Maturing SSIAs will give many people €20,000 payouts this year - just enough for two nights at one of Rome's best hotels or for an 80-day business-class backpacking trip. If you're considering blowing your cash on the holiday of a lifetime, Joan Scaleshas some suggestions
Money can't buy you love, but it can certainly buy you the holiday of a lifetime. With more than a million people in line to receive lump sums from maturing special savings incentive accounts, many of you might be considering blowing your cash on a luxurious alternative to the annual package holiday in Spain or the camping trip in France (although, were you to hang on to the money, it would probably pay for trips to Spain and France for years to come).
Many SSIA payouts will amount to about €20,000. To put it in perspective, that much money will buy you two nights at the Villa Cupola suite at the Westin Excelsiorin Rome. You could stay for nine days in a beach pavilion on Huvafen Fushiin the Maldives. Or, for €700 a night, you could enjoy a holiday at Burj al Arab, in Dubai, the world's only self-styled seven-star hotel.
The Royal Malewane's Royal Suite is one of the most indulgent experiences you can have in South Africa, and your money will buy you four days there for four people. Or you could backpack around the world in 80 days - but you could do it in comfort.
Here are some more suggestions on what you can get for €20,000, whether it's lying on a sandy beach, climbing Everest, chartering a yacht, taking the Orient Expressto stay in the Gritti Palacein Venice, or treating your family and friends.
ROMANTIC COUPLE
It can be a grand romantic gesture to spend lots of money on a holiday, and the world is full of romantic places. Top of the list has to be the Caribbean, with its waving palm trees, white beaches, blue seas and great food.
Richard Branson's island, Necker, supplies you with all you need for seven days of luxury. A "Celebration Week" costs $22,500, which at current exchange rates is about €17,500, leaving just enough for the airfare. And you won't need to spend a penny once you get there.
Another choice in the Caribbean is a week on Free Ingwe, a Leopard 45 catamaran, which sails to a number of beautiful islands. Just imagine lying in the net between the hulls as the boat skims the waves on its way to the next location. Make sure you go snorkelling, and try to visit the Soggy Dollar Bar. You have to swim to get there - hence the soggy dollars.
After a week on the boat for $9,500 (€7,400), you will still be able to afford seven days at the Bitter End Yacht Club, in the British Virgin Islands, for $5,000 (€3,900), where you can practise sailing yourself.
Heading east, to the Indian Ocean, there are many more white sandy beaches, waving palms and watersports in the Seychelles. There is a choice of two fabulous private islands: Frégateand Sainte Anne. The main difference is that you could afford a week on one or two weeks on the other.
Alternatively, head to Boulders Lodge, on the Singita Private Game Reserve in South Africa, and stay there until the money runs out.
FAMILY HOLIDAY
Every family would love to have the experience of a lifetime together, but making it special for everyone is the hard part. That's why South Africais a great choice for a family trip.
This vast country has great variety: beaches, mountains, scenery and wild animals.
For a family-fun holiday, consider combining three stops: a safari in Kruger National Park; a stay at the Palace of the Lost City hotel, in Sun City; and a week in the Cape Townarea, to explore the Cape.
Safari options vary from basic hiking on foot to the seriously luxurious, with prices ranging from €60 to €600 a person. Whichever safari you choose, it will include early-morning starts and late-evening trips into the bush, as these are the ideal times for seeing leopards, lions, rhinos, giraffes and buffaloes. Morning drives in the bush are unforgettable, with miles and miles of greenness and scrubland to be covered, and the thrill of spotting a herd of elephants or a lion and her cubs.
Sun City is a South African Disney meets Las Vegas meets Indiana Jones at the PGA. This resort in the jungle has game drives, a beach, a water park, a casino, a spa, a golf course, shows and amusement rides. The Palace of the Lost City is spectacularly over the top; a junior suite starts at €600 a night. Alternatively, you could stay at the Cabanas from €190 a night for a family room.
On to Cape Town, and here the family should stay in a beachside villa or penthouse near the city, with prices ranging from €800 to €2,000 a week. This will give you an opportunity to relax before exploring the Cape region. Don't miss Robben Island, Cape Point, Table Mountain, V&A Waterfront, the Winelands and the Garden Route.
SAVVY TRAVELLERS
The best-known resort in the Caribbean is Sandy Lane, in Barbados, and, even though Concorde isn't flying there any more, it's still special.
Twenty thousand euro will buy you a week at the hotel - not in a suite, but with dinner every night, a few rounds of golf and some treats in the spa. It may be considered posh, but Sandy Lane is a welcoming place, and you never know who you'll spot.
Perhaps the ultimate luxury trip is a cruise, where you are cossetted and comforted and rarely have to think of anything more taxing than choosing dinner. Cruise lines such as Silverseaand Seabournpride themselves on giving you the best, and you would be surprised how far your money goes.
On Silversea, where Moët & Chandon is the drink of choice, take a 14-day cruise down the Amazon, from Manaus to Rio de Janeiro. A veranda suite costs from €7,300 a person.
Seabourn yachts carry about 200 passengers in comfort. In November you could take a 30-day voyage from Dubai to Hong Kong from €8,500 a person.
Many cruises lines have fantastic discounts if you book well in advance or are prepared to travel at short notice, so watch their websites for details.
TREAT YOUR FRIENDS
It is lovely to get a big group of friends together for a holiday, and with €20,000 to spend you could have some fun times.
How about a renting a castle in Scotlandfor up to 18 people, staying in five-star luxury for two nights? Instead, you could have a week, including flights, transport and food for 12, in a beachside villa in Zahara de los Atunes, in Spain. Or why not bring your best friend on a round-the-world trip? You would, of course, be travelling business class.
The Holiday World show is at the RDS, Dublin 4, today and tomorrow, 11am-5.30pm
WHERE TO FIND OUT MORE
Westin Hotel, Rome:www.westin.com
Huvafen Fushi:www.huvafenfushi.com
Burj al Arab:www.burj-al-arab.com
Royal Malewane:www.royalmalewane.com
Orient Express:www.orient-express.com
Gritti Palace:www.hotelgrittivenice.com
Necker Island:www.necker.com
Free Ingwe Catamaran:www.freeingwe.com
Bitter End Yacht Club:www.beyc.com
Frégate Island:www.fregate.com, www.jgt.ie
Sainte Anne Island:www.jgt.ie
Boulders Lodge:www.singita.com
South Africa:www.sunway.ie, www.slatterys.com, www.travelfocus.ie
Sandy Lane:www.sandylane.com
Silversea:www.silversea.com
Yachts of Seabourn:www.seabourn.com
Myres Castle, Scotland:www.myres.co.uk
Zahara de los Atunes:www.holiday-rentals.com