Joan Scalesanswers your questions
Where's the best place to learn how to cook Italian?
QCan you recommend a cookery school in Italy for a break in July or August? I will be travelling on my own and would prefer if the accommodation was on site and if the course took in some excursions to local sites as part of a group. CMA, Dublin
Flavours of Italy has been running cookery courses in Italy for 10 years and has a selection of courses that might suit. It has courses in Rome, Puglia, Ravenna, Bologna, Tuscany and Sicily. The courses are given by local cooks in some lovely palazzos and villas. Single travellers are welcome and there is no single supplement. You can stay for a long weekend or a week, and prices range from £799 to £1,599 (about €1,000-€2,000) without flights. Contact 00-44-131-6257002 and www.flavoursholidays.co.uk.
QI have booked a trip to London to see two West End shows with my wife and am looking for some guidance on good value hotels (maybe of four-star standard) in that area. I would also like to book some nice restaurants. PL, Dublin
The trick with any hotel is to book it at the right time. There are some lovely hotels in the theatre area and Jurys Great Russell Street springs to mind. It is a good location, rooms are not huge, but it is ideal for where you are going, with rates from around £140 (about €175), www.jurysdoyle.com. Going more upmarket, One Aldwych is a great location on the corner of the Strand and Aldwych, and is a very stylish hotel with a swimming pool. Rates during the summer are from £220 (about €275) per night plus 17.5 per cent VAT.
There are so many restaurants in the Covent Garden area it is difficult to single any one out. You could consider the Savoy, which is nearby, if it is just for a cocktail. Quaglino's in St James is lovely for after-theatre dinner and La Pont de la Tour, on Butlers Wharf by Tower Bridge, has lovely outdoor dining in the summer, and may be nice for pre-theatre dinner. Both of these are taxi rides away.
Q Could you suggest any restaurants in Chania in Crete? CO'H, Sligo
A friend is a regular in Chania in Crete and he suggested the following. "There is a fairly up-market restaurant on the harbour front in Chania called the Monastery. It faces west at ground level and it is worth going there just to see the sunset and to watch the passing parade. The spelling may be Monasteriki. You don't have to book but it fills up fairly fast at around 7pm."
Q We are two girls in our 20s and would like to travel to Greece in September and do a "greatest hits" trip to include Athens, sailing and beach relaxation. Should we fly first to Athens, Mykonos or elsewhere? Is there a way to combine different aspects without joining a group or staying in hotels that specialise in family holidays? A few isolated islands where we could investigate local sailing ourselves could work. OB, Co Dublin
Athens is a mad city, noisy and hot, but it does have the Acropolis, the Parthenon and Syntagma Square. Aer Lingus flies there four times a week and fares are from €200.
However, unless you really have to go, I would say give it a miss and head straight to the islands. Getting to the islands is easy - take the ferries from Piraeus, the port outside Athens. Island such as Mykonos, Ios and Paros are all good fun, with lively nightlife and good beaches. If you avoid Athens, there are direct flights to Mykonos, Crete, Skiathos, Zante and Rhodes with XL Airways ( www.xl.com), Budget Travel ( www.budgettravel.ie) and Panorama Holidays ( www.panoramaholidays.ie), but you would probably have to go in and out of the same airport. If this is the case, I would recommend Skiathos, which is a lovely island, not too spoiled by tourism and with lots to do, including sailing.
You can also hop across to Skopelos for some more great beaches and snorkelling. There is plenty of accommodation available and usually by staying in private houses you can ensure that you avoid the family groups, though travelling in September means there is less likelihood of children being around.