Ask Joan: Travel plans for the family

I have promised my mother a holiday and I can’t get a break from work until December.

She would like to go to Malta. She loves gardens and flowers but would also appreciate getting out and about, tasting the local food, meeting people, seeing the architecture and history of the area – she is not one for lying on the beach reading a book (much as I wouldn’t mind a day of this).

If Malta wasn't a possibility then perhaps Madeira would be another option. But how to get there – are there tours/organised trips to these places at that time of year? – CB, Dublin. Malta would be a nice option for your mother and the airfares and hotel prices are very good value. Ryanair has flights three days a week from Dublin and the fares would be around €100 return.

Four- and five-star hotels are particularly good value in Malta in December. You can see a selection on mercurydirect.com. See also what is available from John Galligan Travel, where a week in Malta will cost from €549 in a five-star hotel, with flights. See jgt.ie, tel: 01-207 6555.

Things to do in Malta would include a walking tour of Valletta, the capital. St John’s Co-Cathedral is a must.

Gardens to see include the Upper Barraka gardens in Valletta with a view of the Grand Harbour and the San Anton gardens at the President’s palace in Attard.

See malta.com for more ideas of things to do. A day trip to Gozo would also be interesting. Madeira is not available on direct flights from Dublin in December; the programme is only for the summer season. We are a family of 50 cousins and are planning a large family gathering in summer 2016. A date is not secured yet, but it is likely to be early July. We will have cousins travelling from the UK, Dubai, Canada, Japan, Australia and the US. We would like to arrange the reunion in proximity to Dublin.

Could you advise us of a resort that would accommodate our families, plus additional children, and of course aunts and uncles, with the option to have a large get together on one of the evenings? – EOB, Dublin.

Get the date organised as soon as possible as many big locations that can accommodation your family group are popular for weddings. In Wicklow, the Kippure Estate is ideal for a big group and it is all self-contained. There is the lodge, with a sitting room, kitchen, bar and accommodation for about 18. In the grounds are a number of two and four-bedroom lodges that can accommodate the whole family.

Kippure Estate also has an activity centre and you can organise for people to take part in some outdoor fun. It is in a lovely location on 240 acres of woodland and farmland in Wicklow. See kippure.com.

In Co Carlow, Lisnavagh House is a period home on hundreds of acres of woodland. The main house can accommodate up to 14 and 40 more can be accommodated in lodges and the stable block. Lisnavagh House is used to entertaining large groups and it is popular for weddings. See lisnavagh.com, tel: 059-916 1473.

Newgrange Lodge in the Boyne Valley, Co Meath is another option. There are a mixture of rooms and dorms and you could book the whole place for your family event. There are communal areas for meeting up, and barbecue facilities too. See newgrangelodge.com, tel: 041-988 2478.

Send your queries to jscales@irishtimes.com