Your questions answered by Joan Scales
Building up to a holiday in Legoland
Q We are a party of four adults and three children (aged seven to 10) who wish to go to Legoland for a few days. Can you recommend which of the Legoland parks within Europe is the best, both in terms of price and attractions? We were hoping to fly directly from Dublin and not have much travelling to do at the other end. We were planning to go in early June or towards the end of August.DG, Galway
There are three Legoland parks in Europe with easy access from Ireland – Windsor in England, Günzburg in Germany and Billund in Denmark, the home of Legoland and the biggest of the parks. The easiest of the parks from Ireland is Billund. Ryanair flies there four times a week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from Dublin. Air fares start at around €35. An apartment in the Legoland park that will accommodate the group, with park entrance for two days, costs around €785 or a stay in a hotel costs around €1,010 with park tickets in June. Otherwise the Legoland Park in Windsor is about 12 miles from Heathrow and there is a special offer of discounts for children. A two-night stay in a Travel Lodge will cost around £495 (€544) including entrance tickets. You will need a car and expect to pay around €100 for the cheapest fares to Heathrow. www.legoland.com, www.ryanair.com
Q My wife and I hope to visit our new granddaughter and her parents in Koper, Slovenia, in mid-May, returning in early June. Our dates are flexible. Are there any direct flights from Ireland ?NK, Belfast
There are no direct scheduled services from Ireland to Slovenia. Crystal Holidays has package holidays from Dublin, but it does not sell seats only on this flight. The easiest way for you to get to Slovenia is to fly with Easyjet from Belfast to London Stansted and then
take a separate flight to Ljubljana. There are flights every day and there are some good fares in June. www.easyjet.com.
Q My friend and I are planning a trip to Mykonos in May. We can find flights to Athens, but are having difficulty finding information on ferries to Mykonos from Athens. Can you advise on the best way to get there or any other pertinent information?NMD, Dublin
The Blue Star ferry line (www.bluestarferries.com) operates services every day from Rafina to Mykonos. Rafina is about an hour from Athens. For travel and tourism information on Greece, see www.visitgreece.gr.
Q I recently got a "save the date" invite to a July wedding in Philadelphia. We were hoping to book a self-catering apartment for the duration of our visit rather than stay in hotels. Is this possible in the US? Also, we want to visit a neighbouring city. CAT, Galway
Philadelphia is a great city to explore and you will probably find there is a lot to do in a week there. It is the birthplace of the US and where the Declaration of Independence was signed. It is also a city that prides itself on good cuisine and great music. You can book self-catering accommodation on www.homeaway.com, www.vrbo.com and www.bnbphiladelphia.com. In America, self-catering is usually called bed and breakfast. For tourism information on Philadelphia, see www.gophila. com. New York is only two hours from Philly by train. You could also consider visiting the Pennsylvania and Delaware countryside and see Amish country. There are also a number of national parks within easy reach of the city such as Valley Forge National Historic Park. www.nps.gov. US Airways fly from Dublin and Shannon to Philadelphia. www.usairways.com
Q My husband and I want to take our four girls abroad this summer. We have a seven-year-old and three-year-old triplets. We've only ever holidayed in Ireland with them, but would like some sun this year. It would have to be in July and not too hot as we are all fair skinned. We can't go anywhere with an "open" pool as that would mean no relaxing for mam and dad. Am I asking for the impossible? We were thinking somewhere in France but are open to suggestions. Any help would be greatly appreciated.EF, Dublin
France is probably the best idea for a family holiday. Staying around Brittany or the Vendée would be more comfortable as further south in July can be very hot. The ideal holiday for you and the children would be to stay in a campsite/resort. Many of these resorts have fantastic facilities for children, supervised swimming pools and also clubs with organised activities, leaving mam and dad with some free time. Have a look at the range of holidays available with the following companies. www.keycamp.ie, www.siblu.ie, www.campotel. com, www.canvasholidays.ie, www.irishferries.com and www.brittanyferries.ie.
E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com