From whale-watching in Norway to rocking in Roskilde, Joan Scalespicks out holiday choices at home and abroad
DEAL OF THE WEEK:
The best of the American west: from €1,399pps
Slattery's Escorted Tours is leading a group around the "best of the west" of the US for 10 days in October: Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco. See the affluence of Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, the desert landscape of Death Valley and lots more besides. From €1,399 per person sharing, with flights from Dublin or Shannon to Los Angeles. www.slatterys.com, 1890-200625.
Overseas Breaks
BA to Cape Town: €2,475
British Airways's Club World sale will run until June 24th, with savings of up to 40 per cent on business-class seats to 65 long-haul destinations between July 1st and December 5th. Fly from Heathrow to Cape Town for Stellenbosch Wine Festival, in late July and early August, with fares from £1,960 (about €2,475), or to Hong Kong, with fares from £1,999 (about €2,525). Book online at www.ba.com or with your local travel agent.
Golf in Portugal: from €1,454
James Villa Holidays has added the CampoReal golf and spa resort to its list of destinations. CampoReal, an hour from Lisbon on Portugal's Silver Coast, is child-friendly and has two swimming pools, mini football, tennis, an 18-hole golf course designed by Donald Steel and a spa. Prices from €1,454 for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment. www.jamesvillas.ie, 1890-943928.
Whale-watching: from €1,890
Fancy a whale-watching trip in northern Europe? Hurtigruten cruises is running two, from July 20th and August 20th, from the Norwegian city of Tromso. The coastal adventure will also allow you to spend two nights on the small island of Sommaroy, with fishing trips. The ship will also visit Bergen, Lofoten Island and Trondheim. Prices from €1,890. 01-607 4420, www.hurtigruten.ie.
Splash in Turkey: from €1,293
Sunsail has opened a new club in Turkey, on the Aegean coast. Club Javelin will offer a wide range of sailing and water activities, such as dinghy sailing and Royal Yacht Association courses, plus tennis, mountain-biking and Turkish baths. Special offers of seven nights from €1,293 for adults and €1,226 for children, with direct flights from Dublin. 01-2311888, www.sunway.ie.
XL last-minute deals: from €199
Last-minute deals for May with XL holidays include a week in Salou, in Spain, from €199; Bulgaria and Majorca from €299; Mykonos, in Greece, from €269; and Portugal from €249. www.xl.com.
Week in Tunisia: from €309
Spend a week at the Kanta Residence in Port el Kantoui, Tunisia, from €309 per person, departing June 13th. 01-8860400, www.directholidays.ie.
Polo in Pakistan: from €2,775
Polo-lovers can visit Pakistan for Shandur Polo Festival, where teams do battle on the world's highest polo ground, surrounded by 10,000 fans. The tour will also take in the Khyber Pass, Peshawar and Chitral, and there will be opportunities to play polo. There will also be a three-day trek over the Charmakan Pass. The 16-day trip, from June 28th to July 13th, costs from £2,200 (about €2,775) per person sharing, including flights, meals and entrance fees. 00-44-20-77363968 www.wildfrontiers.co.uk.
Fly to Roskilde fest: from €67
Leave the rain of Oxegen and the Electric Picnic behind, and go to the Danish town of Roskilde, just outside Copenhagen, where 180 bands will be playing from July 3rd to 6th, including Radiohead, The Chemical Brothers, Jay-Z and Neil Young (programme on www.roskilde-festival.dk). SAS flies to Copenhagen twice a day, with fares from €67 each way. www.flysas.com.
Home breaks
Two nights in hotel as Kennedy croons: €135pps
Brian Kennedy will play a concert on June 8th at Hodson Bay Hotel, near Athlone, Co Westmeath. Sit back, relax and enjoy, for €135 per person sharing for two nights' BB and dinner one night. www.hodsonbayhotel.com, 090-6442000.
Wise women stay on Lough Gill: from €140
The fourth annual Wise Woman festival will take place on June 6th-8th this year at St Angela's College on Lough Gill, Co Sligo. Twelve workshops will cover dance, music, garden design, storytelling, meditation and weaving. The festival costs €140 for the weekend, with accommodation from €55 per person. www.wisewoman ireland.com, 071-9134913.
Corking prices for May hotel stay: from €225
This month a midweek stay with breakfast at Capella Castlemartyr, the five-star hotel in Co Cork, costs €225 per room; weekend stays are €250 per room per night. If you're a golfer, bring the clubs: the course has opened recently, and the green fees are good value. Or you can walk the hotel's dogs around the grounds. 021-4644050, www.capellacastlemartyr.com.
Dinners, BB and quilting in Donegal: €599
As part of its 50th-anniversary programme, Shandon Hotel Spa Wellness, at Marble Hill in Co Donegal, is hosting a quilting and patchwork course from June 1st to 5th. The course, which includes BB and dinner for four days, will be given by experienced teachers. There will also be trips to local attractions, such as Glenveagh National Park. The course, which costs €599 per person sharing, will also run in September. 074-9136137, www.shandonhotel.com.
Two nights in Westport hotel in May: €129pps
The Wyatt Hotel, in Westport, is tempting for Sundays in May, with a two-night stay, with one dinner, for €129 per person sharing. Extra nights cost
€30 per person. www.wyatt hotel.com, 1800-205270.