Go Advice:From a holiday in romantic Santorini to touring France in a camper van, JOAN SCALESanswers your travel questions
Celebration in Santorini
Could you please advise us what is the best way to travel to the Greek island of Santorini where we want to start our honeymoon on about September 12th. I cannot find any Irish-based tour operators which fly to Athens or Santorini. This is our second attempt to fly to Santorini as we fell victim to the collapse of XL tour operator in September 2008. We would also like to take a boat trip for two or three days and explore some other Greek islands. We then want to spend a few days in Athens before returning to Dublin.
SL, Donegal
Aer Lingus will be flying to Athens up to September 17th, so you will have to make your way back by another route. It would probably make more sense to have your city stay in Athens on the way out, enjoy a few days seeing the sights, and then head towards Santorini and the Cyclades Islands. There is a Ryanair (ryanair.com) service from Kos to Liverpool three days a week and is a good option for getting you back to Dublin. Otherwise, Easyjet (easyjet.com) flies from Kos and Mykonos to London Gatwick.
You can fly to Santorini (also known as Thira) from Athens with Olympic Airlines Aegean Air or take a ferry from Piraeus. The ferry is much better fun and you get to see lots on the way.
Timetables and routes for ferries are available on greekferries.gr.
Having spent some time in Santorini, I think you could work your way by boat through the Cyclades, maybe Paros, (see parosweb.com), Antiparos, Mykonos to Naxos. From Naxos you can take a ferry to Kos to catch the flight home.
It is easy to get accommodation, especially in September when there are fewer crowds. You may find that you love an island so much that you will not want to move on. And watch the dates – the days have a way to melting into each other in the Greek islands.
Santorini has many spectacular hotels these days and you will be spoiled for choice. Some are expensive boutique-style properties and others are a reasonable price. It depends on your budget. Have a look at santorini.com and also hotels.com.
There are no tour operators serving Santorini from Ireland. If you want to get a package deal you can find one from the UK with thomson.co.uk or firstchoice.co.uk. Two weeks would cost from £530 (€596)pps.
France in a camper van
I wonder if you have any advice or books to recommend on taking the camper van and three children to France on a restricted budget for maybe two or three weeks (camper van bought with SSIA but no hope of selling). Children are 13, 11, and nine, never been to Paris or Disneyland, but is this too ambitious for novices, to include in the itinerary?
CD, Dublin
Making use of the camper van would be a good idea for the holidays and allow you to do some fun things. The most expensive part will be getting from Ireland to France with the camper, so shop around between Irish Ferries, Celtic Link Ferries and Brittany Ferries. Expect to pay about €900-€1,400 for transport. It is not much cheaper going through the UK and you would have the additional cost of fuel.
I have found a good park that is ideally sited for you and the family to explore Paris, Disneyland and Parc Astérix. It is Club Parc de Paris, one of the VacanSoleil properties (021-4272527, vacansoleil.ie). It is at Villevaudé between Meaux and the east ring road around Paris in the Marne Valley.
Disneyland is 15 minutes away and the city centre of Paris is 25km. Parc Astérix is 30km away. It is easy to get into the city centre as the RER train station is only 10 minutes away. The park has sports facilities and the swimming pool is 10 minutes away. In high season, a pitch for a camper van will cost about €30 per night. You can buy discounted Disneyland tickets from attractionticketsdirect.ie.
VacanSoleil has dozens of similar types of parks all over France, so you could spread your time with a week in the Marne valley and a week or so on the coast.
Family Easter in Dublin
My husband and I and our two children, five years and 18 months, will be in Dublin for Easter. Apart from visiting the obvious attractions such as the zoo, can you suggest other child-friendly activities – even a good playground would do! Also any ideas for restaurants which cater well for children and include healthy options on the menus?
SNS, Kerry
Over Easter, the city will be busy and there will be lots of things to see and do. In Deerpark, Mount Merrion, there will be a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party on Easter Sunday from 1pm-5pm, with lots of white rabbits and fun events.
The new Revolver, the big wheel at the Point Theatre, is perfect for getting to see the whole of the city and beyond. The Viking Splash Tour is great fun too – your son would love it.
The playground in St Stephen’s Green is worth a visit. Bring some bread for the ducks too. If the weather is fine, a picnic in the Iveagh Gardens, also known as the “Secret Garden”, would be enjoyable, with lots of space for the children to run around.
The Leprechaun Museum (leprechaunmuseum.ie) will amuse and the Ark on Eustace Street in Temple Bar (ark.ie) always has events on for children. The National History Museum (museum.ie), fondly known as the “Dead Zoo”, has reopened and is always a favourite with little boys.
Some restaurants I can suggest that are family-friendly include the Dome, upstairs in the St Stephen’s Green Centre with great views over the Green. Wagamama in South King Street has a healthy children’s menu.
Places that are fun for children are Captain Americas on Grafton Street, still an icon, and the Bad Ass Café and Luigi Malones, both in Temple Bar.
Go Ask Joan:E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com