From trips to Lapland to Halloween at Trabolgan, Joan Scaleshas the best of the week's offers
DEAL OF THE WEEK
Seven days in two Spanish cities: from €634Visit two great Spanish cities on a seven-day tour that starts on October 19th and Slatterys will throw in a trip on the country's new high-speed AVE train. Your first three days will be in Barcelona, where you'll visit Gaudí's Sagrada Família, among other places. Then it's on to the train to reach Madrid in less than three hours. A tour of the capital will include the Prado and Puerto del Sol, but you'll have plenty of time to yourself, too. €634 per person sharing (single supplement €399), including return Aer Lingus flights. 1890-200425, www.slatterys.com.
HOME BREAKS
Literary Galway: €325ppsThe Gogarty Literary Festival takes place in Oliver St John Gogarty's old homestead, Renvyle House Hotel, in Connemara, from November 6th to 9th. Speakers include Gerald Dawe, Michael O'Loughlin and Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill. Three nights' dinner, BB, with a light lunch each day, from €325 per person sharing. 095-43511, www.renvyle.com.
Spa breaks: from €250ppsFind a spa break on the www.spa-ireland.com website. Specials this month include White Horses Spa, at Doonbeg resort in Co Clare, for €250 per person sharing, including all meals and a treatment.
Halloween trip: from €29ppsJoin witches, werewolves, ghosts and ghouls at Trabolgan for Halloween. Three- and four-day breaks from October 24th to November 1st will cost from €29 per person sharing per night. 021-4661551, www.trabolgan.com.
Get fit trip: from €299From November 7th to 9th, Paul O'Brien, life coach and personal trainer, will be running a course for people who are looking to improve their lifestyles. Participants will take part in activities and one-to-one sessions with O'Brien and other coaches. The course, at Westport Woods Hotel, Co Mayo, costs from €299pps. 098-29811, www.westportwoodshotel.com.
Gala charity ball: €125Mount Juliet Conrad Hotel, in Kilkenny, is hosting a gala masked ball in association with Swarovski Crystal on October 25th, and everyone is promised a glittering experience. There will be a collection of jewellery for the ladies to wear for the evening, with opera masks for the gents. The ball will benefit the Friends of St Luke's Hospital. Tickets cost €125 per person. An overnight accommodation package, with ticket, costs from €275 per person sharing. 098-29811, www.mountjuliet.ie.
Top Gear Live: from €225ppsTop Gear Live comes to Dublin on November 29th and 30th. Custom Ireland has a package of a night at a hotel, with breakfast, plus two platinum tickets to the event, from €450 for two. 01-6752248, www.customireland.ie.
OVERSEAS BREAK
Tour America sale: US dealsTour America is having a sale this weekend at the Red Cow Moran Hotel, in Dublin. Bargain hunters could find some great value, such as four nights in Las Vegas from €698 per person sharing, Christmas shopping in New York from €619 for four nights, or three nights free in some Orlando hotels. Also on offer are tickets to Disney, with 14 days for the price of seven. If a cruise appeals, an 11-night Mediterranean and Greek Island trip costs from €729, and there's €300 off some Royal Caribbean cruises. Noon-6pm, today and tomorrow. www.touramerica.ie.
London Babylon: from €175 Babylon: Myth and Reality, at the British Museum in London from November 13th to March 15th, should be an extraordinary exhibition. Drawing from collections at the Louvre and the Museum of the Ancient Near East, in Berlin, it will explore imaginative and historic Babylon. Steps away from the museum, the Montague Hotel, overlooking Bedford Estate Gardens, will give you two tickets, worth £8 each, if you book a two-night weekend break. From £135 (about €175) per night. 00-44-20-76371001, www.montaguehotel.com.
Diwali festival: from €165The Hindu festival of Diwali is being celebrated in Trafalgar Square, London, on October 19th, with food and musical performances. If you'd like to join in, Guoman Charing Cross Hotel has rooms from £130 (about €165). 00-44-871- 3769012, www.guoman.com.
Mauritius: from €999ppsFind the sun in the Indian Ocean with three deals this week to Mauritius. A week at Trou aux Biches Hotel, near Grand Baie, costs from €999 per person sharing from John Galligan Travel (01-2076555, www.jgt.ie). A week at Silver Beach Hotel, departing on October 18th, costs from €1,725pps from Tropical Sky (01-5262566, www.tropicalsky.ie). And a seven-night stay at the five-star Oberoi Mauritius resort, with private transfers, is half-price at €2,089 from Trailfinders. 01-8814994, 021-4648888, www.trailfinders.ie.
Lapland trips: from €619Falcon Holidays has visits to Lapland in December. One-day trips from Dublin and Cork start at €619 for adults and €549 for children. Three nights from €2,907 for two adults and one child. 1890-4543545, www.falconholidays.ie and your local travel agent.
Late sun deals: from €279Last-minute offers for next week from Panorama Holidays include a week in Lanzarote from €389 and a week in Ibiza from €279. 0818-202020, www.panoramaholidays.ie.