Your questions answered by
JOAN SCALES
Q My friend and I would like to go on a cookery holiday together this year in Italy – Tuscany, preferably. My friend lives in Vancouver and I live in west Cork, so flights will take up a major part of our budget. We would like somewhere reasonably cheap and cheerful. Do you know of any such places?
LOB, Cork
As it happens The Irish Times’ readers’ travel service will be running just such trips in April, May and June. The three-night package departs from Dublin, with accommodation at Hotel Villa Casagrande, in the town of Figline Valdarno, in the Chianti region. The trips are a mixture of cookery lessons with chefs at the hotel, wine tastings, and free time to explore Florence and the Chianti region. The price of €750pps includes flights, transfers, accommodation, some meals and the cookery lessons.
Details from GTI on 01-8085206, or e-mail irishtimes@gti-ireland.com.
Alternatively, you can make your own arrangements. The website cookinginitaly.net will help you find somewhere to learn. It has a list of 17 cookery schools in Tuscany.
Q I am interested in bringing my four children to Walt Disney World in Florida for the Easter holidays.They age from 14 to nine, so I feel it is an opportune time, but it could be a very busy period, with schoolchildren on holiday in the US. Have you any suggestions for a good-value family sunshine holiday combination for us?
OM, Dublin
Visiting Orlando is a great holiday and one that the whole family will enjoy. Easter is a busy time of the year, but Orlando is built to cater for crowds. The airfares will be in the region of €600 each, and therefore the best-value plan for your family is to go on a package deal. I have looked at prices in hotels, suites and homes and found that you can expect to pay in the region of €620 to €850 each.
If you stay in a hotel or suite along International Drive, you will be unlikely to need a car, as there is usually a bus that collects guests who want to visit Disney World, SeaWorld, Universal Studios and so on.
There is also a tram that runs up and down International Drive; a ticket costs $10 (€7) for a week, with children under 12 travelling free. If you stay in a holiday home you will need a car, which will add to the price of your holiday.
The best-value packages I have found are with Tour America (01-8173535, touramerica.ie). The flights go via Philadelphia, with a selection of accommodation in two-bedroom suites or in holiday homes from €620 per person.
American Holidays (01-6733840, american holidays.ie) has a good variety of holiday homes, with prices in the region of €800 per person.
Sunway Holidays (01-2886828, sunway.ie) is now selling trips to Florida, too. It can give you a quote based on your dates. There are a lot of sales on at present, so now is a good time to book.
Your children are at a great age to enjoy this type of holiday, but the theme parks can be very tiring. I usually recommend that people do a park every second day and a gentler attraction on the in-between days, or go to the parks for the evening.
Attraction tickets are quite expensive, and you will probably need to allow up to another €250 per person for them. You can buy tickets in advance from your travel agent or at attractionticketsdirect.ie, keithprowse.com and disneyworld.com. The Orlando FlexTicket is probably the best-value option, but you would have to buy Disney World tickets separately, at disneyworld.com. Most attractions have an option of paying more to get a fast-pass ticket that allows you to the top of the queue for some of the rides. For more about Orlando, visit orlandoinfo.com.
Q We will be travelling to Les Sables d’Olonne, in the Vendée in France, flying into Nantes Atlantique airport. As we are a family group of five, what is the easiest – and, with luck, cheapest – way to get from the airport to Les Sables d’Olonne?
MT, Cork
A regular train runs from Nantes to Les Sables d’Olonne for about €35 return for adults. The TGV takes about an hour and the regional train up to two hours. For €7 you can catch a shuttle bus from Nantes airport to the train station. You can consult train timetables on voyages-sncf.com.
As Nantes is 120km from Les Sables d’Olonne, you could also consider taking a taxi. You can get a quote from Allo Taxis on 00-33-2-40692222 or commercial@allo-taxis.com. A one-way car hire may be a more viable option; prices should be about €105-€135 each way.
Try arguscarhire.com or europcar.com.
E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com
We want to meet up in Italy for a cooking holiday