Not surprisingly, Arrow Tours has been voted best small tour operator for the last four years by the travel trade, and this year I see it happening again. Its winter brochure is out now, and if you are looking for a nice short break at a reasonable price, then you should find it there. You can choose from the usual British destinations or Paris (which is great value), or other stylish European cities such as , Rome, Milan, Amsterdam and the special cities of eastern and central Europe, like Prague, Budapest and now Warsaw. Great value also in ?????Scandinavia and Finland.
Packages for New York, Chicago and Boston are also are also well worth a look. You can get a brochure from Arrow Tours, 40 West Street, Drogheda, at (041) 983 1177, or from your local travel agent.
Brush away the cobwebs of Christmas with a healthy six-day walking break in . Arriving in Gortahork the Sunday after Christmas until Saturday January 2nd, will give you time for four guided walks, four dinners and six nights bed and breakfast. A week of mountain days and ceilidh nights in the far north. Just the tonic after Christmas. Details from Sos Walking Tours, Mountain Top, Letterkenny, Co Donegal, at (074) 24797 or see their website at sosdonegal.com
Going, going, gone. British Midland has entered the auction business with online sales of spare seats or excess inventory on its 20 European routes, taking place every Tuesday from noon to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. during November. Routes include Prague, Warsaw, Palma, Nice, Faro, Malaga, Bergen, Oslo and many more. All seats will be from Heathrow return and you can expect to pay considerably less than the published fare, assuming demand does not exceed supply. Watch out for business class seats, you could end up travelling in more style than usual. You can access the website on www.//iflybritishmidland.com. Happy bidding.
Gardenfield House, run by Esther and Michael Mannion and located in the rolling countryside of east Galway, has a number of residential craft courses over the winter. On the programme during November and December are courses in basketry, drawing and watercolours, Christmas cookery and flower-arranging for Christmas. In the new year there will be courses in patchwork, interior design, silk painting, doll making and garden design. The courses run from Friday to Sunday, and cost £120 including accommodation and meals. Good news for pet owners, within reason, Gardenfield may have space for your pooch. Tel: (093) 24865.
Planning on doing some shopping in for Christmas or coming up for the sales? Then you cannot go wrong with a new book by Deirdre McQuillan Dublin Style which will guide you to all the right places. From clothes to food, fabrics to furniture and from hats to flowers. And when you are exhausted by shopping there are also suggestions of places to go for lunch and afternoon tea. Have a peek in the latest Bord Failte Discover Ireland brochure for places to stay in Dublin. There is a good selection of accommodation from guesthouses and hostels to hotels.