GO ASK JOAN:From spending the festive season in a hotel to lying on a beach, JOAN SCALESanswers your travel questions
Christmas in a hotel It might be a bit late, but a friend and I, now that our children are grown up and doing their own thing, would like to stay in a hotel in Ireland over Christmas. We are open to any ideas.
BB, Meath
There is a good selection of hotels around the country offering Christmas packages of various durations, beginning on Christmas Eve and ending on the 27th. Usually included are meals, entertainment, some activities and, of course, a visit by Santa Claus himself.
Here are some hotels and an idea of prices. Best value I have found is the Grand Hotel in Wicklow ( grandhotel.ie) at €165pps, with five-course lunch on Christmas Day. The package at the Brehon Hotel in Killarney (thebrehon.com), which costs from €549pps, includes guided walks in Killarney National Park. The Malton ( themalton.com) also has a Christmas programme with prices from €525pps.
At the K Club ( kclub.ie), you can combine a day of racing at Leopardstown on St Stephen's Day in the three-day package costing from €750pps.
Alternatively, you could relax in the spa over Christmas at Galgorm Manor in Co Antrim ( galgorm.com) with two-day packages from £405pps.
Start Christmas Day with a Champagne breakfast at Sheen Falls Lodge in Kenmare (sheenfallslodge.ie)and attend a black-tie gala ball on St Stephen's night from €969pps.
One of the biggest Christmas programmes is arranged by Pab Tours ( pabtours.com), with three-, four- and five-day breaks around the country in Sligo, Mayo, Donegal, Kilkenny, Clare and Mayo and usually includes coach travel from Dublin.
Abroad for the festive season
For the first time, my family is considering taking a short Christmas holiday this year. We are thinking of travelling on December 23rd and returning on the 28th or 29th. Bruges has been discussed, but we do not know if the Christmas period is a closed one there and whether there is sufficient activity. Obviously ease of access from Ireland is important as we are located in the southwest. A comfortable hotel, outdoor activities with museums, restaurants and shopping are on the list.
JG, Kerry
Looking at your nearest airport, Kerry, there are reasonably-priced flights to Frankfurt Hahn that coincide with your dates. Frankfurt is a nice city that celebrates Christmas in style. You will find quality hotels are cheaper at this time of the year due to business people being at home. For example, on booking.com you will find top class five-star hotels for under €200 a night – and some are about €120 per room per night, half what they would normally cost. There will be lots of things to do from St Stephen’s Day on. Christmas Day will probably be quiet, but it would be nice to attend Mass in the cathedral.
From Cork, you have a choice of Barcelona and Amsterdam, with reasonable fares and good quality hotels at the right price. Both are big cities and apart from Christmas Day, life goes on and there will be lots to see and do.
When it comes to Bruges, you could fly to Amsterdam or Brussels with Aer Lingus and then take the train. Bruges, the Venice of the North, will be beautiful at this time of year, and the Christmas markets continue there until January 3rd. There is also an ice rink in the Market Square. Lastminute.com has packages with flights and hotels to Bruges from €400pps.
In search of winter sun
My husband and I and our two grown-up sons are thinking of going to the sun for Christmas. We would prefer flights with a maximum of six hours travel time and some culture as they are not beach people.
MOB, Waterford
To find the sun over Christmas, you could consider heading to Morocco or Egypt. Both destinations will offer the lads some other attractions, including watersports and maybe an overnight in Marrakech. Details of these trips are available from sunway.ie and falconholidays.ie.
Canaries or a cruise
My mother and I would like to go to the sun for Christmas. We can go on December 22nd for seven to 10 days. We would like sun, beach and church for Mass. Maybe a cruise would be an option.
AH, Dublin
The principal option for sun over Christmas is the Canary Islands where the temperature will be about 22 degrees. As Spain is a Catholic country, there will be church ceremonies for the season. Christmas Eve is the big celebration in Spain.
Most of the main tour operators have holidays still available to Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Fuerteventura, with prices from €650, flights and accommodation included. See availability with Falcon Holidays, Topflight and Sunway.
Thomas Cook (thomascook.com)has a cruise out of Malaga for 10 days over Christmas, with prices from €1,219pps. Flights with Aer Lingus and Ryanair are expensive that week, about €300-€500 return.
The Travel Department (thetraveldepartment.ie) has a trip to Malta and Gozo over Christmas, and while it will not be as warm as the Canaries, it will have a programme of activities, guided tours, and a boat trip. Accommodation is at the four-star Cavalieri Hotel in St Julians on a half-board basis and includes dinner on Christmas Eve and midnight Mass in the hotel. The trip costs from €869pps.
Insight Vacations
(insightvacations.com
) has an escorted tour for 12 days from December 18th called the Splendours of Italy and will visit all the major sites and cities. It is a good time to see the sites, but it can be cold there at this time of year. Prices from €2,374pps.
In a winter wonderland
Just wondering whether a fantasy adult Christmas is possible – somewhere alpine with sleigh rides, snow, carol singing, in a village with restaurants open at Christmas time, not too difficult to reach from Ireland, for non-skiers? Or should we dream on?
CG, Dublin
You can find such places and you do not have to be skiers to enjoy the snow. Christmas in Austria is lovely, with all of the above and good food too. My suggestion is to take the charter on Christmas Eve to Salzburg with topflight.ie.
In Salzburg, you can enjoy the Christmas season with lots to see and do. There will be music and midnight Mass in the cathedral. St Peter's Keller ( stpeter-stiftskeller.at), the oldest restaurant in Austria, has a beautiful Mozart Dinner during December for €79. Topflight can arrange accommodation too.
The museums and galleries will be open and you can find sleigh rides, Christmas markets and lots more. Details on salzburg.info.
Escaping the festive excess
I am trying to find some meditation centre which would be open over Christmas as I have an absolute aversion to the traditional Christmas! I would like somewhere in Ireland as I just want to jump in the car and drive there.
CP, Dublin
You can jump in the car and then take a boat to Clare Island off the Mayo coast to the Clare Island Retreat where you can escape the excessive yuletide consumerism and practice yoga, eat delicious vegetarian food and brave the elements. The retreat will run from December 23rd to 27th and costs from €450. Details on yogaretreats.ie.
If you can make it past Christmas and St Stephen’s days, you could escape to the Burren Yoga Centre (burrenyoga.com) near Kinvara, Co Galway, for four days or a week of Satyananda yoga and meditation with Tadhg Ferriter. The price has been reduced to €690 for the week and that includes meals and yoga sessions.
E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com