JOAN SCALES ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS
Is there a guide to restaurants that do not serve fish?
I'm informally helping an extended family from Michigan to organise a trip to Ireland, essentially based in counties Kerry, Clare and Galway, maybe with a side trip to Cork. One of the party has a severe allergy to seafood - shellfish in particular - but doesn't want to totally forgo the pleasure of eating out. She is going to travel armed with all the medication and paraphernalia prescribed by her doctor. Is there any guide to restaurants in Ireland that do not serve fish or that prepare and cook fish and shellfish totally separately from other foods?
Mary, Michigan
This is difficult to answer, and I consulted Tom Doorley, our restaurant critic, who said: "The real problem is that every decent restaurant in the west takes fish rather seriously, as it tends to be what they do best."
What I think may be possible would be for your group to book out a small restaurant and choose the menu to suit. The Bridgestone 100 Best Restaurants in Ireland 2008 has a variety of restaurant suggestions; get a copy at www.bestofbridgestone.com.
If you're in the west Cork area before June 15th or after September 15th, the Heir Island Restaurant can take up to 24 people in a private booking. During summer the maximum group is six people. The chef can provide a menu without fish or shellfish. See www.island cottage.com. Advice from any restaurants or chefs with ideas would be very welcome.
Q Myself and three friends are heading to the resort of Cascais via Lisbon on June 1st for a week. Our flights to Portugal are booked, but we still need accommodation. We want an apartment, with swimming pool if possible, and upmarket would be very acceptable. If there was a hotel with B&B, we would also be open to that.
Denise C, Dublin
A great selection of good accommodation is available for the first week of June in Cascais. I have seen a good variety of apartments and villas to rent, some with shared pool and a few with private pools. Prices range from €500 to €1,270 per week, depending on luxury and facilities. See some on www.holidayslettings.co.uk.
For some luxury-hotel treatment, the five-star Quinta da Marinha has offers for that week of €160 per room per night, including breakfast. It is a typical resort hotel, with swimming pools, spa and golf, and it also has some villas for rent. It is about five kilometres from the centre of Cascais. www.quintamarinha.com.
Q My husband and I are flying into Frankfurt Hahn Airport on May 22nd (returning May 26th) and wondering if we should rent a car at the airport to get to our hotel in Koblenz or travel by public transport. We want to go on a cruise on the river to Cologne and explore the countryside, too, but should we just go on coach trips and by train rather than go around by ourselves?
Deirdre McGivern, Dublin
There is a good bus service from Frankfurt Hahn Airport to Koblenz, costing €13.20 and taking about an hour. In Koblenz you will find that you will be busy exploring the city and will have little need for a car. Details about walking tours, river cruises and wine tours are available on www.koblenz.de; follow the links for tourism. You can contact Koblenz Tourist Board at Koblenz Touristik, Bahnhofplatz 17, 56068 Koblenz, 00-49-261-31304, info-hbf@touristik-koblenz.de.
Q I would like to spend my two weeks' holiday this August or September somewhere where I can do some voluntary work (such as building houses) and also surf every day. Have you any recommendations about where to go or suggestions about which organisations to contact?
PB, Dublin
Volunteering can be a very rewarding way to holiday, and I have found a perfect way for you to share your experience and enjoy what you love. It is a trip to Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, and the volunteering part is teaching disadvantaged children how to surf on Ipanema Beach (below). You don't need to speak Portuguese, though I am sure you will learn lots teaching children. This trip is organized by I-to-I, which specialises in volunteer and gap-year travel. The cost has been reduced from €1,345 to €1,145, which does not include the cost of airfare. Details from www.i-to-i.com and 058-40050.Is there a guide to restaurants that do not serve fish?
Go contact
E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irish-times.ie