From thalassotherapy detoxing to pampering, Joan Scaleshas the best New Year offers
Rate this one:
from €70
The Park Inn, Belfast opened its doors on December 18th and is offering guests a €1 for £1 rate every weekend, until the end of February. Just off Bedford Street in the city centre, the Park Inn is well located for walking around the city's attractions. Rooms from €70 single and €80 double, including breakfast. 048-90677700.
Dinner and duvet:
from €149
Begin the New Year in style with a stay in Dublin at Aberdeen Lodge in Ballsbridge and you can also enjoy dinner in Browne's Restaurant in Sandymount. The two-night stay with breakfast costs from €149 per person sharing. www.aberdeen-lodge.com, 01-2838155.
Cork detox:
from €250
Detoxify in the thalassotherapy way with a short break in Inchydoney Island Lodge and Spa. The two-night stay includes bed and breakfast, dinner on one evening, a seawater bath and detoxification wrap. A good walk on Inchydoney beach will also blow the cobwebs away. Prices are from €250 midweek and €300 at weekends, per person sharing. www.inchydoneyisland.com, 023-33143.
Family rooms:
from €158
Would you like to bring the children to Dublin to see the animals in the zoo? The family package at the Maldron Hotel in Cardiff's Lane, just off Sir John Rogerson's Quay in the Dublin Docklands, costs €158 per room per night, including breakfast and a family pass to the zoo. www.maldronhotels.com.
Out of the West:
from €19.99
Aer Lingus will be operating a daily service from Ireland West Knock airport to London Gatwick from April 6th. Passengers will also be able to fly onwards to an extensive range of destinations from Gatwick. Fares from €19.99 each way including taxes. www.aerlingus.com
London lights:
from €157
Jurys Doyle Hotels has rebranded as The Doyle Collection and all the hotels have had, or are in the process of having, a makeover. Understated elegance is the style and the hotels are perfect for a luxury break. The makeover of the Clifton Ford in London's Welbeck Street, just behind Oxford Street and beside Marylebone High Street, has been completed. Rooms from £150 (about €157) per night. www.doylecollection.com.
Cruise the Med:
from €759
You can explore the Western Mediterranean on a five-night cruise on Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas, departing in May, from €759 per person sharing, including flights. www.cruiseholidays.ie, 01-8173558.
Five-star skiing:
from €769
The Milky Way is a huge complex of ski routes running from Piedmont in Italy into France, with lots of different slopes for all levels of skiers and snowboarders. After an energetic day on the slopes, relax in the five-star Kempinski Pragelato Village. The hotel has extensive leisure and spa facilities. Three-day weekend stays, with breakfast, dinner and ski pass, cost from €760 and a week's package costs from €1,810 per person sharing. www.kempinski-pragelato.com, 00-39-0122-740011.
Ski-in/ski-out:
from €545
Heading further north, a three-night ski package to Norway, staying at the new Radisson SAS resort in Trysil, will cost from €545 per person sharing, including flights on SAS. The hotel has ski-in/ski-out access to the slopes and the rooms are equipped with driers for ski clothes. www.topflight.ie, 01-2401700.
Hush-a-bye:
from €700
Hush Yoga will return to Dahab in Egypt for a fun yoga and diving experience in June. Diving is optional and the prices are from €700-€900 for the week. The first Hush Rustic Experience will take place in Ibiza in June, with prices from €700 for the week.
www.hushyoga.com.
Bargain beds:
from €70
The top five cities as chosen by 1800hotels.com customers are Barcelona, Boston, Dublin, London and New York, and with these prices you can see why. Rialto Hotel in the Gothic quarter of Barcelona is available from €70, the four-star Marriott Copley Plaza in Boston is from €130, the Burlington in Dublin is from €90, the four-star Kensington Close in London is from €88, and the well located Pennsylvania Hotel in New York is available from €102.
All rates are per room per night for two people. www.1800hotels.com.
A good night in, with the girls
Just add friends for the ultimate girls' trip - the slumber party package at the Limerick Marriott Hotel. Arrive in time for afternoon tea in the Liszt Lounge, and later that evening you will be given a hamper with all the requirements for a girl's night in - chick flicks such as Mamma Mia, Dirty Dancing, Sex and the City, and PS I Love You, chocolates, snacks, ice-cream and face-mask packs. The next day, after a lavish late breakfast, enjoy some retail therapy in the city's boutiques. Dinner will be served in the Savoy restaurant, after cocktails in the Savoy Bar - Cosmos obviously. The price is from €180 per person sharing. Book on 061-448700.
• Please bear in mind that offers are subject to availability