was an outstanding guide!"
Mr. Simon Harris - 25/07/2009 - 5 out of 5
"Our guide was fantastic, really bought everything alive!"
Sacha Hitchings - 24/07/2009 - 5 out of 5
"The tour was great and we loved our tour guide. The tour was informative and entertaining.
Our Vatican experience was greatly enhanced by having this tour and it was definitely worth it.
Thank you Dara!"
Ryan - 03/08/2009 - 5 out of 5
Don't want a tour,
but appreciate the info?
but appreciate the info?