Joan Scalesanswers your travel questions
Q I did some lovely walking on the island of El Hierro, in the Canaries, a few years ago and would like to do the same on the island of La Gomera. I would like to join a small group of walkers at Easter. Most of the companies I have found offer self-guided walking holidays, but that is not suitable for my needs.
DB, Co Meath
La Gomera is the second- smallest of the Canary Islands and a Unesco World Heritage site. The island is also the greenest and hilliest of the Canaries. New Experience Holidays (www.newex.co.uk), a tour operator in Wales, organises walking holidays to La Gomera with a local company. You can make your own travel arrangements to get to Tenerife, then take the boat to La Gomera. A week’s half-board accommodation and four days’ guided walks costs from £640 (about €710).
Another company that organises walking tours in La Gomera is Daniel Dietz (www.danieldietz.com), for both groups and self-guided. A week’s walking tour, including accommodation in a number of places, costs from €740.
On a more luxurious level, Headwater Holidays (www.headwater.com) organises guided walking tours of the island. Accommodation is at Parador de la Gomera, and the week includes five days of walking. There are tours just before and just after Easter. Prices, which include half-board and picnic lunches on the five walking days, start at £1,337 (about €1,480). The agent in Ireland for Headwater is Leopardstown Tours (01-2958901).
Q We are planning to caravan in France in the summer. We intend to go down close to Biarritz. Our children will be 14, 12 and 10, and they’ve expressed an interest in taking some surfing and sailboarding classes while we’re there. Do you know of any website where we could get information about such classes or summer courses? We are not totally restricted to Biarritz: anywhere from La Rochelle southwards would be fine. Somewhere very safe would be required. Hope you can help.
MB, Co Laois
You will be glad to hear that Biarritz is the home of surfing in France – and, indeed, is considered to have some of the best surfing in Europe. There are a couple of dozen surf schools. The first surf school (www.jomoraiz.com) opened in the 1960s; it is still being run by the son of the original surf dude. Plums Surf School (www.plums-surf.com) has been open almost as long. You can see an extensive list of surf schools at www.biarritz.fr. Whichever you choose, make sure the instructors have the FFS, which is the French instructor qualification.
Q My mother and I are interested in going to Germany, but we are not sure which city to visit. Both of us travel a lot and have visited a number of European cities. We enjoy tours, culture and a little retail therapy. Can you advise us and recommend a time of year?
IC, Dublin
Berlin is a great destination for tours, culture and shopping. The city has more than 170 museums to choose from, with the top ones on Museum Island, making it easy to visit some of the best in Germany. A river tour of the Spree will give you a fascinating view of all the developments and buildings since 1989, including the Reichstag. And a bus tour of the city will fill in masses of history. You can’t beat Kufürstendamm, a broad boulevard, for good shopping (don’t miss KaDeWe, the Brown Thomas of Berlin).
The German tourist office has just launched a website (www.bookgermanynow.com) to help people planning trips to Germany. The deals on it are mainly for travel from the UK, but the information is useful for planning, and it also has some good hotel offers.
Aer Lingus and Ryanair both fly to Berlin every day from Dublin. Aer Lingus flies from Cork on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Ryanair flies from Shannon on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
Q My wife will celebrate her 60th birthday on February 14th. We have never been on a sun holiday. I think she would like to go to the sun for a short break in February. Any suggestions that won’t break the bank?
PF, Tipperary
The best place for sun in February is the Canary Islands, a four-hour flight from Ireland. There are some very good deals for all weeks in February except from the 14th to the 21st, which is the midterm break. Lanzarote would be nice to visit, and it is popular with Irish people. There is a lot to see and do besides lying on the beach, and the food is good.
When it comes to accommodation, your choice will be either self-catering or hotel with bed and breakfast or half-board. Some apartment accommodation also includes breakfast.
Expect to pay about €289-€699 for a week.
Fariones Apartments and Hotel is a firm favourite with Irish people. Next to the beach in Puerto del Carmen, it has a good location and is just a short drive from the airport. You can check out deals on www.holidaysonline.ie. Your local travel agent will also be able to assist you in finding the best deal.
E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com