The Belfast Arts Festival, from October 28th to November 14th, offers theatre, music, opera, dance, comedy, talks, literature, visual arts and film. Special accommodation is available from £25 to £45 sterling a night per person. A number of the top city centre hotels will also continue to offer two-night breaks, at prices in Irish pounds from £59 per person sharing, subject to availability. Festival details available from Northern Ireland Tourist Board, 16 Nassau Street, Dublin 2 - callsave 1850 230 230.
Early in the year is a great time to get a group away for a weekend to recover from the Christmas and New Year excesses. The new Riverside Park hotel in Enniscorthy is offering a great three-night break for £139 - included is a round of golf, horse riding or quad biking, dinner each night and a gala dinner on Saturday, plus lunch on Friday and Saturday. Details from (054) 37900.
Jersey European Airlines has installed a callsave number for bookings and schedules on 1890 925 532. JEA flies from Cork to Birmingham and Belfast; Dublin to Exeter; and, from October 31st, from Shannon to Birmingham. The airline has recently partenered with Cityjet on the Dublin-London City route and fares for this route are excellent, particularly during the week.
Ryanair has introduced a £35 return fare to London and a £49.99 return from Kerry to London. On November 4th, it will introduce its new service from Stansted to Aarhus, Denmark's second city. The new service from Derry to Stansted, which opened in July, is proving very popular and will benefit from two daily returns during the winter.
Self-catering Ireland is offering a '99 for 99 special for October and November in a wide selection of houses and apartments around Ireland. Further details from callsave 1850 200 236.
Free insurance for all November departures to winter sun destinations has been announced by Panorama Holidays. You can get away to Lanzarote, Fuertaventura, Gran Canaria, Tunisia and Tenerife and save more than £50 per couple. November prices are from as little as £249 for a week. Free insurance is also available for seat-only bookings too.
The Chalfont Line has been providing holidays for mobility-impaired people for almost 30 years. The current programme include 14 departures throughout next year to places such as South Africa, Jersey, France, Central Europe, Florida, New York and many more. All tours are accompanied by an experienced tour manager and a back-up care team. It also has 30 self-catering properties in Ireland and Britain, with airport pick-up and self- drive vehicles. Information from Chalfont Line, 4 Medway Parade, Perivale, Middlesex UK8 8HR - tel (00 44 181) 991 2892, website www.chalfont-line.co.uk