From a Northern Lights cruise to an opera offer in Dungarvan, Joan Scaleshas the pick of the deals
Deal of the week
Grab a bargain week in the Canaries: from €195pps
The cheapest fortnight of the year for holidays in the sun is coming up: it's the weekends of December 5th and 12th. All the major tour operators - Falcon, Panorama, Direct Holidays and Sunworld - are offering weeks in the Canary Islands from €209 per person sharing. See www.falconholidays.ie, www.panoramaholidays.ie, www.directholidays.ie and www.sunworld.ie. Holidaysonline even has a week in Gran Canaria (above) and Lanzarote from €195pps. See www.holidaysonline.ie.
Overseas breaks
Five-star London sale: €120
A date for your diary: the five-star Cadogan Hotel, on Sloane Street in the heart of Knightsbridge, London, starts a sale next week. From Monday until tomorrow week, November 30th, it will be selling rooms for £99 (about €120) for visits between January 1st and April 19th next year. To make a reservation, go to www.cadogan.com/ london_hotel_roomsale.html, select Corporate Reservations and type in the password "sale".
Knightsbridge B&Bs: €130
Also in London, if you're looking for accommodation that's like a home from home, Uptown Reservations has a selection of private homes offering bed and breakfast. The homes are all in the Kensington, Chelsea, Knightsbridge and Mayfair areas, and Uptown promises that it can feel like staying with friends. Your hosts can also offer help on places to eat, shop and visit. A stay costs £80 (about €100) per night for a single room and £105 (about €130) per night for a double. www.uptownres.co.uk.
Maltese spa week: from €875
Fortina Spa Resort, in Malta, has a week over the holiday season from £739 (about €875) per person sharing, all inclusive. Ryanair (www. ryanair.com) has flights from Dublin to Malta over Christmas that shouldn't break the bank. www.fortinasparesort.com, 1800-411056 or 00-356- 23462346.
Caribbean break: from €1,515
Book by December 10th for some great deals at Sandals resorts in the Caribbean. A week in Antigua costs from €1,759; Jamaica, at the Grande Ocho Rios resort, costs from €1,515; and St Lucia, at the Regency La Toc, costs from €1,929. All prices are per person sharing, for travel from January to June or January to December. www.tropical places.ie, 01-4331029.
Northern Lights: from €999
Stargazers could strike lucky and see the Northern Lights on an educational cruise through the fjords of Norway with astronomer John Mason. The Hurtigruten cruise line will be running the trip in February; Dr Mason will be bringing the stars, planets and meteors alive with lectures and stories. The trip costs from €999, with flights from London Heathrow, for four days. No single supplement. www.hurtigruten. ie, 01-6074420.
Skiing in Europe: from €259
Ski season is coming, and, just to entice you, Topflight is having a sale from Monday to Wednesday next week. It will be cutting up to 50 per cent from the price of ski trips leaving on January 10th, 17th and 24th to Austria, France, Andorra, Italy and Bulgaria. Prices start at €259 for a week per person sharing. www.topflight.ie, 01-2401700.
Please bear in mind that deals are subject to availability
Home breaks
Tannery and the Met: €270 for 2
New York's Metropolitan Opera is coming to Co Waterford, in a manner of speaking, with live high-definition screenings at SGC Dungarvan cinema on a number of Saturdays from November until May. The Tannery Restaurant and Townhouse will make your visit extra special with dinner, tickets and overnight accommodation for €270 for two people. www.tannery.ie, 058-45420.
Bijou Limerick hotel: from €145
No 1 Pery Square, in Limerick, opened its doors as a classical Georgian boutique hotel this month. It has been lovingly restored by its owner, Patricia Roberts, who preserved its Grade I status while turning it into a comfortable place to stay. Rooms from €145 per night; weekend packages, with dinner in Brasserie One, from €380 per person sharing. www.oneperysquare.com, 061-402402.
Renvyle's Little Christmas: €139
After the excitement of Christmas, escape to Renvyle House Hotel, in Connemara, for a bit of quiet over Little Christmas. From January 2nd to 6th, two nights' bed and breakfast with one dinner costs from €139 per person sharing. www.renvyle.com, 1850-773355.
Dublin nights: from €99
If you're coming to Dublin for some midweek shopping, you could stay at Temple Bar Hotel (www.templebarhotel. com, 01-6129200), from €99 per person sharing for two nights, or at the Gresham Hotel from €119 per room per night (www.gresham-hotels.com, 1850-777777).
Cork getaways: from €79
Or explore shopping in Cork. The Gresham Metropole (www.gresham-hotels.com, 1850-777777) has rooms for €79 midweek, while Sheraton Fota Island (www.sheraton. com/fotaisland, 021-4673000) is throwing in a €50 Brown Thomas gift card and transfers into the city when you stay on its two-day spa-treatment. From €169 per person.
Stuck for how to spend the day?
Having trouble coming up with something to fill a day? Try www.dayout.ie for ideas. The website should help you plan outings for families, friends and couples, plus girlie events.