ASK JOAN:All your travel questions answered
Girls just wanna have fun
I am emailing you on behalf of my mother. She and seven of her friends have been saving for the past year and plan to holiday in Ireland during the summer, mid-week for three or four nights. They are all very young at heart (mid 70s) and are looking for a really nice hotel in or near a big city. They want to go out for nice meals, do a bit of shopping and go for nice walks, among other things.
They don’t want to do cheap and cheerful and all have free travel, so will not be bringing cars. They really don’t have any idea of where to go and don’t mind if it is in the Republic or Northern Ireland. The main thing to keep in mind is that they love eating out.
- MD
Having free travel is a big plus and they all sound like great fun. My first suggestion is going to be quite traditional – Killarney. There are almost as many five-star hotels in Killarney as Dublin, and a great selection of four-star hotels too.
Food in Killarney has taken a big stride upwards and the good hotels have great restaurants. Any of the following places are good to stay in, with lovely rooms and most have spas: Plaza, Malton, Killarney Park, the Brehon, the Towers; also the Hotel Dunloe, Muckross Park, Aghadoe Heights and Europe Hotel, which are outside the town. Restaurants to consider include Chapter 40 for a swanky dinner, Pay as You Go for a fun lunch and Mrs Courtney’s for afternoon tea.
Another plus on the Killarney side is that there are plenty of things to do. They can take boat trips on the lakes, a jaunting car to Muckross House and should also check out what is on in the INEC – there may be a concert they would like. See inec.ie.
Cork is also a great destination and the Imperial Hotel is lovely. It has a good restaurant and is well located in the city for getting around and doing some shopping on Patrick Street and Oliver Plunkett Street.
A little outside the city centre is the Hayfield Manor, an oasis of tranquillity but not too far away. It has lovely rooms and a nice spa, and food is very good. Again, depending on the week, there could be some good events on in the city, so see Corkcity.ie. Cafe Paradiso, though vegetarian, is excellent for dinner; the Boardwalk is lively, while the Farmgate in the English Market is a must for lunch and for a day out, and afternoon tea at the Castlemartyr Resort.
Heading north, Belfast is a really lively city with a lot going on, particularly this year with the opening of Titanic Belfast – well worth a visit. There are quite a few good hotels in Belfast now and I can suggest the Europa, the Merchant or the Fitzwilliam. All are fine places with good restaurants and well placed for shopping and getting around.
From Belfast there is also the chance to take a day trip out to the Giant’s Causeway and the Glens of Antrim. Dining in Belfast is also terrific with a great selection of restaurants. Deanes does lunch for £6.50 (€8), and Cayenne still has great dining; dinner in the recently opened Barking Dog on Malone Road is very good and the Titanic afternoon tea at the Culloden Hotel is novel.
Family fare in the Algarve
We are a family of six (kids ranging in ages from 15 to 20) and are keen to go for a week’s sun holiday in July/August. Could you recommend a suitable place by the sea that would have something to suit all our ages that won’t break the bank?
- DD, Dublin
It is hard to beat the Algarve for a family holiday. It has the sun and the sea, nice accommodation and plenty of things for all the family to do. There are flights with Aer Lingus and Ryanair every day to Faro, the main airport. Being flexible on your day of travel means you have a better chance of getting cheaper tickets.
The Algarve has many fine family properties and the Vita Sol in Lagos could be a good location for you. The apartments are spacious and they have three-bedroom properties too. Lagos is a very typical Portuguese town and has a marina and great beaches. A week in July with flights, accommodation, transfers and taxes will cost from €2,500 for the family.
Albufeira is the most developed of the tourist centres on the Algarve and has not lost its charm. It is a nice seaside town with lots going on. There is the old town, the fisherman’s beach, the new marina area and the beautiful Santa Eulalia beach. There’s also good shopping for teenagers. The Luna Villa Alba, staying in the two-bedroom apartment will cost from €1,900 for the family.
These holidays are available with Irish company, ClickandGo.com. You can travel any day of the week, and they have a great selection of properties. Your holiday is also bonded and protected. You can also go for longer or shorter than a week.
Sailing on the Oscar Wilde?
We are going to Houlgate in France on June 5th. The ship does not arrive into Cherbourg until 4.30pm and it will be later when we disembark. As we are both in our 70s I would like to stay overnight in Cherbourg. I have quite a few books on places to stay but they are mostly coming from Poole in Dorset and my husband (a retired sea-master from Irish Ferries) said that the Rosslare Ferry is not in the same berth. I would very much appreciate your help in finding a place close to the Irish Ferries’s berth.
- JMG, Dublin
If you are travelling on Irish Ferries, the Oscar Wilde arrives in Cherbourg at around 11am and as Houlgate is only about 150km, you can easily make it there the same day. If however, you are booked on the Celticlink ferry, you will be arriving in Cherbourg in the afternoon. There is an Ibis Hotel, La Glacerie, very close to the ferry port. It is a typical budget hotel, clean and comfortable and at around €69 per night. See Ibishotel.com.