Go Family: The package holiday market is getting ready to kick back against the economic gloom with a raft of family bargains, writes Joan Scales
IT IS TIME to begin thinking about where to go next summer. If you make up your mind quickly you'll get the best choice and the best value: all of the tour operators will give you money off if you book soon, with free child and grandparent places, discounts for couples, discounts for single parents, cheaper insurance and low deposits. (Keep an eye on the calendar, though: some of the offers end with 2008, on Wednesday.)
The best dates and resorts go quickly, as do the bigger apartments. Bear in mind that the economic downturn will have an effect on availability, too: Thomas Cook Group, which owns Panorama, Airtours, Sunworld and Direct Holidays, will be offering about 20 per cent fewer holidays next year, Falcon Holidays has announced a reduction of up to 15 per cent, and other tour operators are expected to follow suit. As always, it will pay to shop around: prices can vary by up to €200 per person.
Don't forget, either, that next year there should be even more flights from regional airports. You'll be able to take a sun holiday from Kerry and Ireland West Airport Knock as well as from Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Belfast, reducing your travelling time and your parking costs.
1 SpainOur love affair with Spain has grown stronger every year, with people heading for both old favourite and new destinations. Whether to the costas, the Canaries or the Balearics, we are travelling there in droves.
The Costa del Sol is a old favourite, with a range of accommodation, nice beaches and good-value entertainment and eating out. All the main tour operators feature the Costa del Sol; price will dictate where you stay. Almost all of the tour operators fly from Cork, Shannon, Kerry and Knock. Thousands of us travel to the Balearic Islands of Majorca, Minorca and Ibiza for what we know will be good holidays. Sandy beaches, busy resorts, quiet mountains, crazy nightlife and good value for money: it's hard to beat, whether for couples or families.
Falcon Holidays (1850- 453545, www.falcon holidays.ie), which has long offered kids' clubs, has this year added X-Factor and Spy Kids programmes,and in the Falcon Villages in Costa del Sol, Lanzarote and Majorca it also has the Stage Academy School for budding performers and the In2Action programme for outdoor activities.
We visit the Canary Islands all year round; Lanzarote tops the list. The Canary Islands are perfect for families, and in summer the weather is not as hot as mainland Spain. Take your pick of accommodation, from well-run family hotels to self-catering apartments. Princesa Yaiza Suite Hotel Resort, in Lanzarote, is the island's most talked-about family hotel. It appears in the brochures of Falcon, Panorama and Sunworld.
2 FranceThere are so many great places to stay in France that any family will be spoiled for choice. Among the most popular holidays are those on campsites, with all activities laid on, or those in self-catering houses, with the freedom to explore.
The Atlantic coast is particularly popular with Irish families, as it is easy to get to from the Rosslare and Cork ferries. The two favourite destinations with Irish Ferries (0818-400300, www.irishferries.com) are Port Bourgenay, in Vendée, and Port Crouesty, in Brittany.
Pont Aven, the flagship of Brittany Ferries (021-4277801, www.brittanyferries.ie), sails from Cork to Roscoff every weekend between April and October. The company offers a range of holiday accommodation, from gites and cottages to holiday resorts and villas with pools. Register your holiday choice before December 31st for a 15 per cent discount.
Keycamp Holidays (021- 4252300, www.keycamp.ie) offers what sounds like the ultimate outdoor adventure - the tree house - on three of its campsites in France: Dol-de- Bretagne, Carnac Grand Metairie and Berney Rivière. You also get a frontier tent for those down-to-earth moments.
Now that so many airlines serve France, it can be just as easy to fly, then rent a car or book a transfer to your final destination. Some locations are within easy access of airports. Check when you are booking.
3 PortugalThe Algarve, our favourite Portuguese holiday destination, stretches from the Spanish border along more than 100km of rugged coastline and golden beaches to the cliffs of Cape St Vincent. Accommodation varies from the high-rise blocks of Praia da Rocha to parkland golf resorts and villas with pools. There's something in every price range.
Sunway, Topflight, Panorama, Falcon and Steintravel all offer holidays in the Algarve; prices start at €459 a week.
You could also try the resorts of the Lisbon coast: Estoril, Cascais and Sintra. All are a short transfer from Lisbon airport, with the bonus of being within day-trip distance of the capital. Sunway will have holidays to the Lisbon coast again this summer.
4 ItalyLong thought of as a destination for romance and honeymoons, Italy has only recently become popular with families. Topflight (01-2401700, www.topflight.ie), in particular, has made it more affordable for families.
Bella Italia resort, on Lake Garda, is one of the success stories. A great family resort with lots of swimming pools, entertainment and fun for children, it also has a good selection of accommodation, from a full-service hotel where you can opt for full board to a variety of self-catering options, including apartments and mobile homes.
Also more affordable for families are holiday homes in Tuscany. Abbey Travel (www. abbeydtravel.ie) has a great selection of properties, both coastal and countryside, many with private pools. The packages usually include car hire, so you can fly to the nearest airport and begin your holiday immediately.
Other tour-operator websites featuring Italy include www. inghams.ie, www.crystal holidays.ie and www.sunway.ie. Sunway is particularly expert on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. Crystal Holidays will have some great offers on mobile homes in Italy, with two weeks for the price of one. In May, for the midterm, it will have a direct flight from Dublin to Pisa. A week will cost from €339pps.
An alternative way to see an interesting part of Italy is to hire a cruiser from Emerald Star (071-9623710, www.emerald star.ie) and navigate the Venetian waterways to the Adriatic seaside resort of Lido di Jesolo, having seen Venice, too.
5 GreeceGreece has managed to fend off mass tourism and preserve its authenticity. It has lots of nice family-run hotels and friendly resorts. The top islands with Irish families are Crete and Corfu. Rhodes, Mykonos and Zakinthos are also popular.
Budget Travel (www.budgettravel.ie) was the first tour operator to bring the Irish to Greece, 30 years ago. It features Corfu, Crete and Zakinthos for next summer, with good prices. Panorama Holidays, Direct Holidays and Sunworld will all feature Crete and Zakinthos, too. A word of warning: Crete is particularly popular with Leaving Cert students in August, so pick your accommodation carefully.
6 TurkeyThe best value next summer could be Turkey, as the euro is strong against the lira. You'll be able to take flights from Ireland to Bodrum, Izmir, Dalaman and Antalya.
All the main tour operators will have Turkey in their brochures, and prices should be good. Abbey Travel will have a charter flight to Antalya during the summer for those who have made their own accommodation arrangements.
Turkey has a good mixture of family accommodation, from reasonably priced self-catering to holiday villages, activity-based holidays and all-inclusive resorts. Lykia World all-inclusive resort, near Olu Deniz (www.lykiaworld.com), is well rated as a family destination, with children's activities and clubs. Budget Travel, Panorama, Direct Holidays, Abbey Travel and Sunway all feature Turkey.
For the active family, Sunway (01-2886828, www.sunway.ie) has what sounds like a perfect holiday: Sunsail. Turkey has three Sunsail clubs; a week from the UK costs about £599 (about €630), including transfers, accommodation, meal plan and sports such as sailing, wind- surfing, mountain-biking and tennis.
Or why not take the family on an Explore holiday (www.explore.co.uk/familyadventures or through Maxwell Travel on 01-6779479), sailing along the Aegean coast in a traditional Turkish gulet (the crew is included), exploring coves, bays and islands. A week at sea should be very easy-going and relaxed. Prices from London start at £795 (about €840) each.
7 CyprusThe island is a good family-holiday destination, with a warm welcome for children. Cyprus has a range of accommodation options, from full-service hotels with children's facilities to self-catering apartments and villas. It also has a good variety of golf and spas, for parents' treats.
Budget Travel, Falcon Holidays and Thomas Cook Group will all fly to Larnaca next summer. Sunway and Concorde Travel will have flights to Paphos, plus a good selection of four- and five-star hotels.
The main resorts in Cyprus are Limassol, Paphos, Ayia Napa, Protaras and Nissi Beach.
8 BulgariaThe Black Sea resorts of Bulgaria were popular in the 1970s as a very cheap holiday destination. Stories abounded of how many drinks you could get for £1. In recent times things have changed, and Bulgaria has come into the 21st century, with a huge building programme and redevelopment of Sunny Beach and Nessabar. You should find top-class resorts to rival any in Spain or Portugal.
Prices have not yet gone through the roof. Packages cost about the same as those for Spain or Portugal during high season, but meals and entertainment are cheaper.
Concorde Travel (www.concordetravel.ie) has an extensive programme for Bulgaria next summer, in four seaside resorts, including the Iberostar and Barceló hotels.
9 EgyptEgypt is one of the newest destinations for Irish families. One of the most popular activities here is exploring the underwater world. Falcon Village at Sharm el Sheikh has diving lessons for children. Budget Travel also has an extensive programme to Egypt, with resorts on the Red Sea and in Luxor. There is also the option of exploring the ancient world by taking a cruise on the Nile. The sound-and-light show at Luxor is particular exciting - children will remember it for a long time.
10 United StatesDespite the dollar's rise against the euro, holidays to Florida are still good value. The ideal two-week break there is a week at the theme parks (Universal Studios says it will open the world's most advanced roller coast, Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit, this spring) and a week relaxing by a pool or on a beach. Accommodation includes child-friendly hotels and many good-quality houses.
More than half of customers of Tour America (01-8173500, www.touramerica.ie) opt for a rental home. A seven-night stay in a private villa, with pool, flights and car hire, costs from €2,999 for two adults and two children.
An alternative is five nights in Orlando, staying on International Drive, followed by a seven-night cruise on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, from €1,139, also available from Tour America.
American Holidays (01- 4331080, www.american holdiays.ie) has 14 nights at Walt Disney World for the price of 10, or a 14-day ultimate Disney ticket for the price of a seven-day ticket. There are also a lot of free nights at hotels, and rates are lower than last year's.
Two-centre holidays are still a favourite: you can experience the thrills and spills of Orlando, then try out the other side of Florida and its beautiful beaches. On Florida's Gulf Coast, Clearwater Beach, St Pete Beach and Naples are still firm favourites with the Irish. Fort Myers is a new beach destination on the Gulf Coast.
Magic Vacations (021- 4700568, www.magicvacations.ie) has early-booking offers for Walt Disney World, such as seven nights for the price of five or 14 nights for the price of 10. In addition, kids eat for free. There will be spectacular shows in Magic Kingdom on July 4th. You can also add a three-night Bahamas cruise from €289pps, and, if you time it right, a visit to Kennedy Space Center for a shuttle launch on one of three dates in June and July.