Delicious Dips
BigStyle’s Atlantic Lodge in Co Mayo just got a whole lot hotter. Their new sauna opens today, with a hot tub (ahem) hot on its heels later this month. The Killadoon based spot is right on the water’s edge, and the perfect place for a chilled out weekend of outdoor adventures.
Their weekend escape packages give you two night's accommodation, plus options for yoga, hiking, surfing and other watersports fun. Add a bonfire in the evening, good food, and more of the same on Sunday, and you'll – as they put it – "go home wrecked and happy". A four bed dorm is €290, or snuggle down in a double for €330 pps. bigstyle.ie
Surf’s Suas
Learning to surf while picking up an extra cúpla focail? Sounds good to us. The Tonn Nua Surf School is based near Belmullet. Tonn Nua translates as “New Wave”, and owner Declan O’Connor caters for every age and stage. Instructors are fluent in Irish, and pretty fluid when it comes to catching waves.
Group lessons from €25/ €30 and private lessons €60, see tonnnuasurfschool.com. The Talbot Hotel in Belmullet has B&B from €140, thetalbothotel.ie; or glamp at Geraghty's Farmyard Pods from €120 a night, sleeping four with a minimum two night stay, facebook.com/GeraghtysFarmyardPods.
Life’s a Beach
Club Med’s idea is that you don’t have to actually think of anything once you’ve arrived, except what relaxing treat you’re going to settle into next. At La Pointe aux Canonniers in Mauritius, that includes a wake boarding, sailing and paddle boarding, and a Zen Zone pool and bar if it all gets a little much.
Feeling adventurous? Leave the resort for waterfalls, temples, markets and more – or just think about it as you sip another cocktail. Seven nights all inclusive in a superior room, with open bars and round the clock snacks for €2,672 pps, for a departure on July 16th with sunway.ie.
Wine Trails
Swiss wine is a bit of a delicious secret, and every Ascension Day weekend, the winemakers of Valais open up their cellars. With more than 230 taking part, it’s quite a festival. The cellars are free to visit, and you don’t need to book.
There are also lovely hiking trails through the Valais vineyards. Fly direct from Dublin to Geneva with Aer Lingus or Swiss Airlines. Open Cellar 2022 runs from May 26th to 28th. Find more information, including accommodation options at valais.ch, with rates from €60 a night to sky’s the limit.
See, for example the Chalet Royal, with views across the valley from €100 a night, chaletroyal.ch/fr. Get more details about the cellars themselves at offene-weinkeller-wallis.ch.
