Looking for a summer stint away from the grind? Joan Scaleshas been keeping an eye out for bargains at home and abroad
DEAL OF THE WEEK
Bloom in June in Orlando: from €599 per person sharing
Panorama Holidays has some great deals to Orlando, the Florida home of Epcot, at Walt Disney World, with prices from €599pps on June 6th, 13th and 20th. If you upgrade to premier seating, for €249, you will also get a baggage allowance of 30kg - perfect for hauling back shopping. www.panoramaholidays.ie, 0818-202020.
OVERSEAS BREAKS
Scilly Isles: €190pps
At St Martin's on the Isle hotel they say the secret of relaxation is doing absolutely nothing very slowly. St Martin's Isle, one of the Isles of Scilly, is a beautiful hideaway for kicking back. The hotel's food is terrific, and after dinner there's little to do except take a nightcap to bed and plan the next day's excursions. The hotel's dinner-and-BB rates start at £150 (about €190) per person sharing. You can get to St Martin's by air from Bristol, Southampton, Exeter and Newquay. 00-44-1720-422298, www.stmartinshotel.co.uk.
Watch whales in SA: from €1,399
September and October are whale-watching months in South Africa, and Hermanus Whale Festival takes place from September 24th to 28th. Tour Africa has a package that gives you a week between Cape Town and Hermanus, including car hire, from €1,399 per person sharing. 01-8173565, www.tourafrica.ie.
Dollar delight: €309 per room
The dollar's demise is fuelling some great value for us. In Orlando you can book a family room for two adults and two children in a three-star hotel for from €309 per room per week. A four-star hotel such as the Four Points by Sheraton will cost €472 per room per week, or the lovely Ritz-Carlton in Grande Lakes from €1,014 per room per week. 1800- 468357, www.1800hotels.ie.
Liverpool by sea: from €130
Liverpool is city of culture this year, and, given its seafaring tradition, why not visit by sea? Norfolkline has a three-day fare of €130 from Dublin or
Belfast; 01-8192999, www.norfolkline.com. You can see what is on and book accommodation on www.liverpool.com. Stena Line's short break to Liverpool via Holyhead includes two nights' accommodation for €360 at the Premier Inn or Jurys Inn; 01-2047777, www.stenaline.ie.
Canary Wharf penthouse: €475
The new Radisson Edwardian has opened at New Providence Wharf in the Canary Wharf area, 15 minutes from London City Airport. It has weekend rates of £120 (about €150) per room per night. The penthouse is reduced from £750 to £375 (about €475) per night. www.radissonedwardian.co.uk.
Bonding in Italy: from €429pps
Explore the sets for the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, being filmed around Lake Garda. Go with Inghams from €429 per person at Hotel Villa Nicolli, in Riva, on a half-board basis. 01-6611377, www.inghams.ie.
Irish Ferries to France: 30% off
Irish Ferries has cut the price of short breaks to France ahead of the summer rush. If you can travel up to June 17th then it's offering a 30 per cent discount on all six-night stays in France for motorist and motorcycle fares on its new Oscar Wilde cruise ferry. 0818-300400, www.irishferries.com.
London City Airport: €71
If you fly to London City Airport, British Airways' BA CityFlyer subsidiary is starting services from Dublin three times a day, with one each way on Sunday, from June 1st; €71 each way including taxes. 1890-626747, www.ba.com.
HOME BREAKS
A slice of luxury in Co Galway: €350pps
The Twelve, a hotel in the picturesque Co Galway village of Barna, is a slice of luxury. If you didn't go this bank holiday, go next. Two nights' BB and one dinner from €250 per person sharing. 091-597000, www.thetwelvehotel.ie.
Environmentally friendly Sligo hostel: €17
The Middle Earth Gyreum in Sligo, Ireland's first ecolodge to be awarded the EU Eco-Label for tourist accommodation, is constructed from renewable resources, including sheep-wool insulation. Beds from €17 per night on www.hostelworld.com.
Northern Ireland golf: from €266pps
Northern Ireland has some great golf courses, and Hastings Hotels is making them very accessible with golf packages. Play Royal County Down from £330 (about €420) per person sharing, with two nights at the Slieve Donard Hotel. Royal Portrush, with a two-night stay at Ballygally Castle, will cost from £210 (about €265) per person sharing. Or play Royal Belfast, and stay at the Culloden Hotel, from £240 (about €305) per person sharing. You can play them all on a five-night Royal Tour from £750 (about €950) per person sharing. 048-90471066, www.hastingshotels.com.
Heir Island stay and sail: from €350 per person
Heir Island Sailing School, in Roaring Water Bay, near Skibbereen in Co Cork, has a special offer for families interested in learning to sail or improve their skills. It will provide free self-catering accommodation for families, with a minimum of four people, for one week in June and September and, with limited availability, in July and August. Courses cost from €350 per person. 028-38511, www.heir islandsailingschool.com.
Glenlo Abbey luxury: €150 with breakfast
If you plan on a little escape this month, Glenlo Abbey Hotel, in Galway, has deluxe rooms between May 5th and 19th for €150 per night, including breakfast. 091-526666, www.glenlo.com.