From cruising in luxury to staying in a cabin in Donegal, Joan Scaleshas the pick of the offers.
HOME BREAKS:
A staycation: from €32.50
Town and Country Homes is offering three nights for two people from €32.50 per person in any of its 1,100 locations throughout Ireland. For a traditional short break with home-cooked breakfasts, see www.townandcountry.ie.
Luxury in Cork: from €179pps
Catch a summer offer at the luxurious Capella Castlemartyr hotel, in Cork, from €179 per person sharing for two nights' bed and breakfast, or from €239 for three nights midweek, also with breakfast. 021-4219129, www.capellacastlemartyr.com.
Donegal cabins: from €999
Good for families, Greencastle Cove holiday cabins, on the Inishowen Peninsula in Co Donegal, are relatively new - this is only their second summer in operation. They have tennis, basketball, football, a children's play area and a cafe on site. This month a week's holiday, with breakfast and dinner each day for a family of five, costs €999. 074-9381718, www.greencastlecove.com.
Health package: from €275pps
The health-and-well-being package at the RadissonSAS Hotel in Sligo might be worth checking out. Available midweek, it includes two nights' accommodation with breakfast, dinner one night in the Classiebawn restaurant and a trip to the Solas Spa.
The package costs €275 per person sharing. 071-9140008, www.sligo.radissonsas.com.
Wild in Dublin: from €760
Go wild at the Four Seasons Hotel in Dublin and bring the family to meet Dublin Zoo's newest arrivals. A one-night package in a luxury suite for two adults and two children, including a family ticket for the zoo, private transfers and a picnic basket, costs from €760. 01-6654000, ww.fourseasons.com/dublin.
OVERSEAS BREAKS:
Miami nights: from €699
Book by August 10th to avail of Trailfinders' five-night package to Miami for €699 - a saving of €77 per couple. It includes three-star accommodation and flights with British Airways. Valid for departures between September 3rd and 30th.
Seven nights in Barbados: €899
August 12th is the deadline for booking seven nights in Barbados at €899, saving €84 per couple, with flights by Virgin Atlantic. Valid for departures between August 19th and September 24th. For this and similar offers in Las Vegas and Phuket, contact Trailfinders on 01-8814994, 021-464 8888, www.trailfinders.ie.
Shopping in New York: from €826
Sunway is selling flights to New York in November, including three nights' accommodation and round-trip transfers to the Wellington Hotel, from €826. 01-2886828, www.sunway.ie.
South America: from €2,275
Abbey Travel has just published a new South American brochure with some well-planned itineraries. Its 12-day tour of Argentina costs from €2,275 per person sharing. The 13-day Inca Discovery tour will cover Peru, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and Colca Canyon from €2,345. 01-8047100, www.abbeytravel.ie.
Go take a cruise: 30% off
Early booking for cruises with Hurtigruten means discounts of up to 30 per cent. 01-6074420, www.hurtigruten.ie.
Luxury cruises: from €8,181
DiscHebridean Cruises has reduced two fabulous-sounding trips. Natural Wonders from the Seychelles to South Africa, from November 7th to 19th, has been reduced from £8,668 to £7,501 (about €10,910 to €8,185). The Winelands and Wildlife of Africa, from December 20th to January 5th, will see you exploring South Africa and Mozambique; it has been reduced from £10,420 to £7,815 (about €13,115 to €9,835). Book before August 31st. www.hebridean.co.uk.
DEAL OF THE WEEK
Castle in the mountains: a knockdown €10,000 a week
Castle Oliver is a sprawling Gothic mansion in the Ballyhoura Mountains, halfway between Cork and Limerick. The castle, which has recently been painstakingly restored by its owners, is being let at a discount for the rest of the year - €10,000 per week instead of €18,000. You have to book before the end of August. It has 11 bedrooms, all with enormous four-poster beds and five huge reception rooms. It is an ideal place for a large family holiday or, perhaps, small weddings. 01-6607975, www.irishgems.com.