Your questions answered
QI frequently holiday in Dublin, but I am having difficulty finding self-catering accommodation (preferably an apartment) to rent in the Ballsbridge area. I've been in touch with Dublin tourist information board, and I contacted apartment owners listed on its website, but I have received no responses.
JR, London
I was helping a colleague find short-term accommodation in Ballsbridge for relations visiting from the US recently, and I came across the same problem. We sent out dozens of e-mails and received very few replies. Landlords, please note. In the end we found an apartment through www.lansdowneproperty.ie, although the usual term is for at least a month. You could also try www.dialashortlet.com, although it does not have a big selection of properties in Ballsbridge. Another site, www.daft.ie, has a mixture of private and agency rentals. Baggot Rath House, on Newbridge Avenue, has a selection of nice apartments; call 01-6781100.
QI last renewed my Irish passport in February 2001. Can you tell me if it is still valid for foreign travel, leaving aside the US? Do I need a new, machine- readable one? I am thinking of mainly continental visits - Scandinavia, France, Italy and similar.
DH, Belfast
If you renewed your passport with the passport office in Dublin or Cork since 1994, then it is machine-readable. If you renewed it elsewhere, then it may be handwritten. The only country that insists on machine-readable passports at present is the US. You should be fine for travel within Europe, handwritten or otherwise.
QWe are a family of five - our children are 24, 22 and 14 - and have booked flights to Bordeaux for the last week of August. We're thinking of staying in the city for two or three nights, then spending the other three nights somewhere outside Bordeaux. Can you recommend anything really nice for us? I have looked at Cap Ferret but am finding it really difficult to get accommodation.
SO'H, Dublin
Bordeaux is a great city that has been transformed in recent years by Mayor Alain Juppé, with the cleaning up of the river and the city, and the introduction of a tram system. It is also a Unesco World Heritage centre.
The city's most majestic hotel is the Regent (www.the regentbordeaux.com), which has rooms at the end of August from €250 per night.
Rooms at the modern, well- located and reasonably priced Mercure Meriadeck (www.mercure.com) start at €65 per night.
Bordeaux has a great tourism website (www. bordeaux-tourisme.com) with lots of help for planning a visit. The tourist board will also organise wine tours.
Cap Ferret, less than hour from Bordeaux, is one of those off-the-beaten-track kind of places that those in the know rarely share. It is quietly understated, and mass tourism has not made it here, making it difficult to find somewhere to stay. You can find e-mail addresses and telephone numbers for a few possibilities at www.lege-capferret.com. Try www.franceguide.com site, too.
Within a reasonable two hours or so of Bordeaux are the cities of Biarritz, Bayonne, Angoulême and La Rochelle.
Biarritz is a lovely city that gives a feel of the Basque coast of France. It is also a great place for surfing. The five-star Hôtel du Palais (www.hotel- du-palais.com), a Biarritz institution, is a resort on a grand scale, on the beach with indoor and outdoor pools, golf and a thalassotherapy spa. Rooms at the end of August cost about €445 per night.
QCan you help us find something suitable in Amsterdam? Myself and four friends (in our late 30s and early 40s) are going to Amsterdam for a weekend in September (Friday to Sunday). We are thinking of renting a house so we can have long, lazy mornings and a more informal environment than a hotel. Do you know which areas of the city are a good base for sightseeing and quiet enough so we can all sleep? Can you recommend agencies that rent out large apartments, or houses, for two nights?
CF, Dublin
Central Amsterdam is compact and easy to get around for sightseeing. As you have a short time in the Amsterdam you would be better to stay in the city. Most short-term apartments are within the city centre, and the Rijksmuseum area is close to everywhere. Some agencies will rent for a minimum of three nights, but they may still be worth your while if the price is right. I have seen suitable properties around the €450 to €600 range for two or three nights. Loving Amsterdam (www.loving amsterdam.com) has a great selection of properties, including houseboats - maybe a quirky way to see the city from a different angle. Check out www.apartments-for-rent.com/amsterdam, too: it has a nice selection of properties. The website www.directstay. com has a few properties, including some traditional merchant's houses.
E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irish-times.ie