Your questions answered by
JOAN SCALES
Q My husband and I are looking for a sun holiday in March. Can you recommend somewhere a bit special, as it is our wedding anniversary?
MB, Dublin
In March you are slightly limited in places to go. There are direct flights from Dublin to most of the Canary Islands, Madeira, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.
My first suggestion would be Madeira, where the temperature is about
21 degrees in March. Madeira is a lovely island for sightseeing and walks. It is also famous for its gardens. A week at the new five-star Meliá Madeira Mare costs from €829 with Topflight, (01-2401700, topflight.ie). If you can push the boat out, the best place to stay might be Reid’s Palace (reidspalace. com), which costs about €400 a night.
On Costa Adeje, in Tenerife, the Bahia Principe hotel is very nice, located by the sea with lovely gardens, swimming pools and seven restaurants to choose from. A week all-inclusive with Panorama Holidays (0818-202020, panoramaholidays.ie) costs from €979pps. Or blow the budget by staying at the nearby Gran Hotel Bahia del Duque (bahia-duque.com), from €2,900 for a week half-board, booked directly with the hotel. You can fly to Tenerife with Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) and Ryanair (ryanair.com).
Q My wife and I will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary on March 16th. It will be the first time we will have had an opportunity to go abroad together. My wife has expressed a desire to visit Italy, in particular the area around Venice. Our budget for a four-day visit is about €1,200. We would prefer somewhere warm, not far from airports, with perhaps a visit to Venice. I am open to other locations but would prefer those within the euro zone.
EH, Galway
The bad news is that Italy in March will not necessarily be warm. It may be warmer than here, but you cannot count on it. The average temperature in Venice in March is between five and 12 degrees. That said, it is also a good-value time to go.
I have found packages for you from €320pps through Lastminute.com, with Aer Lingus flights and four nights’ accommodation, which would leave plenty in the budget for entertainment.
Or you could consider the guided Insiders’ Tour of Venice with Citiescapes (01-2941000, citiescapes.ie), which is offering a four-day trip to the city, including transfers, for €489 each.
Something worth considering is the senior travel offer from the Spanish government. Until the end of April it is subsidising holidays for over-55s in hotels. The prices are fantastic. A week’s full board on the Costa del Sol costs from €365 each, including flights from Dublin or Shannon. The temperature will be 10 to 18 degrees. Seven Irish agencies can take bookings, subject to an arrangement fee. See travelsenior.eu for more.
Q I am travelling to Calcutta with four friends at the end of March to do voluntary work, and am looking for the most competitively priced flights with as few stops as possible. I need to leave on March 27th and return 10 days later. I would appreciate your help, as we are all working on a tight budget. When we travelled there two years ago, we flew British Airways from London direct to Calcutta, but it seems impossible now to get direct flights from Europe at a decent price.
CK, Meath
When flying long haul the fares will always be cheaper if you have more stopovers. Calcutta does not have a big range of international services, and this reduces your options, too. I have found a fare with Gohop.ie, flying via Paris and Delhi with Air France, from €610. I do not think you will get a better price than this. The closest fare with British Airways is €1,022. You can contact Gohop via its website or on 01-2412389.
Q We are three families, two in Newry and one in Westport, looking to meet up at the end of March. We are hoping to go self-catering and looking for a midway point. We are open to Cavan, Leitrim, Longford or Mullingar.
TMC, Down
Why not Roscommon and a castle? Kilronan Castle Hotel has lovely self-catering houses in the grounds, and you can use the facilities of the hotel. Prices are from €370 per house for a weekend, or up to €980 per week. See naturalretreats.ie.
In Co Cavan, the Clonandra Cottages (clonandra.com), in a rural setting on the shores of Lough Garrow, are close to the village of Redhills, between Belturbet and Clones.
In March two-bedroom houses cost from €260for weekends and €420 weekly.
E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com