A snapshot of some holiday prices
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Delphi resort: from €169
July 10th-12th is Gaeilge weekend at Delphi Mountain Resort, in Connemara. Practise Irish while taking part in outdoor activities. Two nights’ accommodation, with lunch and dinner on Saturday, costs €169pps. 087-2941140, http://gogaeilge.ning.com.
Music and more: from €90
Enjoy a musical soiree on July 1st in Longueville House, in Mallow, Co Cork, with Karin Leitner and Teresa O’Donnell. A champagne reception is followed by dinner and the concert for €90 per person; rooms cost €150. 022-47156, www.longuevillehouse.ie.
Cruise control: 20% off
Emerald Star has cruiser hire discounts this month and next: 15 per cent off June breaks, 20 per cent off in July. 071- 9620234, www.emeraldstar.ie.
Dublin deal: from €330
Wine and chocolates will be waiting for you in Fitzpatrick’s Castle Hotel in Killiney, Co Dublin, when you stay for two nights midweek. Get a third night free and dinner one night for €330 for two. 01-2305400,
www.fitzpatrickcastle.com.
Family suite: from €370
The Ice House in Ballina, Co Mayo is offering a two-bedroom family suite from Sunday to Thursday for €370, including dinner in the Pier restaurant one evening and breakfast each day. 096- 23500, www.theicehouse.ie.
Free forest food: €399 for a week
Kids eat free at the Corkscrew Restaurant in Gorey, Co Wexford, before 8pm when you book a house at Forest Park Holiday Homes in Courtown. A week between July 4th and 17th costs €399 for a house that sleeps six. www.selfcatering.ie.
Two-day trip: from €219
Explore Cork and Kerry in a two-day trip from Dublin that takes in Blarney Castle, the Queenstown Story in Cobh and the Ring of Kerry, with a night in Killarney. It costs €219pps. 01-8560045, www.railtoursireland.com.
Please bear in mind that all offers are subject to availability
Overseas deals
Cruise the Caribbean: from €7,085
Save more than €2,000 on this holiday of a lifetime, flying business class from London to Barbados for a week at the famous Sandy Lane Hotel, with a candlelit dinner one night, a catamaran cruise and a round of golf. Then join Silversea’s liner Silver Shadow for a week’s all-inclusive cruising around the Caribbean, visiting St Barth’s, Antigua, St Lucia and Grenada, from €7,085pps. 00-44-20-77344404, www.mundycruising.co.uk.
Massachusetts coast: from €672 Holiday in Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard and explore the beaches of Massachusetts. American Holidays has a week from €672pps based on four sharing. 01-6733840, www.americanholidays.ie.
Art in Naples: from €274
The newest designer hotel in Naples, Romeo, has teamed up with the Madre museum of contemporary art to offer a package for a Francesco Clemente exhibition, running until October 12th. The package, which costs €274 per night for two, includes a sea-view room, breakfast, a limited-edition gift, free entry to the exhibition and a 20 per cent discount in the Daniela Steiner Spa. The hotel is a short walk from the port for trips to Capri. 00-39-081-0175008, www.romeohotel.it.
London calling: from €93
Going to London for a few days? Base2stay, in Kensington, is a good location for exploring the city, with room rates from £81 (about €93) single and £105 (€121) double. The hotel is modern, and rooms have microwaves, fridges and
kettles. It also offers
discounts in local restaurants.
00-44-20-72442255, www.base2stay.com.
Five-star Malta: from €135
Relax in Malta with a stay at the five-star Phoenicia Hotel in Valletta, a Unesco Heritage city. During the summer it has stays for €135 per room
per night, including breakfast, based on a three-night minimum stay. Ryanair flies to Malta on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. 00-44-808-2381710, www.phoeniciamalta.com.
Spanish jaunt: from €495
Map Travel and Lorna Roberts Travel have combined for a tailor-made package to Spain, with two nights in a parador and two nights in a city-centre hotel, with flights and car hire, from €495pps. 01-8783116, 095-23511, www.maptravel.ie, www.lornarobertsholidays.com.
Italian taste and talk: from €405
Combine cooking and learning a language for a different type of summer holiday. A trip to Florence, getting to grips with Italian in the morning, costs from €405. 01-4434703, www.eurolanguages.com.
Rule Brittany: from €651
Siblu, which operates 14 holiday parks in France, has reduced prices on some of its summer holidays. A week in a two-bedroom mobile home in Brittany is from €651 in June. 0818-274097, www.siblu.ie.
English hotels: from €63
Jurys Inns is opening three hotels in England, in Exeter, Swindon and Derby, with opening offers from £55 (about €63) per room. Summer deals in other inns are from £49 to £69 (about €56-80). www.jurysinns.com.