From opera packages in Verona to swimming classes in Kenmare,
JOAN SCALEShas the week's best offers
Deal of the Week
Park Hotel food festival deal: €169pps
Waterford Festival of Food, in Dungarvan next weekend, features cookery demonstrations, storytelling, farm tours, picnics, classes, workshops, farmers’ markets and more. The town’s Park Hotel has a deal for the weekend: for €169pps you get two nights’ BB plus tickets to next Friday’s festival-launch barbecue and Saturday’s cookery demonstration, wine tasting and film screening. 058-42899, flynnhotels.com/Park_Hotel.
Overseas Deals
Top-secret hotels: 50% off rooms
Lastminute.ie says its Top Secret Hotels sale offers an extra 50 per cent off hotel rooms for bookings made before May 3rd. You won’t find out exactly which hotel you’ll be at until you have booked, but among the offers are four-star hotels in London from €58, Barcelona from €40 and Rome from €55; and five-star hotels in Istanbul from €67 and Dubai from €71.
Turkish family fun: from €2,616
Water parks can be ideal for family holidays, and the Paloma Club Sultan in Qzdere, in Turkey, has its own, plus two pools, a kids’ club and activities. Sunworld has an all-inclusive week in August for two adults and two children from €2,616. 0818-200111, sunworld.ie.
Sail-rail services to Britain: 10% off
The Irish Ferries sail-rail service offers travel from any station in Ireland to any in Britain, and fares have been cut by 10 per cent, with a one-way price of €36 between Dublin and Manchester, and €40 between Dublin and London. 0818-300400, irishferries.com.
Iberian cruise: from €1,099
E-travel has an 11-night cruise around Spain, Portugal and the Canaries in November, from €1,099 if you book early. The price includes flights from Ireland to join Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas. 01-4081999, e-travel.ie.
Verona for a song: from €483pps
International Festivals Bureau has offers for the Verona opera festival this summer. Among them is three nights at the four-star Hotel Giberti, within walking distance of the arena, plus good seats, from €483pps. 01-8887840, ifbarts.com.
Home deals
Inish Beg finger food class: €195
West Cork chef Chris Hedges will show you how to make fabulous food for fingers and forks at Inish Beg in Baltimore, Co Cork. The two-day course on April 24th and 25th will cover barbecue, buffet, canapés and preparation for €195. Accommodation is available from €50 per night. 028-21745, inishbeg.com.
Gaiety theatre offers: from €222
If you come to Dublin for a theatre break you can get two tickets for Evitaor The Shawshank Redemptionat the Gaiety Theatre during April and May, plus bed and breakfast for two at Brooks Hotel, for €222-€247. 01-6704000, sinnotthotels.com.
Kenmare stay and swim: from €595
Learn to swim with a private instructor at Park Hotel Kenmare, in Co Kerry, with a package that runs until the end of October. Two nights’ BB, with dinner one evening, and four hours of one-to-one tuition, plus the freedom to join daily classes at the Sámas wellness centre, costs from €595. 064-6641200, info@parkkenmare.com, parkkenmare.com.
2 nights by Lough Corrib: €220pps
You can explore Lough Corrib from your own boat – and even take a picnic to an island – when you stay at Currarevagh House in Connemara, Co Galway. Two nights’ bed and breakfast, with dinner one evening, use of a boat and a picnic, costs €220pps. 091-552312, currarevagh.com.
Waterford yoga retreat: €325pp
Grace Dieu Manor retreat, in Co Waterford, is hosting a weekend of hatha and raja yoga from April 23rd to 25th. The course, which is suitable for everyone from beginners to the experienced, includes classes, inspired-living workshops, en-suite accommodation, meals, yoga manual and full use of Grace Dieu’s facilities. It costs €325pp. 087-9480918, 01-4513935, odyssiconsulting.com.
Please bear in mind that all deals are subject to availability