A free night in a hotel

SELECT Hotels of Ireland have launched a deal to encourage Irish families to check out undiscovered regions of the country.

Those staying with Select for four nights will get a fifth night free, if booked by March 31. The group offers a choice of hotels in 22 locations. Call 021-4391998, or check out www.selecthotels.ie.

ABBEY Travel has deals to Tuscany, with May and June departures, for a family of four, starting at €2,100 (plus taxes).

The price includes self-catering accommodation at Residence Torrevecchia, car hire and direct Saturday flights to Pisa, ex-Dublin. Call Abbey Travel on 01-8047100, or visit www.abbeytravel.ie.

Slattery’s have a special escorted tour to Tuscany next month. Departing April 5, from Dublin, Slattery’s escorted, eight-day tour costs €1,000.

To book, log onto www.slatterys.com, lo call 1890200625 (from NI, 0800515900), or email [e-mail].

THERE are many, easy ways to get to Australia and New Zealand. But there’s always someone who would like to do it the slow, way.

Two exclusive, English-based travel specialists, Mundy Cruising and Bridge and Wickers, have joined forces to offer a range of upmarket travel options for those who prefer to travel at a gentle pace.

Luxury cruise specialist, Mundy Cruising, offers alternative approaches to Australasia, taking advantage of the 2008 round the world cruise ship itineraries.

Bridge and Wickers will create tailor-made land tours.

Fares for 40 or 50-day trips cost from 7,600.

Each of the cruises offers a variety of return options, taking in a wide choice of destinations, including Japan, Los Angeles, New York, Cape Town and cities in India. For cruise and land packages, check out www.bridgeandwickers.co.uk or www.mundycruising.co.uk.

TURKEY is experiencing a come-back as a hot spot with Irish holiday makers, and Budget Travel is reporting a surge in bookings to the “The Heartbeat of the Orient”.

According to Clem Walshe, head of marketing at Budget, this is an unexpected but welcome trend: “Turkey suffered somewhat in the popularity stakes as a holiday destination for a number of years, but people are obviously keen to rediscover the magic of the country.”

Because of increased interest, Budget has decided to run an extra flight into Izmir to accommodate the demand. Kusadasi is proving to be the most popular.

The extra flight starts on Thursday, May 17, from Dublin and will operate until mid-October.

Return flights cost €319, but Budget offer good one-week packages with prices starting from €344.

Bookings can be made at www.budgettravel.ie, or via any local Budget Travelshop.