Based in Co. Leitrim

Claire Maher

It's Nice To Meet You

Thank you for visiting my Travel Counsellors page!

Travel and adventure are my passion. I have almost 20 years’ experience in the travel industry and am very fortunate to have travelled to some amazing destinations in over 50 countries. Some of my most memorable experiences include snorkelling with giant turtles, sea lions and sharks in the Galapagos Islands, sky diving over the Great Barrier Reef, seeing the Big 5 on safari in Kenya, travelling on the Trans-Mongolian railway, climbing the Great Wall of China, trekking the Inca Trail in Peru and spending our honeymoon in a beautiful water villa in the Maldives. I also had the opportunity to travel around the Mediterranean whilst working on board a Cruise Ship.

I believe that booking your holiday should be an exciting and enjoyable experience and your honeymoon especially, should be one of the most memorable and magical trips you take. As your own personal Travel Counsellor who has specialised in honeymoons and longhaul travel for many years, I can take care of all your travel needs and create the perfect bespoke trip. My personal commitment to you is that I will ensure the holiday we create together will surpass your expectations and create amazing memories!

Being part of an award winning international company means I have access to some of the best rates in the industry and as Travel Counsellors are licensed and bonded by the Commission for Aviation Regulation, your money is completely safe.

I provide a personal travel service which is unrivalled and am available at a time that best suits your needs, 7 days a week. So, whether you are searching for that perfect honeymoon destination, a family adventure or a Caribbean cruise, please get in touch and let me turn your holiday dreams into reality.

Best wishes,

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Contact Me

Whatever your holiday needs I'm here to help you, so simply give me a call or send me an email with your contact details on and I can get things started for you:

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My Videos

Elephant Hills, Thailand

10/14/2021

Once in a lifetime experience at Elephant Hills, Khao Sok National Park, Thailand

Lapland

10/14/2021

Magical moments in Lapland

ICELAND

10/14/2021

Adventure to Iceland!

My Blog

I absolutely live and breathe travel and I love to write about my experiences! Please take a look through my posts - you might find your own holiday inspiration.

Zighy Bay

02 December 2018

This holiday has to have been one of my favourite trips ever! Having previously honeymooned in another Six Senses resort in the Maldives, we had high expectations and Six Senses Zighy Bay did not disappoint! We flew direct from Dublin to Abu Dhabi as we had planned a two-centre holiday – Zighy Bay in Oman first and then onto Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. The drive from Abu Dhabi to Zighy Bay is approximately 3 and a half hours (only 2 hours from Dubai) but as soon as our driver got on the road, we were glued to the window admiring the vast Arabian Peninsula and the journey flew by! Six Senses Zighy Bay is a hidden gem located on Oman’s northern Musandam Peninsula. Due to its unique location, guests have the choice of 3 arrival experiences - The dramatic 4x4 drive down from the top of the hill overlooking the bay is the usual choice for guests but for a supplementary charge, you can take a scenic 15-minute speedboat trip from a nearby port or for the ultimate arrival experience, they can paraglide in! Did I do this? No, as I was 6 months pregnant and I don’t think the paraglide would have been able to hold me up, even if it did, I think I would have looked more like a small elephant paragliding into the resort and somehow, I don’t quite think that this was the image Zighy Bay was looking for! The scenery here is truly breath-taking as you have dramatic mountains on one side of the resort and a mile-long powdery beach on the other along, with stunning views of the majestic Gulf of Oman in front of you. What more could you ask for?! Zighy Bay has 82 family friendly private villas (different sizes and prices). We were lucky enough to stay in one of the amazing beachfront pool villas which had its own private pool, very spacious outdoor lounge/dining area and direct access onto the beach. Our 18-month-old loved the Omani hut, it was her own little hideout and as it was in the shade, it was a great escape from the midday sun. Each villa comes with its own bicycles, which is a great way to get around. If you don’t fancy walking or hopping on the bicycle you can always call your own private butler to come and collect you in the buggy and chauffeur you to your destination (which is probably only a 5 minutes’ walk from your villa but being pregnant I did call on her once!) There are lots of excellent dining options and of course the stunning mountaintop Sense on the Edge restaurant is a must (please note this is only open Wednesday-Sunday and pre-booking is essential). Zighy Bar is very chilled with its happy hour referred to as the “no rush hour” from 9:30pm-midnight. I have to admit that with a toddler in tow, we were in bed early most nights, so we didn’t get to avail of the no rush hour too much! However, one night we did book a babysitter and went to the cinema on the beach where we relaxed under the stars, ate popcorn and watched Ferris Buellers day off! There is a kid’s club and a teens club which will keep the children entertained (very important!). We brought our little girl to the kid’s club where she did lots of arts and crafts and some activities. Happy toddler = happy parents! Babysitting is also available. Guests can avail of a range of experiences whether it’s mountain biking, paragliding, snorkelling, hiking diving, a sunset Dhow cruise or a pampering session at their award-winning spa, you won’t be stuck for things to do. My husband decided to try the micro lighting which he said was amazing and the views were breath-taking, although it wasn’t so amazing for me to watch him, how I didn’t go into early labour then I’ll never know! Service throughout the resort is relaxed but excellent. Six Senses Zighy Bay is the ideal destination for families and couples – whether it’s a honeymoon or a special occasion, a holiday here will be truly one you will always remember. After 5 days here, it was time for us to leave. Would I return? In a heartbeat!

Paradise in the Maldives

18 October 2018

When it came to our honeymoon, we had decided on a 3 centre holiday, combining the Maldives with Chiang Mai and Khao Lak in Thailand. The first stop on our honeymoon was to the eco-friendly Gili Lankanfushi resort in the Maldives which was formerly known as Six Senses Soneva Gili. Upon arrival at Male International Airport we were welcomed by the resort staff and taken to our comfy speedboat. The resort has a “no news, no shoes” philosophy so while on board the speedboat our host offered to take our shoes along with our luggage and that was the last time we wore shoes for the week, even at dinner! Of course, you can wear shoes if you like but we loved the barefoot luxury of Gili Lankanfushi. The location of the resort is a huge advantage as some resorts involve a seaplane transfer which only operate in daylight hours so depending on the arrival time of your international flight, you may be required to overnight in Male on your arrival or departure day. Within 15-20 minutes of boarding our speedboat we arrived at Gili Lankanfushi. Arriving here is like arriving in paradise! The scenery is breathtaking. Powdery white beaches, lush tropical vegetation with plenty of palm trees, and turquoise, clear waters in the stunning lagoon. The staff here are absolutely fantastic and so attentive but not intrusive. Upon arrival at the island, you will be met by the general manager and your personal butler, called “Mr or Ms Friday” (in line with the Robinson Crusoë ambiance of the island). Whenever you need something during your stay, you just press a button on the villa phone and it will connect you directly to your Mr./Ms. Friday. The Fridays will also be there to wave you off when you leave (something you will be reluctant to do). All 45 overwater villas are massive, amongst the largest in the world, and come in 4 categories; villa suites, residences, Crusoe residences and the Private reserve. They are built of natural materials, with beautifully appointed bedrooms and bathrooms, and with maximum use of deck space to soak up the sun. As we were on our honeymoon, there was a bottle of champagne, fresh fruit platter and a “Happy Honeymoon” cake waiting for us which was a lovely touch. From the steps of our villa we had direct access into the crystal-clear waters of the lagoon. Each villa also comes with a rooftop terrace, perfect for stargazing every night. We availed of the in-villa dining for our first few nights as our villa was just so stunning it was hard to leave! The food here is amazing and plenty of dining options to choose from. Now that the wedding was over I was able to indulge a bit more!! Four evenings per week the beach and overwater bar are transformed into a buzzing market experience. We love Asian food and were lucky enough to experience the ‘Asian Street Market’ themed night where the beach was lined with stalls of different types of Asian food, it really was spectacular. They also have ‘Mediterranean Spice Souk’, ‘Passage to India’ and’ Maldivian Seafood Grill’ themed nights. We also booked wine tasting in their stunning underground wine cellar. We mingled with other guests and had great fun with the extremely knowledgeable sommelier! There are a wide range of activities and excursions guests can avail of. I booked one of the amazing treatments at the incredible Meera Spa. With its over water treatment rooms and glass floor panel, this spa really has the wow factor. After 8 nights of pure R&R at this idyllic paradise, it was time for us to leave and travel to our next destination – Thailand.

My customer stories

Sent by Deirdre Ginley

Claire was brilliant to deal with and on discussing with her our requests for a holiday to the Maldives she delivered the dream holiday taking all our do s & don't s into consideration. Thanks Claire!

Sent by Charlotte McLoughlin

We found Claire to be so helpful and knowledgeable. We would highly recommend her to others and already have done so!

Sent by Maeve Lenehan

Would highly recommend Claire to anyone looking for a travel agent. She has gone over and above to make sure everything is perfect for us. We will certainly use Claire’s business again in the future.

Sent by Kathleen Bonnici

So easy for me to recommend Claire to anybody who may be interested in taking a anything we could have wished for. Communications easy, deposit payment system trip. I told Claire " 3/4 nights in New York in Nov, gave my budget and kept my fingers crossed. Less than 24 hours later direct flights & hotel transfers & and bed and breakfast in fantastic hotel (walking distance to Central Park). Just over and above easy. Absolutely no confusion. Easily a solid 10 out of 10!

Sent by Ciara Hickey

Claire was absolutely amazing! She created the most amazing honeymoon! Really went above and beyond!

Sent by Sean Reynolds

Claire is very personable & always goes beyond the call of duty. We felt we were her only customers. She gave us such 1 to 1 service. We will always recommend Claire to our extended family & friends. Claire is an incredible & amazing agent.

Sent by Allan Croghan

Claire was recommended to us by a close friend who booked their honeymoon with her, and we couldn't have been happier to have booked our honeymoon with Claire. Claire really listened to what we wanted and prepared the prefect itinerary for us with everything we had discussed. We were blown away with what she sent us, and she stayed connected with us with updates and anything we wanted to change, there was never an issue and Claire made it work. I would highly recommend Claire for anyone that is looking to book their ideal holiday or perfect honeymoon.

Sent by Maeve Lenehan

Claire has gone over and above to accommodate our requests and book our ideal cruise. We will definitely be telling our friends about her and highly recommending her services.

Sent by Carol Whyte

Claire was extremely patient as we changed our travel plans MANY times. We have used Claire's expertise on previous occasions and she has always excelled. She even sent me a reminder during Covid lockdown, to remind me to renew my passport!

Sent by Claire Kilcrann

Claire is amazing at what she does. She is patient, helpful and considerate of the needs of her clients and goes above and beyond to ensure the packages she offers are perfectly tailored to suit. Thank you so much, Claire. We are so excited for our honeymoon!! Claire and Cathal

Sent by Kathleen McDermott

Claire was excellent to deal with, extremely efficient and took the whole stress of booking a multi place trip away from us, excellent service.

Sent by Eilish Boyd

Absolutely brilliant service from Claire.

Sent by Gina Gartlan

Claire goes above and beyond to find the perfect getaway for your needs. Claire also works fluid hours which makes things easier than the normal 9-5. I would highly recommend Claire to anyone and look forward to booking with her again in the future.

Sent by Nichola Marren

Since our booking, we have already recommended Claire to three couples who are getting married in the next eighteen months. Very professional and could not have asked for a better service.

Sent by Paul O'Brien

I found Claire to be brilliant, very helpful and knowledgeable. It took a few efforts to find the right holiday and she was very patient with us, thanks Claire .

Sent by E O'Brien

Claire was brilliant to deal with. She sorted out our holiday with no stress on our part. We couldn't recommend her enough. Thanks Claire for helping us to book our dream trip away later this year.

Sent by Noelle Doherty

So helpful and available at any time of day. She worked hard to get the package we were looking for and kept us updated with all the offers .

Sent by Lorraine Reynolds

Claire was so helpful in helping us to organise our honeymoon. She made it stress free and we are really looking forward to it!

Sent by Aine G

From the moment I contacted Claire she has been nothing less than fantastic, her attention to detail, her professionalism and advice with regards to our trip is superb. Everything was booked seamlessly by Claire and regardless of the many questions I asked she was so patient and nothing was an issue. I would definitely recommend Claire to my friends and family when booking a trip.

Sent by Josephine Murtagh

Claire is extremely professional and informative. I found her personality so easy to work with and she was very honest with her suggestions. I highly recommend Claire, 10/10.

Sent by April Spallin

I gave Claire some dates and an idea of the trip I was looking for and she got back to me with some great options. I really appreciated the advice and recommendations she provided. Claire made booking the trip feel so easy and I know I would never have been able to find such a great price. Thanks a million Claire!

Sent by Michelle Devine

Claire was a pleasure to deal with from start to finish. She made the whole process so easy. She listened to what we wanted for our honeymoon and produced a tailor made package with exactly what we wanted. I would highly recommend Claire to anyone.

Sent by Mary Doyle

Claire was very helpful and she did everything to give us the holiday we were looking for.

Sent by Cassandra Cunningham

Claire has gone over and above any of my expectations on booking this holiday for my family of 5 and syncing it with a holiday for my parents to enjoy part of our trip and continue on their travels for a bit more R&R! I would and have highly recommended Claire to lots of people.

Sent by Deirdre Reilly

Claire was an absolute joy to deal with. She was very professional and went to great lengths to tailor make our honeymoon. She provided us with several different options as we had no clue as to what we wanted, and she was so patient with us while we made our decision and answered our questions and queries straight away. We would have no hesitation in recommending Claire to any couple looking for a professional to assist them with planning their honeymoon.

Sent by Shauna Duignan

Claire took the time to phone us numerous times whilst planning our honeymoon to make sure she planned everything we dreamed of to South Africa and the Maldives! I mean it was planned to perfection and a great app that gave you each and every detail of our journey and stay! With COVID playing havoc, Claire was there to give a quick call to tell us not to worry, Claire had to re organize our honeymoon completely and did this in her stride and made sure we weren’t stressed about it at all! When we were going, Claire linked in loads to ensure we had all the proper extra paperwork that was needed with COVID and gave advice on many things to know and pack! Claire linked in with us on the day of our journey to make sure everything was going ok and also text during our stay and also on our flight home! I could not recommend Claire enough! She gave us the exact honeymoon we wanted and we were delighted !! Thank you so much Claire !! X

Sent by Eleanor Glancy

Claire organised our honeymoon and I can't recommend her enough. We travelled to Sri Lanka and The Maldives and no stone was left unturned. She really listened to what we had in mind and because she has such great knowledge of the places our itinerary was more suited to us than we could have planned on our own. Claire was always available to answer any questions and always checked in to make sure things were going to plan. Thanks for everything, it really was a trip to a lifetime!

Sent by Colm Beirne

We were fortunate enough to get the opportunity to visit Iceland in March which was organised by Claire. What can I say, what a fantastic trip from start to finish. Claire was excellent and provided a service above and beyond our expectations. We had nothing to do except turn up at the airport as all our excursions were booked. Claire looked after us so well and I cannot recommend her highly enough. Iceland was such a wonderful experience and the people are so nice. If this trip comes up again, I would highly recommend it through Claire.

Sent by Grainne Timon

We couldn't recommend Claire enough. We booked our honeymoon with Claire and the whole experience was a dream. Claire offers wonderful, personalised travel expertise. She gave us so many ideas and choices, making the booking of our honeymoon so exciting. We are grateful to Claire, and so looking forward to our honeymoon.

Sent by Jenny McKiernan

Super service and so helpful and stress free. I have already recommended to family, friends and work colleagues.

Sent by Jenny Vaughan

Booking with Claire was one of the easiest trips I have ever booked! Such a lovely experience. I felt like my best friend was looking after me!

Sent by Noeleen Reynolds

Claire has been so helpful in planning our honeymoon. The trip she has planned for us is more than we could have dreamed of. I would highly recommend her!

Sent by Bernie Keenaghan

Personal, patient and professional service. Claire gives you plenty of her time in order to provide the best service, I would highly recommend her!

Sent by John R

We found Claire to be excellent, she listened to the type of holiday we were looking for and arranged everything without any fuss. I can highly recommend her.

Sent by Carol Stephens

Claire was super with us, she tailor-made our package to our exact needs. She was well informed, contactable and very approachable. Claire was always very friendly in correspondence and interactions were always so pleasant, fab travel counsellor!

Sent by Carmel Monahan

Claire will spend the time to make sure you are booking exactly what you want, so helpful and friendly.

Sent by Paul Murray

Claire was and is just brilliant, nothing is too much trouble and no amount of questions are too many. It is a pleasure dealing with her.

Sent by D Reilly

Claire was an absolute pleasure to deal with. She was very efficient, knowledgeable and nothing was a problem. I would highly recommend using Claire as your Travel Counsellor.

Sent by Colette McLoughlin

Claire was excellent and very professional from the outset. She arranged every little detail for our trip and made it an enjoyable and memorable experience that we will treasure forever! We would highly recommend Claire to future clients as her expertise is second to none.

Sent by Sarah Gleeson

Couldn't recommend Claire enough - we booked our honeymoon with her and she was so easy to work with on the phone and by email. We found that she really listened to what we were looking for and gave us some options to choose from, and tailored everything to our feedback. Even though we stretched our budget a little higher than expected, it was absolutely worth it for the 5-star experience she gave to us in Greece. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend Claire to anyone looking to book a memorable, totally unforgettable honeymoon

Sent by Caroline Coughlan

Claire is amazing, absolutely out of this world , she made booking our honeymoon such a simple process , we only had a minor idea of where we would like to go and she has turned it into a trip of a lifetime , including so many destinations that we can visit along the way , so we are making the most of it while we are there , she has made us feel so at ease as we are not used to travelling and would not be aware of minor things that need to be organised for it , Claire is with us every step of the way through emails and phone calls and will be there for us during the trip if we need her for anything , we are so looking forward to our honeymoon in a few months .

Sent by Karen Fay

Claire organised our amazing honeymoon and was fantastic to deal with from the first day we spoke with her. We discussed the type of honeymoon we would like and Claire came back to us with different itinerary options. She was so knowledgeable about the hotels, areas and things to do. We decided to go on our honeymoon to Bali and Dubai and Claire did everything for us. It was so simple and straightforward... exactly what we needed when we were so busy with wedding prep! She checked us in online, printed out all our documents and sent them to us. All we had to was pack our bags and go!! Claire stayed in touch with us and was only a text away if we had any queries. She gave us a local contact to bring us on tours and recommended places to see. We had a fabulous honeymoon and the planning and organising was completely stress free thanks to Claire. I highly recommended booking with Claire!

Sent by Imelda Monahan

I cannot recommend Claire enough if you are booking your honeymoon. She is an absolute dream to work with and talk to. We booked everything over the phone and she made it so easy for us. Claire is so easy to talk to and she just puts you at ease. We didn’t know what we wanted but Claire spent so much time with us, giving us loads of ideas and helping us choose. She is so patient and has a world of knowledge about travelling. Our honeymoon was amazing something we will never forget. Claire was always on the end of the phone if we had questions. We never had to worry about anything. She had everything done for us even down to our luggage tags!

Sent by Sharon Corbett

Claire Maher was referred to me last November and since then, we have booked 2 milestone trips for 2020 - Honeymoon and Lapland! Claire provides some great advice and insight which means you have the confidence that the holiday you select is the right one for you and your family. I have already recommended Claire to several of my friends and family.

Sent by Paul Reid

I cannot praise Claire Maher highly enough. We are just back from a river cruise on the Danube. Everything was organised brilliantly and seamlessly, from the quality of the ship, the service, the tours, tour guides and transfers. Claire was checking in with us at various stages of the journey to check all was ok. We will be going straight to Claire for our future holiday arrangements and we would highly recommend anyone to do so. Thank you Claire!

Sent by D Beirne

Claire was truly fantastic when it came to booking our holiday. We booked a cruise and when I say she went over and above anything we expected, it's an understatement. It was the first holiday where every single thing was organized for us from flights, boarding passes, transfers etc. and everything sent to the app. Claire checked everything was ok with us while we were there and followed up with us after. I would recommend her to anyone.

Sent by Rachael King

I couldn’t recommend Claire highly enough. I contacted Claire to organise a holiday for a big birthday and my ideas were Dubai, Maldives, America or Mexico. All different parts of the world but she talked me through every destination and quoted me for every holiday without making me feel like a hindrance. The holiday I booked with Claire is great value for money and couldn’t get a better price elsewhere or myself online. The fact that she provided an excellent service along with great value means I will be back again and have told everyone I know about Claire.

Sent by Lisa Reilly

I loved, loved, loved dealing with Claire. We have an awful lot going on at the moment so it was great to deal with one person, at times that suited me, on the phone. No queuing anywhere and no messing! Claire is a joy to deal with and has put together a fab honeymoon for us!

Sent by Paula Butler

We've just returned from a hassle free, stress free holiday in Dubai booked through Claire. We are incredibly impressed with Claire’s level of service and professionalism. She was so enthusiastic and excited about our trip and really was fantastic, seeing to every detail, from dealing with our boarding passes, filling out our luggage labels, checking us in on both flights, offering us advice on where to go and what to do etc. Nothing was too much trouble. Claire was nothing but superb, she really did everything, apart from board the flights for us. She regularly checked in with us and we can't say thank you enough!

Sent by Fiona Glynn

Very friendly and helpful would highly recommend Claire to anyone who is looking for ideas. We are delighted to book our honeymoon with her.

Sent by Seamus Beirne

Super efficient. Several options given. A lot of effort put into everything. Treated us like family. Would recommend Claire and have recommended her. Nothing was any problem. She tailored everything to suit us. Lovely person to deal with.

Sent by Sheila Feeney

I would recommend Claire for her prompt reply after first contact, she explained everything really well after listening very attentively to my ideas and gave options so I could make s choice more easily. With all her knowledge, experience of travel and lovely manner, I trust her completely and can’t wait for my holiday to begin.

Sent by Laura Reynolds

Claire was absolutely fantastic. She went over and above to help us decide on our honeymoon. She made the whole experience exciting and very easy. Thank you so much.

Sent by Sharon Noone

Claire was so patient and helpful to us in finding our ideal honeymoon.

Sent by Mel Kellegher

Just back from a magical family trip to Enontekiö Lapland. Thank you Claire for making the dreams of little ones (and big ones) come true! You took care of us all the way. Would highly recommend the Enontekiö resort you picked for us too, a very personal experience that will never be forgotten!