GO ASK JOAN: JOAN SCALESgives advice on family activity breaks in Ireland, going to La Gomera in November and cheap hotels in Copenhagen
Finding family fun in Ireland
We are a group of four families planning to meet up for a long weekend in Ireland. Three of the families will be travelling over from the UK so we’d prefer a destination within a reasonable drive of both Larne and Dublin .
There will be eight adults and six children (ranging in age from five to 11). Ideally we could all stay in one self-catering house, but two side-by-side properties would also work. On-site activities would be a major plus as those travelling from the UK will have done enough driving by the time they get here. All the families are active and love the outdoors.
Last year we met up in Center Parcs in the UK which worked well but we would like to show our visitors that Ireland is fun.
CE, Galway
The Heritage Resort in Killinard, Co Laois, has lovely self-catering four-bedroom homes which would be ideal for your group. On site there is a leisure centre, playground, games room, tennis courts, spa and golf course. You would also have all the facilities of the hotel, restaurants and bars.
During school holidays they usually have organised events for children. It would be a good base from which to explore the Midlands and the Shannon (theheritage.com).
Decoy Country cottages are in the heart of the Boyne Valley and perfect for exploring Newgrange and the Hill of Tara, and also close enough to explore the coast. There is a mixture of sizes of cottages, (decoycountrycottages.ie).
Nearby activities for families include the adventure centre at Lough Crew Estate (loughcrew.com), Funtasia.ie in Bettystown, Tayto Park, and Greenan Farm, Museums and Maze (greenanmaze.com). The National Aquatic Centre would not be too far away either.
The village of Carlingford on the Cooley Peninsula is ideal for family activity holidays. There is an adventure centre in the village that runs land and water-based activities. They also have a selection of accommodation (carlingfordadventure.com).
There are many activities and events on and you can see a list at carlingford.ie.
There are a number of larger houses available in this area and you will see a selection of them on carlingfordholiday.com and carlingfordaccommodation.com.
Budget break in Copenhagen
My husband and I have booked flights to Copenhagen mid-August. I have been checking hotels but they seem quite expensive. Would you have any suggestions and advise for us. We are very budget conscious and realise the cost of living in Copenhagen is very high even by Irish standards.
DP, Meath
August is high season almost everywhere and reasonably priced hotels are hard to find. The Cab Inn is a budget hotel and has rates just under €100 per night (cabinn.com). Another budget hotel worth trying is the Hotel Nebo, near the central train station (nebo.dk). You will also find some rooms for around €80-€90 in the Best Western Hotel City (bestwestern.com). See visitdenmark.com for a hotels and tourism information. A guesthouse may be an option and you will see some on this site.
Canaries in the autumn
How do we travel to La Gomera in the Canary Islands from around November 11th to 25th?
PS, Wexford
La Gomera is a small island off the coast of Tenerife and is reached by ferry from Los Cristianos port. Ferries are operated by Fred Olsen Ferries (fredolsen.es), and Naviera Armas (navieraarmas.com). Timetables are on their websites. Aer Lingus and Ryanair fly from Dublin to Tenerife three times a week in November. There is an Irish company in La Gomera that organises walking trips, see gomerawalking.com.
Long-term car hire in Ireland
My sister and her husband are returning from Australia, with five children, on an three-month break. She would like to hire a seven-seater MPV for the while time. It is proving quite expensive. She does not have an Irish Driver’s Licence. What is the most economical way to hire a car for three months? She is happy to hire an older car.
DD, Cork
There are quite a few companies that will do long-term car rental. She can expect to pay in the region of €1,000-€1,200 per month for a seven-seater vehicle. Those that rent long term include Enterprise.ie, 01-888 1301 and Atlascarhire.com, 01-8441982. As it is so expensive to hire a car for this length of time, maybe she could consider buying a second-hand vehicle and selling it at the end of the stay.
I have seen seven-seater vehicles such as the Ford Galaxy, Hyundai Trajet and Citroën Xsara Picasso for sale on Carzone.ie for between €1,000 and €3,000. She can get insurance in Ireland on an Australian license and then cancel it when she leaves.
You can usually get a refund of the unused part of the policy.