YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED/JOAN SCALES
Q Our wedding is in September and we cannot decide where to go on honeymoon. Mosquitoes and other bugs love me and my fiancé is not particularly fond of the sun. We were thinking of Mauritius, what do you think? Ann McCoy, Dublin
Mauritius is a beautiful place and ideal for a relaxing honeymoon. However, although there are no malarial mosquitoes in Mauritius, they are a problem in the warmer period from October to May. All year round, though, you should avoid being bitten by using a good mosquito repellent day and night. Mauritius is an ideal destination to enjoy water sports and you will probably find you will spend a lot of time outdoors.
As for the sun, Mauritius is a tropical island and summer runs from October to May. The average temperature in September is 27 degrees, with sea temperatures almost the same. The sun shines up to 7½ hours a day, but can be interspersed with showers. Overall you can expect a similar temperature to a good summer in Ireland, but with more humidity.
There are a number of travel agents in Ireland selling honeymoons to Mauritius, such as John Galligan Travel, Sunway, Classic Resorts, Travel Focus, Tropical Places and Escape2. They can advise you on a nice resort.
Q I hear Majorca is a lovely place for a holiday. Can you suggest somewhere for a family with two young children, as close as the beach as possible? Our budget is €2,000. Paul O Brien, Cork
Majorca is a great destination for a family holiday, with a wide variety of good resorts and a short flight from Ireland. Packages are available from Dublin, Cork, Shannon, and Knock.
The following may be suitable for your family. The Bahia Pollensa apartments are near the lovely old town of Puerto Pollensa and only 200m from the beach. The complex is ideal for families. There is a bar and restaurant and entertainment ends by midnight. A week for four will cost about €1,450 in May.
On the other side of the island at Palma Nova, the Nova apartments are across the road from a sandy beach and within minutes to shops and restaurants. It is a lively resort with pools and entertainment. A week for your family will cost from €1,770 in a one-bed sea-view apartment, from Budget Travel. Children's clubs generally do not begin until June with the main tour operators.
Q We bought tickets to Lisbon for the in-laws as a present. However, I didn't realise that, while we call my mother-in-law Nancy, the name on her passport is Anne. Will we have to change it, or will it be accepted at the airport? Mary Murray, Rathfarnham
After the events of 9/11, airline and airport regulations changed dramatically. Up to then misspellings and mistakes on tickets were usually glanced over, but not now. Passport and tickets must match exactly. You will have to make a name change on the ticket and depending on which airline it will cost you anything from €50 to a new ticket.
Aer Lingus charge €35 each way for a name change, and you have to call the reservation centre on 0818-365044. Ryanair charge €25 each way to change online and €45 each way to change via the call centre or at the airport. Full service carriers, such as Air France, will do a name change, in this instance for €50, but they will not allow a change of person travelling. If you bought the ticket in a travel agency, they might be able to get a name change, but not always. It depends on their relationship with the airline.
Q This year I want to take my family to Orlando in Florida and need advice on planning our holiday. V Massey, Dublin
Orlando is an incredible place for a family holiday, with lots of things to do and see for all ages. Family holidays are all about everyone enjoying themselves, so a little planning in advance will ensure it all goes smoothly. Orlando is the home of theme parks. Apart from Disney World there is also SeaWorld, Aquatica, Discovery Cove, Universal Studios, Wet'n'Wild, and Ripley's Believe it or Not to name a few.
First think about accommodation. There are different types - a Disney resort hotel on International Drive, where there is a variety of hotels and suites, or a rented home in the Orange County area. If you stay around the middle of International Drive you can get around without a car, the trolley bus covers the area and there are shuttles to the attractions.
Theme parks in general take a whole day each, and they are exhausting. You can easily walk 10 miles in a day. The shopping malls are also huge, so allow time to absorb and shop.
Eating out in Orlando is a great experience. Dinner theatre is popular. Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding is fun and so too is the Pirate's Dinner Adventure. Have a look at www.orlandoinfo.com and www.disneyworld.com for help in planning.