NEWS
Fairytale Destination
From March 26th, Disneyland Paris celebrates its 25th anniversary with an array of new experiences. Two special Star Wars rides and two daytime shows debut and, come nightfall, the all-new Disney Illuminations shows takes place, featuring state-of-the-art technology. With ClickandGo offering three nights in the Kyriad Disneyland Resort Paris Hotel and flights to Paris from €699 per family this May, now is definitely time to bring the family. See clickandgo.com and disneylandparis.ie for more.
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Write Away
The West Cork Literary Festival, which takes place in Bantry and Whiddy Island from July 14th to 21st, is now open for bookings. With workshops in novel writing, songwriting, journalism and poetry, and appearances from writers Colm Tóibín, Sara Baume and Eimear McBride, this is set to be a summer highlight. See westcorkliteraryfestival.ie for more.
Good Timing
Travel search engine Kayak.ie has revealed the best times for Irish travellers to book their getaways. According to the study, the best time to buy flights to London is two months prior to departure. Booking a month in advance for hotel stays in Amsterdam and Barcelona can result in savings of up to 53 per cent. And when it comes to New York, booking flights and hotels one to two months before travelling is the optimum time. For more see kayak.ie/news.
PARTY-WORTHY PADS
Coopershill: Decamp with the entire gang to the 18th-century Co Sligo mansion. Four-poster beds, candlelit dinners, open log fires. snooker, tennis and croquet will certainly get the party started. For parties of 8-12. See coopershill.com.
Hilton Park: The family-run estate in Monaghan sleeps up to 14 guests and offers all the drama of a period house. With the Maddens on hand to cater to your soiree's every need, celebrating here means true elegance. See hiltonpark.ie.
Liss Ard Estate: Go casual or black tie in the Cork venue, where you and your cohorts take over the Country House, Garden Mews or the Lake Lodge. Their 25 bedrooms and suites make this the perfect spot for a big bash. lissard.com.
WATER WORKS
Between the French Alps and Lake Geneva lies the Evian Resort, a bonafide mecca for those in need of a healthy retreat. Their latest package is a three-day programme of exercise, restorative spa treatments – body scrubs, personalised osteopathy sessions, hydro massage baths, energising stomach massage and foot reflexology – and a special detoxifying menu. Fresh water from the Evian spring is a prominent part of the process, naturally. The three-day Equilibre3 programme starts from €1,555 per person and includes three nights (based on double occupancy), three detox treatments each day, three balanced meals each day, three muscle wake-up sessions with a coach each day and one complimentary book. For more, see evianresort.com.
GET ’APPY
Dublin Walls: This app allows user to view the medieval walls of the city using GPS to map their route. Along the route, users experience animated videos recreating sections of Dublin's city walls, photographs and text by archaeologist Linzi Simpson. Available on iTunes.
DEALS
Spain and Portugal: tour the Iberian Peninsula's best sights in June – Granada, Alhambra, Toledo, Seville, Lisbon and Fatima. Insight Vacations nine-day fully inclusive tour reduced to €1,639. Contact 1800-989898 insightvacations.com/eu.
Dordogne: Le Manoir de la Riviere, elegant guest house on the Dordogne, run by Nell Stewart-Liberty is offering B&B to early bookers from €54 pps. (00-33-553230401) , email nell@nellstewartliberty.com.
New England: easy via Hartford Connecticut with cassidytravel.ie and Aer Lingus. Book an autumn trip from €725pps for five nights or three night spring breaks in Mystic from €588pps. Contact 01-462 9100.
