Incredible special offers from Royal Caribbean for May 2014

Below are details of two of the most exciting cruises on offer this summer. I look forward to reporting about our Greek Odessey in October when we will be setting sail from Venice and continuing on to Turkey...watch this space...but with these incredible offers you may well get there before me! Please let me know how you get on if you do!

Create Mediterranean memories with Royal Caribbean International this May

Enjoy a holiday experience unlike any other, with Royal Caribbean International’s (www.royalcaribbean.ie; 0844 493 2061) Liberty of the Seas for a seven-night Western Mediterranean fly-cruise from €1,165 per person (based on two people sharing an interior state room). Test your surfing skills on the FlowRider or enjoy some serious “me-time” in the onboard, blissfully indulgent spa.

Price includes return flights from Dublin, transfers and a seven-night cruise departing from Barcelona (Spain) and calling at Marseille (France), Villefranche (Nice, France), Florence/Pisa (Italy), Rome (Civitavecchia, Italy) and Naples (Italy) before returning to Barcelona for the flight home; meals and entertainment onboard and all relevant cruise taxes/fees.

Price is based on 25 May 2014 departure. 
For more information or to book call 0844 493 2061 or visit www.royalcaribbean.ie  

Explore Greece and Turkey this May with Royal Caribbean International

Book a last minute holiday to explore the best of the Greek Isles and Turkey with Royal Caribbean International’s (www.royalcaribbean.ie; 0844 493 2061) Splendour of the Seas. A seven-night Greek Isles and Turkey fly-cruise is priced from €1,139 per person (based on two people sharing an interior state room) and enjoy some of the tastiest meals at sea with Asian delights from Izumi or a personal chef experience at our exclusive Chef’s Table.

Price includes return flights from London Gatwick, transfers and an eight-night cruise departing from Venice (Italy) and calling at Split (Croatia), Ephesus (Kusadasi, Turkey), Santorini (Greece) and Katakolon (Greece) before returning to Venice (Italy) for the flight home; meals and entertainment onboard and all relevant cruise taxes/fees.
Price is based on 24 May 2014 departure. 
For more information or to book call 0844 493 2061 or visit www.royalcaribbean.ie 

Lovely Lyrath in Kilkenny

Hubby and I always like to do something nice for our anniversary. So, recently we checked out the luxurious Five Star Lyrath Estate near Kilkenny and found the perfect retreat for sweethearts!

We arrived at three in the afternoon which gave time for a short tour of the hotel from the warm-hearted doorman. He proudly informed us about the history of the estate, and the lavish architectural refurbishment. We were itching to see to the room – which didn’t disappoint. We had a large deluxe room with balcony – decked out with cast-iron table and chairs it was perfect for a glass of wine before dinner. Room service was swift – we tested it out straightaway, then changed into our bathrobes and slippers and headed to the Oasis spa. It offered a couples treatment option so we could be pampered together, and I had possibly the best facial ever. The hydropool is especially nice as it offers guests a taste of the outdoors, while still inside, with an open wall looking out over the green landscaped gardens.

I’m not a frequent visitor to Kilkenny but was pleased to find out that the city is bustling and there are plenty of options to amuse a couple of lovebirds with quaint boutique shops, cafes and bars. There is of course Kilkenny Castle and a host of other local sights to see. Kilkenny is close to Cork, Wexford, Waterford and a host of other counties that are within close proximity and easily explored in a day, providing you are not having a lie-in of course! The hotel supplies bicycles and the estate has a signposted walk perfect for a romantic after dinner cycle or ramble.

For those who love to work up a sweat there is a gym, sauna and swimming pool. Of course there are other options for working up that sweat and the generously proportioned rooms allowed our imaginations to run riot.

We ate in Yindees restaurant which had good choice and a pleasant nod to Asian cuisine but there are other eateries with bar food in Tuppers bar and La Perla restaurant.

Enjoy 3 nights B&B in a luxury suite with Champagne and canapés on arrival, and the following morning wake to a delicious Champagne breakfast served to your bedroom. A stay at Lyrath Estate is a truly relaxing and luxurious way to spend time with someone special, and packages start at €495 per person sharing.

Lyrath Estate

Dublin Road

Kilkenny

Phone: +353 56 7760088

www.lyrath.com

Galway with Granny and Granddad

Travelling with three generations needn’t be a challenge, if the destination for your weekend trip is just right. So with my Mum, my Dad and ten-year-old daughter Nicole, packed into the car, we set off for the newly refurbished accommodation at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Galway.

The hotel is in a great situation only a few hundred meters from Eyre Square and currently offering special packages for the over 65s. We ate lunch on arrival with oodles of choice from the hot buffet and salad bar. The delicious lemon meringue pies from the dessert tray were hard to resist so we had one each.

Granddad was keen to watch the Liverpool match so we dropped him off at Eyre Square in Garveys pub which offers music at weekends and was a delightful find. It left us three girls free to shop!

William Street was the start of our ramble through the shops and iconic bars that line the streets down to the Quay. The bustling street market sells the usual array of trinkets jewellery and handcrafts that put in a lovely afternoon. 

When we returned with our purchases to the hotel we were keen to try the leisure facilities. While Granny had a pampering facial in the Spa, Nicole and I decided to try out the newly opened Salt Grotto. We found it to be a place of peace and respite for the whole family and apparently it has medicinal properties that help improve the respiratory system. Nicole and I sat through a peaceful thirty minute session and afterwards, with the taste of salt on our tongues, hit the swimming pool.

Salt Grotto

Only over-sixteens can enjoy the sauna and Jacuzzi in the leisure center and there is a hot tub out on the deck with a beautiful view of the estuary.

 That night we dined in Marinas restaurant and with a Liverpool win earlier everyone agreed that they had a terrific afternoon. Dinner was delicious with excellent choices – we ate lamb, duck and fish and Nicole loved the spare ribs and pasta from the kids menu. The Sushi in the Sky restaurant on the fourth floor catered for those looking for a more romantic setting and specialised cuisine. The hotel offers cooking classes among other activities to make your stay educational and more interesting.

All the nightlife of Galway was on our doorstep but we retired to the bar and relaxed until time to go to our rooms. It’s worth splashing out on the newly refurbished Business class rooms which are luxurious with spectacular views. The beds are made super soft by feather and down mattress topers and the personalised reading lights allowed Nicole to sleep while I read. Although I’m not a coffee drinker the nespresso machine in our room was a nice touch.

As a busy mum I love nothing more than a nice spa retreat and I will most certainly be back to the One Spirit spa. With an excellent choice of rooms in the thermal suite The Beach came as a pleasant surprise – using subtle lighting and warm sand to lie on I was whisked away to sunnier climes. I went from the beach to the rock sauna which was extra hot before trying the hammam steam room.

The suite wasn’t busy on the Sunday morning I was there and I had the laconium and aroma rooms totally to myself. The relaxation area is swaddled in a warm cocoon of cushions and couches with subtle lights to lure you into rest. The usual herbal teas and fruit bowls are on offer with plenty of reading material. While my feet were pampered with a top class pedicure, Granny and Granddad brought Nicole off to mass.

Before returning home to Dublin we took a trip to the Aquarium in Salthill en famille. Fish can be touched and observed with or without the guided tour but we preferred to just wander while Granny and Granddad enjoyed Nicole’s reaction to the creatures.

Galway hosts its annual Arts Festival in July and the famous Galway Races in August make it a great destination in summer. You might even want to stop off for a mini-break while dropping your teenager to Irish college and with competitive rates at the Radisson Blu it is probably the perfect hotel for all the family.

FACT BOX

The ‘ Revive Pamper Package’ at spirit one spa includes the Elemis Pro-Intense Lift Effect Facial, use of the Thermal Suite, Pool, Hot-Tub, Jacuzzi and a delicious two course lunch in Marinas Restaurant for €100 per person. 
To book call spirit one spa on 091 538 423 or email spiritone.galway@radissonblu.com. Include an overnight stay in one of the newly refurbished bedrooms from €120 for two people sharing midweek or from €155 for two people sharing at the weekend. Guests booking midweek will also receive complimentary passes to the salt spa. For bedroom bookings call 091538521 or email reservations.galway@radissonblu.com.