Irish firm sets pace

TOPFLIGHT’S choice of holidays continues to expand.

The wholly owned Irish company, one of the last few remaining in the home market, has three brochures on offer this year and, naturally, one of them is dedicated to Italy, a market in which they have been involved for years.

This year, as well as anything up to five-star accommodation, Topflight will also offer mobile home holidays on Lake Garda. Prices start from €459 per person sharing in self-catering accommodation in Perchiera, up to €1,399 for the Grand Hotel Terme in Sirmione, a well-known five-star.

Portugal and the Costa de la Luz will be featured in another brochure, with early morning flights from Cork to Faro.

Meanwhile, the company reports a huge upsurge in interest for skiing holidays for the second year running. Dublin and Cork are well served with direct flights from the southern capital to Austria, Andorra and Bulgaria.

Check out all the deals with Topflight on 01-2401700, or at www.topflight.ie, or with your local travel agent.

SLATTERY’S Travel has released an exclusive brochure dealing with a range of luxury holidays throughout the world.

It is aptly named ‘Beautiful Places’ and the company offers classy hotels in such places as Barbados, Dubai, Kenya, Mauritius, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. Closer to home, there are properties featured in Spain, Portugal, Majorca, Cyprus and the Canary Islands.

These holidays don’t come cheap, but you’re talking real quality, so those with the required amount of money in the bank wouldn’t go astray by logging on to www.beautifulplaces.ie or call 1890 200 725

DID you know you can now get to Australia ... by bus? OzBus is a groundbreaking new overland service between London and Sydney commencing this September.

Travellers, mainly backpackers, will be brought through forest, desert, mountain and jungle off the beaten track in some of the most stunning and remote locations on earth.

These include Transylvania, Istanbul, Indian tiger reserves, Taj Mahal, Everest base camp, Bangkok, Bali and Ayers Rock, to name but a few.

This regular service allows the traveller to explore 20 different countries in 12 action-packed weeks.

In September, 38 people will embark on a trip that does just that. The group — one-third Irish, one-third English and one-third Australian — will be the first to do the trip.

The company launched on January 2 last, and within three and a half months, the first trip was fully booked. The first bus is due to depart on September 16, but plans are afoot to add another the following week, subject to demand.

The trip is priced at about €5,500

For more information about OzBus, contact Mark on 0044 208 641 1443 or visit www.oz-bus.com.