Ask Joan:All your travel questions answered
Where should we stay
My sister and I are planning to take our teenage daughters to London for a girlie few days. We would like to go sightseeing and possibly take in a show in the West End and shopping, the girls are fashion mad. We would prefer to stay in a central location, but do not know where to pick. - MB, Cork
London is such a big city that basing yourself in a well-located area means you can see a lot without travelling too much. I am going to suggest that you stay in Seven Dials which is in Covent Garden, because it has a village feel to it and everything is easily accessible around you. It is five minutes from Covent Garden tube station.
Seven Dials is a warren of seven streets that radiate from a pillar/plaza. It is an area full of great shops, vintage boutiques, quirky stores, restaurants, and little plazas for sitting out in, like Neal’s Yard where Monty Python began life.
It is a teenagers dream, as all their favourites shops are here such as American Apparel, Miss Sixty, HM, Diesel, Fat Face and Superdry. As well as some great shops for mums, such as Orla Kiely, Poste Mistress shoes, Gilda’s Tryst jewelry and Neal’s Yard for natural skincare products.
When is comes to eating out, London’s newest Hotel de Chocolat has just opened with delicious chocolate treats and it has a cafe, Roast and Conch, where they have a chocolate themed menu. The oldest French restaurant in London is on Monmouth Street, Mon Plasir and the early bird menu is good value. Cafe Nero and the Euphorium Bakery are also worth a visit.
On the opposite side of Covent Garden, the really busy part, you have the buskers, and the markets. The Jubilee Market sells clothes and jewellery from Tuesday to Friday. There is also a selection of high-end stores. You are also close to Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street and close enough to walk to Trafalgar Square, the Mall and St James’ Park. The bus tour is also a great way to see the city.
The Radisson Edwardian Mercer Street Hotel is at the top of Mercer and Monmouth Streets facing the plaza and has been recently renovated and is now very stylish and chic, Radissonedwardian.com. A two-night package with Lastminute.comincluding flights will cost in the region of €340pps. On the plaza too is the Cambridge Theatre, where the musical show of Roald Dahl's Matilda is running, CambridgeTheatreLondon.org. Also in this area are the Ambassadors Theatre and the St Martin's Theatre where the longest running play, Mousetrap, is on. The Donmar Warehouse is also located around here and puts on independent productions.
If you visit London between May 1st and July 9th the Design Museum has an exhibition of Christian Louboutin shoes, DesignMuseum.org. Spitalfields and Brick Lane markets are on at the weekends and the girls would love them too. You can find more information on SevenDials.co.uk, and how to get a discount privilege card.
South America budget return
Myself and my boyfriend are travelling around South America for three months this summer. We have booked our flights for the way over, stopping in Boston and Miami. Our plan is to start in Peru and travel around ending up in Rio de Janeiro. We plan to be home the week beginning October 8th. Flights from Rio de Janeiro back to Dublin seem to be so expensive and I was wondering if you know of a cheaper route back to Dublin as we will be on a budget while travelling. - RMK, Dublin
Rio is a long way away and is mostly served by full-service airlines. Low-cost carriers operate in the surrounding countries and to the United States, but that would not be the cheapest way to get home. The best price I can see for getting you back from Rio is with Iberia.comand by booking a return flight, though you will not be using it, costs around €805 each, including taxes.
Date with a Komodo
I have booked a trip with Explore, spending three weeks travelling through Sumatra, Java and Bali. I would love to add on a trip to see the Komodo dragons to the end of my trip, but am having difficulty organising it. I was wondering if you have any suggestions for the best way to get there. - BH, Dublin
You may find that Explore could help you add a visit to the end of your trip. But you will find details about the Komodo National Park and how to get there on the Indonesian tourism site – My-Indonesia.info.
French without tears
My 16-year-old daughter and two friends in fifth year want to go on a trip to France to improve their French for next year's Leaving Cert. Whereas I am happy that the idea is beneficial, I don't want them to think that it is just a French holiday abroad. I would really insist they improve and get a liking for the language. Are there any Irish companies arranging these courses in France? - POD, Mayo
There is an Irish company that arranges language courses abroad, and they have a lot of experience with students. Stein Study Abroad has a number of programmes in France including for the Leaving Certificate in Nice, Montpellier and Biarritz.
The students live with French families and attend classes in the morning and afternoon. There are a range of activities outside of class times and they are supervised by the schools. You can get details from 01-4759646 and on Steinstudyabroad.ie.