Your questions answered by
JOAN SCALES
Q It is my mother's birthday in January, so we would like to rent a house in Naples in Florida for the week from January 8th. There will be about 11 people, and we would like the house to be on the beach, or close to it, if possible. I realise this is a bit of a niche request, but I cannot seem to locate any nice houses on the internet. The budget is fairly flexible.
EOR, Dublin
On HomeAway.com you'll see a number of luxurious homes to rent in the Naples area. These properties are usually rented by the owners directly. I've found about 10 properties that meet your needs. Prices are mostly in the $3,000-$4,000 (€2,000-€2,700) range for a week. You can search the site using a variety of criteria. I looked at houses that could sleep 13 or more. If you look at houses that sleep nine to 12, more than 90 available, and they are less expensive.
Q I say every Christmas that next time I will escape the madness of family gatherings and all the rest. I would like to go somewhere to relax and get a sense of the Christmas joys - somewhere, preferably, with snow. I will be on a budget, so it can't be anywhere that's going to take me until the following year to pay off. I would like to go to an old European city where you can get lost amid the hum of Christmas carols in a foreign tongue.
KB, Laois
The first place that springs to mind is Prague, which is lovely in winter, with frosty days to experience, Christmas carols to listen to and beautiful churches to visit. More than likely it will be snowing. Old Town Square is dressed for Christmas with a huge tree, carol singers congregate there every evening, and there's a market to visit.
You can fly to the capital of the Czech Republic with both Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) and Ryanair (ryanair.com). Expect to pay about €200 for a return fare.
Jurys Inns (jurysinns.com) opened a hotel in Prague recently; it has an advance-purchase rate of €39.20 per night.
Another place that is pretty in winter is Salzburg, in Austria. The city is surrounded by the snowy peaks of the Alps. There will be snow, concerts, Christmas markets, hot chocolate and marzipan treats. Aer Lingus has a service from Dublin to Salzburg on Tuesdays and Saturdays; Ryanair flies there on Saturdays.
Have a look at salzburg.info for a good range of hotels from €40 per night. It also has information about guided tours, music, the Salzburg visitor card, visiting the Mirabell Castle and Mozart's Wohnhaus.
Q My husband and I are in our early 30s and without kids. We and my two sisters-in-law would love to spend Christmas at a hotel in Ireland this year. Our specification is to stay somewhere tasteful and possibly scenic, with some nice walks nearby. We are looking for a two-day package, for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I have been searching and have found the prices to be completely prohibitive in any of the really nice spots. Our budget would be around €300 each.
ER, Cork
Not many hotels open over Christmas, and prices are quite high. However, the Falls Hotel (065-7071004, fallshotel.ie), in the busy Co Clare town of Ennistymon, is keeping its doors open over the season. Its two-night packages include dinner on Christmas Eve, Christmas lunch, an evening buffet and lots of fun, with entertainment every night, for €319pps. Ennistymon has plenty of good walks and places to see.
For a sophisticated stay in Dublin, Brooks Hotel (01-6704000, brookshotel.ie) is an oasis on Drury Street. You could join in the last-minute madness on Grafton Street on Christmas Eve, then return to the hotel for a two-night package that includes supper on Christmas Eve, Christmas lunch and the chance to watch movies in the in-house cinema. The price of €598 is for two sharing for two nights.
At the other end of the country, if you are prepared to make the journey, the Hilton Templepatrick Hotel and Country Club (048-94435500, hilton.co.uk), 15 minutes from Belfast, has a very good deal over Christmas. Located on the 90-hectare Castle Upton estate, on the banks of Six Mile Water, it is in a lovely setting with nice walks around it. The two-night rate includes dinner on Christmas Eve, Christmas lunch and an evening buffet for £154.50pps (€171).
In Yeats Country, the Radisson Blu Hotel in Sligo (071-9140008, radissonblu.ie) has a good-value three-night package for €300pps. It includes dinner on Christmas Eve, then lunch and supper the next day, and on St Stephen's Day it has entertainment in the bar.
E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com