DEALS OF THE WEEK:From New Year's Eve on the island of Malta to Thanksgiving in the Hilton in Dublin JOAN SCALEShas the best of the week's offers
Deal of the week
Gourmet weekend: from €290pps
Dylan McGrath (above) will be joining forces with the Nuremore Hotel's Ray McArdle for a gourmet weekend at the Co Monaghan destination from December 4th. The Friday includes a wine tasting, cookery demonstration and buffet supper. On Saturday the chefs will cook a six-course meal. The two-night package costs from €290pps, or Saturday only from €175pps. The gourmet dinner on its own is €85. 042-9661438, nuremore.com.
Home deals
Thanksgiving: from €169 for 2
You can celebrate Thanksgiving like an American when the Hilton on Charlemont Place in Dublin is transformed for the holiday weekend. B&B plus Thanksgiving dinner and parking costs €169 for two on Friday November 27th or Saturday November 28th. Or make two nights of it for €259 for two, including the dinner one evening and late checkout. 01-4029988, ref GTHAN for one night and GTHA2 for two nights.
Riverside B&B: €65 with dinner
The restored riverside Millhouse in Slane, Co Meath, is offering bed and breakfast for €40pps, or stay over with dinner for €65pps. 041-9820723, themillhouse.ie.
Tankardstown deal: €250
Also in Co Meath, to mark joining Ireland's Blue Book Tankardstown Estate has two nights' bed and breakfast in one of its courtyard cottages, with dinner one evening and champagne afternoon tea in the bistro, for €250pps. 041-9824621, tankardstown.ie.
Connemara 3 for 2: from €150
You can watch the wild Atlantic seas from the warmth of the Connemara Coast Hotel, in Furbo, Co Galway, this winter. A deal of three nights for the price of two means that a weekend in Connemara will cost from €150pps, including dinner one evening, until Christmas. 091-592108, sinnotthotels.com
B&B discounts: from €25
You should find some great value at bed and breakfasts over the winter. Many B&Bs around the country are offering a 10 per cent discount, and in some cases an extra night free. Prices start at €25pps. See the special offers on townandcountry.ie.
Overseas deals
New Year's Eve in Malta: from €879
How about New Year's Eve in Malta? Leave Dublin on December 29th for a week at the Park Hotel in Sliema, with tours of Valletta and Gozo. From €879pps, with a New Year's Eve dinner. 01-6371600, thetraveldepartment.ie.
Austrian detox: from €1,200
Detox before you retox this festive season with a week's stay at Mayr & More, a "wellness hotel" on the shore of Lake Wörth, in Austria.
The FX Mayr Classic treatment package, which costs from €1,200, includes medical examinations, therapies, analyses and lots of relaxation. 00-43-4273-2511-0, mayrandmore.at.
Spanish stay and play: from €83.50
You can play this year's Spanish Open course, PGA Golf Catalunya, on the Costa Brava, when you stay at the Meliá Golf Vichy Catalán hotel. Until the end of February it is charging from €83.50pps per night, including a round of golf. The nearest airports are Girona, which is served by Ryanair, and Barcelona, which is served by Aer Lingus. pgacatalunya.com.
Wine fair at sea: from €99
Normandy Wine Warehouse is hosting a fair aboard Irish Ferries' Oscar Wilde sailing from Rosslare to Cherbourg over the weekend of November 27th-29th. You'll meet growers from Alsace, Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux and Languedoc. The trip costs from €99pps with a bed in a two-bed cabin, plus an extra €89 if you bring your car when at least two adults travel together. 0818-300400, irishferries.com.
Please bear in mind that all deals are subject to availability
