Go Advice:YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Q My wife, daughter and I are looking to head away for around a week in January. We are looking for a destination that can offer a mixture of sightseeing, culture and good food. More importantly. it has to be baby friendly (she will be six months in January). Between flights, weather and cost there is so much to consider when travelling with a baby. Any recommendations or advice you may have would be most welcome.
GMcL, Cork
Destinations from Cork in January are a little limited, but you do have access to one of the best cities in Europe for a good holiday - Barcelona - and it is child friendly, too. In Barcelona, you will be guaranteed lots of sightseeing, culture and great food. Children are always welcome. www.barcelonaturisme.com. Your other choices would be Lanzarote or Tenerife, as Aer Lingus has direct flights here during the winter, www.aerlingus.com. Both islands are interesting, weather would be good and there is a wealth of sight-seeing in both. If you choose to go to the Canary Islands, you may find a package deal will be better value and you can source this through a local travel agent such as www.shandontravel.ie or www.foreignafares.ie.
Q My three (adult) children and I are booked for a week, flying to Malaga December 21st to 28th. Christmas is a bit of a difficult time for us but we want to have a good balance of relaxation and see some highlights of the area. We will have a car and our interests include Moorish art, gardens, music and animals (one daughter is a zoologist).
We are not sure whether to choose a base and travel out to interesting places or to spend our time travelling around, having booked several family hotels/pensions in a couple of places. What is Christmas like in this area? Where is a good base? Would you recommend rented accommodation and, if so, what type and where?
KC, Belfast
I would recommend self-catering rented accommodation for your trip over Christmas as it will give you the freedom to relax without worrying about maids coming in to change beds. Christmas holidays usually involve a lot of getting up late and flopping around. If you base yourself around Marbella, Mijas, Estepona or Elviria, then you will be ideally located to visit places in the region. Top of the list for Moorish architecture and heritages is the city of Granada, about an hour from the coast. The Alhambra and Generalife Gardens are jewels of Islamic art and can be booked on www.alhambra.org/eng. Other places to visit are the white towns of Andalucia, particularly Ronda, perched high in the mountains. The zoologist may like to see dolphin and whale-watching at the Straits of Gibraltar. The Firmm Foundation is located at Tarifa an hour down the coast, www.tarifa.net and www.firmm.org. Check out accommodation available on www.jamesvillas.ie, www.holiday-rentals.com, www.holidaylets.net. The official tourism website is www.andalucia.org
Q We are a family of five (parents and grown up children) who will be spending Christmas in New York. Can you give us some guidelines on what will be closed over Christmas and for how long? Also any ideas of things to do and places to eat would be welcome - we are staying in an apartment so we'd like to book somewhere in advance for Christmas Day - we're not necessarily looking for turkey!
SB, Cork
The only day that things will be closed in New York is Christmas Day when department stores, museums, and attractions aren't open for business. There will be some restaurants serving Christmas lunch and dinner, but you should book in advance. Top of the list for atmosphere and décor is Tavern on the Green in Central Park. The art deco restaurant goes all out for Christmas with amazing trees and lighting, www.tavernonthegreen.com. In East Midtown, Cibo will be serving Christmas dinner from noon to 9pm for a fixed price of $75 (€60), www.cibonyc.com. Blue Fin at the W Hotel is a very stylish modern restaurant at Times Square, no turkey here, but lots of fish, www.brguestrestaurants.com. And for a real fab Christmas day breakfast, Norma's at the Parker Meridien Hotel will be doing an extravagant feast, www.parkermeridien.com.
Other than Christmas Day, it is business as usual in New York and there will be lots of things to do. Top of the Rock is the newest attraction in the city and should be done at night for the great views. Ice-skating will be on at Rockefeller Center and a number of other locations around the city. The Christmas Show in Radio City Music Hall with the Rockettes is a New York tradition and can be booked on www.radiocity.com. There will also be carols and Christmas church services in the main cathedrals, St Patrick's on Madison Avenue, www.saintpatrickcathedral.org, and St John Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue, www.stjohndivine.org. There is such a variety of events and attractions available that you should have a look at www.nycvisit.com and also www.gonyc.about.com for a wealth of ideas.
• E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irish-times.ie