From a holiday voucher giveaway to a stay in a chateau, Joan Scaleshas the week's top offers
DEAL OF THE WEEK
Pamper yourself by the Shannon: from €160pps
Health and wellness is the theme in the Shannon region next month, when 13 hotels and spas come together to offer great packages and workshops. Paula Mee of RTÉ's Health Squad, Therese Ryan of How Long Will You Live and Dr Paddy O'Malley of Galway Clinic are among the speakers. Hotels taking part include Dromoland Castle (above), Kinnitty Castle, Absolute Limerick, One Pery Square, Falls Ennistymon, Doonbeg Golf Club, Radisson Limerick and Abbey Court, Kilkee. Prices begin at €160pps per night, including a spa treatment and a gift on arrival. www.shortbreaksireland.ie.
OVERSEAS BREAKS:
Grin and bear it on Blue Monday
The start of next week has been called Blue Monday, a competitor for the most depressing day of the year, and the combination of the economic crisis and bad weather may be getting you down. Lastminute.com will be trying to spread a little happiness on Grafton Street in Dublin from 12.30pm to 1.30pm, when the Love Bear will be giving out vouchers worth €35,000 for discounts on holidays. The website will have half-price deals at Hilton hotels and sun-holiday bargains.
www.lastminute.com.
Rome break: from €499pps
Five days in Rome for €499pps is on offer from the Travel Department. The price includes a charter flight from Dublin, five nights at the Jolly Villa Carpegna hotel with breakfast, a half-day guided walking tour of ancient Rome and a half-day guided tour of Christian Rome. 01-6371600,
www.thetraveldepartment.ie.
Downtown New York: €550pps
Travel Counsellors has a deal on February 20th for a trip to New York. Fly with Delta and spend four nights at the Wellington Hotel, in downtown Manhattan, for €550pps.
www.travelcounsellors.ie.
3 nights free in Orlando
Touramerica has a great deal from Universal Studios hotels in Orlando, Florida. Book seven nights by January 31st and get three nights free at the Hard Rock Hotel or Loews Portofino Bay Hotel for travel until June 27th. And if you are staying in these hotels, you skip the queues at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure theme parks. Prices from €749pps, including flights, transfers and taxes, based on four sharing. 01-8173535,
www.touramerica.ie, deal reference 312490.
A chateau for 3 nights: €432pps
Château Soussac, in the Gironde, an hour from Bordeaux, is welcoming visitors from Ireland with a great offer. Owned by Nell Stewart-Liberty, formerly of Social and Personal magazine, it is bound to give you a genuine Irish welcome. The three-night package includes accommodation in the 19th-century château, two five-course dinners, a tour of the vineyard and cellars, and a tasting of the Château Soussac Bordeaux for €432pps when booked and paid for by the end of April. Four-night packages start at €540pps. Wine tours of the region can also be arranged. 00-33-5-56613154,
www.chateau-soussac.com.
HOME BREAKS
2 weeks for the price of 1
Trident Holidays Homes has been renting self-catering houses for 22 years. This season, an early-booking offer will give a €100 discount on peak weeks, secured by a €50 deposit. Prices have been kept to 2008 levels and, in some cases, are lower. It also has two weeks for the price of one until the first fortnight of July; there are further discounts for rentals of four weeks or more. 1850-225252, www.tridentholidayhomes.ie.
Céilí nights: from €249pps
The Gathering, a celebration of diversity of Irish traditional music, will take place at the Gleneagle Hotel, in Killarney, Co Kerry, from February 18th to 22nd. There will be concerts, céilithe, sessions, classes and lectures. Prices for two nights' bed and breakfast, dinner one night and entertainment from €249pps. www.thegathering.ie.
Hostel beds: €9.99 per night
Sleepzone has three budget hostels in the west of Ireland, in Galway city, Leenane and Lisdoonvarna. This month and next you can book dorm rooms from €9.99 per night and twin/double rooms from €19.99pps for stays up to July 10th. www.sleepzone.ie.
Spa and surf: from €135pps
Spa Ireland has come up with 10 recession-beating spa breaks for less than €200. Take a Spa and Surf deal in Co Clare for €185pps, a day package at the Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt for €135 or a night in Cork with an Espa treatment for €135pps. www.spa-ireland.com.
Tee up and stay over: from €159
Mount Wolseley Hotel, in Co Carlow, with its golf course and leisure centre, could be ideal for a short break. Two nights' bed and breakfast and one dinner costs from €139pps; add a round of golf for an extra €20 or three nights' bed and breakfast and one dinner from €169pps. 059-9180100, www.mountwolseley.ie.
Treat yourself: 25% discount
Relax and dine in the garden of Ireland with a mini-break at BrookLodge Wells Spa, in Macreddin, Co Wicklow. A one-night stay with dinner in the Strawberry Tree organic restaurant costs from €110pps. Discounts of 25 per cent are available for spa treatments on selected dates. 0402-36444, www.brooklodge.com.
Please bear in mind that deals are subject to availability