IT'S A FREE WORLD:FOR THOSE who love the outdoors, Governors Island in New York Harbour, not far from Lower Manhattan, is becoming a destination for visitors to enjoy arts and culture, recreational opportunities and acres of open green space.
A free seven-minute ferry ride from Manhattan or Brooklyn provides access to the island. Governors Island is open to the public Friday to Sunday, from May 27th to September 25th. The ferry ride and nearly all activities are free to the public. Visitors can enjoy art exhibits, concerts and performances, hands-on arts for kids and an artist-designed miniature golf course.
Governors Island offers more than five miles of car-free biking. Visitors can bring their own bikes, or rent one once they arrive. Through the Free Bike Fridays programme, visitors can borrow a bike for free for up to one hour. See govisland.com.
Catch:visitors have remarked that this former Dutch governor's estate, former military fort and former coast guard command post can be eerie because no-one lives there and some of the buildings are in bad shape.
Take note:a new master plan will see the middle of the island developed into a park stretching all the way to its southern tip. The 40-acre park will feature playing fields, woodland and hills built of the rubble of the disused 20th century buildings.
* TO CELEBRATE joining Ireland’s Blue Book, Carrig Country House in Kerry is offering an overnight escape with a four-course dinner in its Lakeside Restaurant for €99pps.
A linger longer package of two nights BB with dinner on two evenings and an optional third night (BB only) free with the choice of a complimentary full body massage, horse ride on Glenbeigh beach or a local round of golf starts at €199pps.
Any reservation for 2011 made before March 31st will be entered into a draw for a three-night pampering break for two to Carrig Country House, staying in the presidential suite with views over Caragh Lake to the Macgillycuddy Reeks.
Catch:these prices might be short-lived because, with entry into the Blue Book, a collection of upscale Irish country house hotels, manor houses, castles and restaurants, prices have a tendency to go upwards.
Take note: for more information see carrighouse.com.
* TO COINCIDE with Crufts Dog Show starting on March 10th, many of the Fine Individual Hotels, a collection of 60 privately-owned luxury hotels in the UK, are welcoming guests with dogs.
Combe House near Exeter in Devon, an Elizabethan manor house, is offering guests a free stay for their dog when booking a dinner/BB stay up until the end of March. Dogs are allowed to curl up in front of the log fire in the Great Hall and go into the elegant cocktail bar and sitting room. Complimentary “doggie room packs” are provided to ensure the ultimate creature comforts are available with water and food bowls, a chewy bone with a box of tasty treats and a map of the best local footpaths.
In case guests have forgotten any bare necessities of doggie life, a “canine survival box” is available on special request. Prices start from £199 (€233) BB for two sharing a double/twin room per night and a three-course candlelit dinner with canapés is £49pp (€57).
Headlam Hall Hotel, Spa Golf, near Darlington in picturesque Co Durham is set on four acres of gardens and welcomes guests with dogs in its mews bedrooms at no extra charge. These offer direct access to the grounds and village green which is just yards away. Prices start from £120 (€140) for BB based on two sharing a double/twin room per night.
Catch:you might start feeling a little left out when your dog is hogging the fire and getting free treats.
Take note: for more information on Fine Individual Hotels see fihotels.com.
Found a freebie on holiday? Tell me about it. E-mail emorgan@irishtimes.com
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