Go last minute

From Cheltenham Festival to a St Patrick's family break in Co Kildare, Joan Scaleshas the best of the week's offers

DEAL OF THE WEEK:

Stay on a Croatian island: from €490

Hvar House, an Irish-owned development a few minutes' walk from the Adriatic on the Croatian island of Hvar, is offering one-bedroom apartments in July from €490 a week and three-bedroom apartments from €1,470 a week. A popular place for yachts to stop off at, the island is full of pine forests, olive groves, orchards, lavender fields and vineyards. The apartments are set in a garden of lemon and pomegranate trees. Bookhvar.com.

HOME DEALS:

Family Kildare: €290 for 6

Irish and Proud is the theme of the St Patrick’s festival at Carton House, outside Maynooth, from March 12th to 17th. It’s hosting whiskey tastings, a cookery demonstration, a craft fair, entertainment and fireworks on St Patrick’s night. For families that stay, adults pay €100 each for their room, including breakfast and dinner, and up to four children can share a connecting room for a total of €90, including breakfast. 01-5052000, cartonhouse.com.

Fly and stay in Donegal: €159

If you’re in or around Dublin or Cork and fancy a break in Donegal and the northwest, why not fly up? Book by February 28th and a two-night holiday, with car hire and flights starts at €159pps from Dublin or €189pps from Cork. 074-9548284, real-ireland.com.

Waterford nights: €179 with dinner

Hanora’s Cottage, in the Nire Valley in Co Waterford, is now a wedding venue. You can check it out on a two-night stay with dinner, bed and breakfast from €179 midweek and from €199 at weekends. As a bonus, particularly for walkers, Hanora’s always provides a packed lunch. 052- 6136134, hanorascottage.com.

Sweet deal in Co Cork: €175

The French chocolatier Benoît Lorge will be teaching his craft at Inishbeg, near Baltimore in Co Cork, next weekend. The one-day course costs €125; accommodation costs from €50pps per night. 028-21745, inishbeg.com.

Romance at Sheen Falls: €350

Sheen Falls Lodge, in Kenmare, has St Valentine’s specials at discounted prices from February 11th. A deluxe two-night package, at €350pps, includes champagne and chocolate-coated strawberries, a choice of 12 red roses or a 30-minute treatment per person and a romantic dinner for two, overlooking the falls. 064-6641600, sheenfallslodge.ie.

OVERSEAS DEALS:

Trio of Barcelona nights: €495

The Travel Department has a three-night trip to Barcelona next month. Leaving Dublin on Friday, February 26th, and staying at the five-star Eurostars Grand Marina Hotel, the visit, which includes a half-day guided tour, costs €495pps. 01-6371600, thetravel department.ie.

Cheltenham deals: from €455

Tully’s Travel has a range of packages if you’re a horse-racing fan who’d like to go to the Cheltenham Festival – probably Ireland’s favourite meeting – between March 15th and 19th. One-night packages start at €455, with four-night trips from €895. 059-9136100, tullys.ie.

Isle of Man breaks: €109

Devotees of the Isle of Man will be happy to hear that the Steam Packet Company’s sailings from Dublin and Belfast return at the end of March, to operate through the summer – plus extra sailings in September and December. Holidays on the Isle of Man start at €109pps for two nights, including the crossing. 1800-805055, steam-packet. com.

Long-haul stops: from €170

Before you head off on a long-haul holiday, check out JustSplit.com’s stopover packages. Three nights in Bangkok with a city tour costs from €170pps; three nights in Hong Kong with a tour costs from €219pps, and three nights in Singapore, also with a tour, costs from €238pps. 01-4939444, justsplit.com.

Hilton breaks: up to 50% off

Hilton Hotels’ January sale, which ends tomorrow, has up to 50 per cent off weekend breaks all year. hilton.com/sale.

Please bear in mind that deals are subject to availability