From a girlie getaway in New York to a sun holiday with two teenagers, JOAN SCALESanswers your travel questions
Single rooms in New York
We are three ladies who wish to spend a few days in New York City this autumn. We are experiencing great difficulty in finding affordable hotel accommodation in a central area as we want three single occupancy rooms. We would also consider an apartment with a kitchenette as it would be very useful for breakfast and reduce costs, but again no sharing of bedrooms.
LOK, Kerry
The bad news is that prices in New York are going up and up, despite the fact that there are lots of new hotels opening. You also have to be careful where you stay in the city as cheap hotels are not necessarily nice. The less you pay, the less you get. That said, I have three recommendations for you.
The Comfort Inn on Central Park West (comfortinn.com) is a good location for exploring the city. Rooms are less than $200 (€138) per night. Also near Central Park, the Park 79 Hotel (park79.com) in the Upper West Side is in a quiet spot near the National History Museum, and costs about $200 (€138) per night.
Further down Manhattan, the Herald Square Hotel (heraldsquarehotel.com) is family-run and is in a good location in the Flatiron District between Midtown and Greenwich Village, with rates from about $150 (€104) per night. You may get better rates in these hotels by shopping around on websites such as booking.com, hotels.com and priceline.com. Three-bed apartments are few and far between in Manhattan and will cost $300-$500 (€208-€347) per night. Even at these prices it would save you money as you can keep the costs down by eating some meals or snacks there. You can see availability on homeaway.com, which lists private rentals from owners. See also nycgo.com for more budget hotels in New York.
A break with two toddlers
With two small kids (three years old, 22 months) and one on the way, hubby and myself would love a break away but here’s our deal – it can only be in the first two weeks of August due to his work constraints. Where to? Well, we’d love somewhere in Europe, but is there anywhere that isn’t going to be very hot as it may not suit young children – or myself at that point? Is there anywhere that we can fly to and be shuttled to a hotel, which has good kids’ facilities/free childcare, to enjoy a week to 10 days’ break without the need for a car?
SOM, Clare
There are a few places that would fit the bill for you and the family. My first suggestion is Garda Village on Lake Garda near Sirmione. It is a popular resort with good facilities for children. Accommodation is self-catering in bungalows. Topflight (01-2401700, topflight.ie) has availability from Cork for your dates, from €709 per person. The price includes flights, accommodation and transfers to the resort, so no need for a car. The average temperature in Lake Garda in August is 28 degrees, but it can get hotter.
Austria has a great range of family-friendly places to stay, and the mountains are warm and sunny in summer. There are also lots of summer activities and festivals. The Hotel Kaltschmid in Seefeld is well located for getting around. It has free kindergarten for children from three years old. It also has a swimming pool and good spa facilities.
The price, from €845 for adults and from €321 for children, includes half-board accommodation and transfers. Contact Crystal Holidays, 01-4331010, crystalsummer.ie.
A holiday with teenage girls
I am 54 years old and recently widowed after a long and happy marriage. I haven’t has a holiday abroad in the last two years due to my late wife's treatment for cancer. This summer, my youngest daughter and my niece (both 16 and interested in sport and young men) have offered to go on holiday for a week with me. I would also like to have a quiet week on my own to read and reflect. Anywhere in Europe with sun and four- or five-star hotels would be great.
Anon, Co Down
Taking into account that the girls like sport and young men, I think a holiday that includes an activity for them would be a good idea. I am thinking of surfing or water sports, as that is where they are likely to meet other people.
Biarritz has a good selection of four- and five-star hotels and terrific surfing. During the summer, there are also music festivals and activities for teenagers. The five-star Hotel du Palais (hotel-du-palais.com), one of the most famous in Biarritz, is right on the beach and has indoor and outdoor pools. Rates are from €375 per night.
Also on the beach is the Mercure Thalassa Regina Hotel and Golf resort (mercure.com). It is a four-star hotel and rates are from €154 per night. Flights to Biarritz are available from Dublin with Ryanair (ryanair.com). There are lots of surf schools in Biarritz, and one is an Irish-run company, surfholidays.com, 01-4822828.
In Ibiza, the small town of Talamanca is on a sandy cove about 20 minutes walk from Ibiza Town. The four-star Simbad Hotel (hotelsimbad.es), has a lovely location overlooking the cove, with rates from about €150 per night.
There are plenty of restaurants and bars nearby and the girls will find plenty to do there and in Ibiza town. Water sports are available in Talamanca and also in nearby Ibiza port. There are flights from Belfast to Ibiza with thomson.co.uk and from Dublin with both Ryanair and Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com).
Go ask Joan:E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com