The Happy Wanderers Club was founded for lone travellers and revellers and has gone from strength to strength organising a wide variety of travel and activities throughout the year. It's not a dating agency or singles club but an organisation for people who do not wish to travel alone. The club helps match up people who want to travel, get involved in activities and to go on group holidays. Travel and events this year have included Lanzarote, Historic Walks, Murder Mystery weekend, dog racing, sailing, South America and horse-racing. Details about the Happy Wanderers from 63 Belgrove Lawn, Chapelizod, Dublin 20. Tel: 01-6237853.
The Cerebral Palsy Centre in Limerick organised a great trip to China last year for the close of the millennium and raised much-needed funds for their centre. This year Paul O'Connor has surpassed himself with a round-the-world trip to welcome in the new millennium. The trip will depart on December 27th from Shannon, Cork or Dublin to Singapore, on to New Zealand, where the dawn of the new millennium will be seen at Waitangi, Bay of Islands. Onwards then to Fiji for five days on the coral coast and then to Los Angeles for an overnight before taking the Aer Lingus direct service home. The cost of the trip is £1,985 sharing and you can receive booking forms from CPI Centre, Mungret, Limerick, tel: 061-301686. An information evening is being held on Wednesday August 30th at the CPI Centre, Mungret at 7.45 p.m.
Food is the experience when you stay or visit Harvey's Point country hotel, in the shadow of the Blue Stack mountains at Lough Eske, Co Donegal. French cuisine, in particular, is a speciality of the house, where the finest local produce is transformed by the team of Irish and European chefs into culinary creations. The standard of the food is matched by the breadth and quality of the wine list. Two nights' bed, breakfast and one dinner costs £129 per person sharing and three nights £199. Give them a call on 073-22208.
Venice Beach, California, famous for its muscle beach, street performers, musicians, artists and market stalls, has enjoyed a multi-million dollar regeneration. Where else could you experience a Chinese massage while looking at the Pacific Ocean, enjoy homemade fruit juices while watching the local muscles working out or listen to LA's favourite roller-blading, electric guitar playing, singing Rastafarian. Aer Lingus flies to Los Angeles every day of the week except Saturdays, and during the autumn the prices will be very interesting.
A NEW on-line booking service will give consumers access to 12,000 guesthouses and hotels in Ireland, 5,000 of which can be booked and paid for on-line. The Local Ireland website is not just for booking hotels but also give lots of information on places to visit, history, genealogy and an events guide. The address is www.local.ie
Joan Scales can be contacted at jscales@irish-times.ie