Toddler parking:Every buggy-pushing parent knows about the frustration of trying to fold the thing and find a spot to park it on a family outing.
At Dublin's Gaiety theatre, where the panto is in its last weeks, they've come up with a logical solution - a buggy park. If you haven't already experienced falling off your seat with nerves and excitement during the fight between a pack of lions and the beast under the terrifying lightning, then do yourself a favour and bring a child before the end of the run. Let them experience the top-dollar treatment of valet buggy parking. The only downfall of the whole operation is that some of us who are still enthralled by the magic of the panto might have difficulty fitting into a buggy. Beauty and the Beast runs until February 3rd. Alice Ryan
Bargain bottles
The Berry Bros & Rudd January sale is in full swing and there are some tasty bargains, especially if you go the whole hog and buy by the unmixed dozen. Bava's Barbera d'Asti 2004 (€14.95 per bottle) is a lovely Piedmontese red with juicy fruit and plenty of grip, and it works out at €12 if you buy a case. But the best bargains are Berry's Red Burgundy, from Domaine Bertagna, €19.95, or €13 by the dozen; and Berry's Meursault 2004 (from Guyot-Javillier) which comes down from €27.95 to €20. See www.bbr.com. Tom Doorley
From clicks to bricks
For the past three years Janie Lazar has been taking orders for copies of 20th-century furniture classics designed by the likes of Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe through her website www.designclassicsdirect.ie. She now is taking a "live" approach to retailing, albeit temporarily. From next Thursday until February 10th, Lazar will fill a premises in Dublin's Cow's Lane with the pieces she sells as well as work by other designers. The copies of furniture classics will be shown in an updated, modern way - they will be covered with unusual coloured leathers and Thai silks from Róisín Cross in Dún Laoghaire (www.roisincrosssilks.eu). Also on view (and for sale) will be a collection of 1950s ceramics from Kirk Modern (www.kirkmodern.com), Charles O'Toole's bespoke contemporary furniture (www.charlesfurniture.ie), artworks by Deepa Mannkler and photography by Vincent O'Byrne. In short, it's something of a collective effort and well worth a potter. Opening hours will be noon until 6pm (Tues-Sat) and 11pm-4pm on Sundays. Appointments to view can be made, check the website. Eoin Lyons
Star rating
If you want to get away from it all in dreary January, but can't face a trip to the airport, book a room at the Four Seasons in Dublin 4, voted second-best for service in Europe in The Gold List 2008, which appears in the January issue of Condé Nast Traveler. The hotel, which scored 98 out of a possible 100 in the service category (up from 85.4 last year), was pipped only by La Scalinatella, on the Italian island of Capri, which earned a perfect score, as voted by more than 28,000 of the magazine's readers. I can attest to the level of attention to detail the Dublin hotel strives to bring to its service, having seen the kitchen redo a room service order of mac 'n' cheese when the plate it was presented on was deemed to be too hot to be sent out to a child. There were three 100 per cent scores in the "best rooms" category, including one for Glin Castle in Co Limerick. The Mount Juliet Conrad finished third in the "best activities" section, behind the Scottish golf havens of St Andrew's and Gleneagles. Marie-Claire Digby
Regal simplicity
Architectural designers Arthur Duff and Greg Tisdall's emporia are always worth a visit; just now this handmade four-poster bed (above) is reduced by half in their new shop in Goatstown, Dublin 14, opposite the Goat Grill, and is on sale for €1,800, including mattress. It is designed with great style and restraint, although you'll have to restrain yourself from investing in one or more of their furnishings and fabrics, displayed, as always, with great light fixtures and accessories.
[ www.duff-tisdall.ieOpens in new window ]
Loved up
Valentine's Day is not only for the young. A competition to find long-term lovers has been launched by Friends of the Elderly, and spokesperson Dermot Kirwan says nominations are coming in thick and fast. "A woman e-mailed us about her parents who are married 62 years. Her father is 94 and her mother is in her late eighties, and he still buys her flowers and they still hold hands." Nominations, in 70 words or less, should explain why a pair should be considered the most romantic couple in Ireland. E-mail dkirwan@friendsoftheelderly.ie or post to Friends of the Elderly, 25 Bolton Street, Dublin 1. Closing date is February 12th and finalists and prizes will be announced on RTÉ1's Derek Mooney Show. Michael Kelly
• If reading our guide to the season's best ski wear; Victoria White's no-fly holiday suggestions and Jane Boyce's adventures in wine country in Slovenia get you in the mood for a break, check out the Holiday World Show at the RDS, Dublin 4 next Friday to Sunday. www.holidayworldshow.com.