Joan Scalesanswers your questions
Q My husband, two boys (ages 12 and 13) and I are thinking of visiting my husband's sister in Vancouver, in Canada, and although we can stay with her I was wondering what you think is the best time of the year to travel. We will be bound by the school holidays and had thought about the Easter break, but someone mentioned that the end of August is also a good time. What would you recommend? If you had any advice on the best deals for flights, that would be a great help.
LOD, Dublin
The weather at the end of August would be ideal for a visit to Vancouver. Life in the city during the summer is an outdoor experience, with lots of activities in Stanley Park and Granville Island. It would also be better, as there are direct flights to Toronto during the summer with Air Canada (www.aircanada.com), and fares to Vancouver would be better value with that airline.
Q I am thinking of visiting Cebu Island, in the Philippines, in November, to see friends, and was wondering if you could advise me of the most economical way to get there.
KON, Dublin
Whatever way you go, this journey is going to entail at least three flights. Most fares cost about €1,100-€1,400. You might get a better deal by
going to a specialist long-haul company, such as Trailfinders (01-6777888, www.trailfinders.ie), Austravel (01-6427009, www.austravel.ie) or Club Travel (www.clubtravel.ie).
The shortest and cheapest route is with Etihad (www.etihad.com) at €1,147, via Abu Dhabi and Manila. There are also options via Hong Kong, with Cathay Pacific via London, and with Singapore Airlines and Silkair from Singapore.
Q My daughter and her husband, who live in Spain, are hoping to visit San Francisco in October. They are on a very tight budget. Flights to San Francisco from Spain seem to be much more expensive than from Ireland, and they are also finding it difficult to find suitable accommodation in a city they don't know. Can you suggest reasonable accommodation in a safe area, or a useful website?
DMcG, Down
Delta (www.delta.com) has fares from Madrid via Atlanta to San Francisco in October for about €400 return. This is a great price, and they should pounce on it. As for accommodation, there is a huge range of places available in San Francisco, including bed and breakfasts. Rates decrease the farther you are from the city centre. Areas such as North Beach, Mission and Haight Street are ideal. As San Francisco has the best public-transport system of any city in the US, staying in any of these areas is not a problem. They should look at www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com for accommodation and ideas of things to do.
Q We will be in Almería, in Spain, as usual for the winter months, and this year we would like to spend Christmas and New Year in the Canary Islands with our friends. We don't want to be in high-rises or surrounded by honky-tonk bars.
At the same time, although we four are in our 70s, we would like some nightlife, good food and pleasant surroundings. If possible, we would like to fly from Almería or take a ferry. Now there is a challenge for you.
RJH, Donegal
It's not easy to get from Almería to the Canaries. There are no direct services to any of the Canary Islands from Almería Airport, and you would have to travel via another major airport. The nearest biggest airport to Almería is Malaga, where you have a choice of flying to Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Tenerife Norte with Iberia (www.iberia.com) and Tenerife Norte with Air Europa (www.air-europa.com). Flights only operate directly some days of the week.
By ferry, the nearest port would be Cadiz, where Trasmediterranea.com operates services to Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, La Palma and Tenerife. Of the possibilities, Tenerife Norte would probably be a good choice, as there are more flights and the prices are a bit more reasonable.
Santa Cruz, the main resort, is a lovely town, very Spanish, old and charming, with lots of nice restaurants. There are few honky-tonk bars; expect typical Spanish nightlife, with strolling, late dinners and lots of places to see and things to do, such as visiting the zoo at Loro Parque, and Teide national park, to see the volcano. You can search for accommodation on www.niumba.com, a Spanish holiday-rental site.
Failing all that, I suggest you visit the local travel agent in Almería, as packages may be available with Spanish tour operators.
E-mail your questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irish-times.ie