From Moorish Spain and Morocco to a beautifying girls' night in,
JOAN SCALEShas the best offers
Stay and dine in Belfast: €85pps
To mark its opening, the Fitzwilliam Hotel in Belfast, next to the Grand Opera House, has an offer of £79.50pps (€95pps) for bed, breakfast and dinner in its restaurant, Menu by Kevin Thornton. Otherwise, rooms cost from £85 (€100) per night, including breakfast. It might tie in nicely with the Tall Ships’ visit to Belfast, from Thursday until tomorrow week. www. fitzwilliamhotelbelfast.com, 048-90442080.
‘Scooby-Doo’ deal: from €89
Taking the children to see Scooby-Doo and the Pirate Ghost at the INEC in Killarney, Co Kerry? You can stay over at the Gleneagle Hotel for from €145 for two adults and two children sharing. Or get bed, breakfast and your ticket for from €89 per adult and €39 per child at the Brehon Hotel. Tickets for the stage show, which runs from September 25th to 27th, normally cost €17.15 per person. www.inec.ie, 064-6671550.
Lough Rynn break: €140pps
Lough Rynn Castle, in Mohill, Co Leitrim, will throw in a boat trip on the Shannon when you stay for two nights. The break also includes dinner one night in the Sandstone Restaurant. It costs €140pps. www.lough rynn.ie, 071-9632700.
Kilronan BB for 2: €99 with spa
Lough Rynn’s sister hotel, Kilronan Castle, in Ballyfarnon, Co Roscommon, is offering free bed and breakfast for two when you book into the spa for €99. Choose from a back massage, facial or floatation treatment. www.kilronancastle.ie, 071-9618000.
Clare yoga break: €335
East Clare Yoga Centre’s residential Iyengar course, which Sallie Sullivan is teaching from August 21st to 23rd, costs €335 for accommodation, meals and eight hours of tuition. They’ll pick you up from the nearest airport or train station. www.eastclare yoga.com, 061-640923.
Moyvalley girls’ night: €139pps
Moyvalley Hotel Golf Resort, in Co Kildare, is offering its luxury cottages for a girls’ night in. You’ll get a cocktail when you arrive, followed by a manicure or pedicure, dinner in the cottage and a DVD. It costs €139pp if four share. www. moyvalley.com, 046-9548000.
Please bear in mind that all deals are subject to availability
Overseas Deals
Solo Spanish week: from €735
Singles and lone travellers might be tempted by a trip to Barcelona and the Costa Brava, in Spain. Flying with Aer Lingus and staying half-board at the H-Top Royal Star hotel, in Lloret de Mar, the week costs from €735. It includes visits to Barcelona, Figueres, Girona and Montserrat. www.thetravel department.ie, 01-6371600.
Italian fortnight: from €619pps
Two weeks on Lake Garda, from Dublin or Cork, on August 22nd costs from €689; a week half-board in Sorrento costs from €619pps on August 28th. www.topflight.ie.
Moorish duo: from €749pps
You can explore Moorish culture and its influences on Spain with a tour that visits both Spain and Morocco next month. The eight-day escorted trip from Dublin visits Malaga, Ronda, Axarquia and Tangier. It costs from €749pps. www. primeratours.ie, 01-6311077.
All-in Caribbean: from €1,089pps
An all-inclusive week in Barbados, at Rex Resorts’ Discovery Bay, costs from €1,089pps, with flights. Or how about an all-inclusive week at LaSource, in Grenada, next month, from €1,649pps? www. tropicalsky.ie, 01-5262566.
Swiss spectacle: from €930pps
You’ll see the spectacular Swiss Alps on a holiday in Wengen, a traditional resort below the Jungfrau and Eiger mountains. A week half-board at Hotel Silberhorn, with packed lunch each day, costs from €930pps. www.inghams.ie, 1850-929021.
PortAventura: children go free
Planning a trip to PortAventura theme park, in Spain, before January? Buy your tickets by next Saturday and children can get in free – meaning a two-week family pass for four drops from €292 to €156. www.attractionticketsdirect.ie.
Long-haul sale: from €459
Long-haul flights on sale this month with Swiss International Air Lines include Bangkok from €682, Johannesburg from €667, Hong Kong from €609 and Riyadh from €459, with taxes. All from Dublin via Zurich. www.swiss.com.
Australia flights: from €1,179
Australian Holidays and Cathay Pacific have flights to Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Cairns or Perth from €1,179, including taxes and a night in Hong Kong. Book by August 31st for travel until December 5th. www.australianholidays.ie, 01-4350019.
Champagne splurge at Sheraton Fota Island: €145pps
If you still have a little money to spoil yourself now and then, the Sheraton Fota Island, in Co Cork, is holding a champagne dinner on August 21st. Hosted by the charming Taittinger ambassador Justin Llewellyn, the five-course meal includes beluga, oscietra and sevruga caviar; a tian of lobster, langoustines and dill crushed potatoes; and wild Irish turbot with foie gras and braised-beef ravioli. You’ll also drink five Taittinger champagnes (and a burgundy). The dinner costs €95 per person – but why not make a night of it for €145pps, including breakfast? 021-4673000.