Brochure boasts

ABBEY Travel has released the latest selection of high-quality holidays to Dubai and Oman, with an additional destination to Abu Dhabi. That’s not surprising since the relatively recent start-up of flights from Dublin with Etihad to Abu Dhabi and beyond.

Abbey’s brochure includes beach and city destinations with direct flights from Ireland six days a week from January.

Another Irish based company, Escape 2, features packages to the same three destinations in addition to many others in Africa and Asia — even Tahiti and Bora Bora in French Polynesia with New York stopovers.

For Abbey Travel details, call 01-804 7100, or to go further afield, contact www.escape2.ie or call 01-808 5464.

SUNWAY’S brochure for next year is also out. The Dublin-based company offers 23 destinations and flights from four Irish airports: Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Knock. Sunway boasts comparable deals with prices starting from €399.

New for next year is the popular family resort of Salou with accommodation near the famous Port Aventura theme park. For more information visit www.sunway.ie or call 01-2311888.

THE Blue Book, a bible for luxury Irish accommodation in country house hotels, manor houses, castles and gourmet restaurants, has been released.

Membership in this association is pretty exclusive in that it is by invitation only.

There is one new entry for 2008, Ballyvolane House in Castlelyons, County Cork, home to the Green family.

Visit www.irelandsbluebook.com or call 01-6769914 for more information.

TWO of the leading names in Caribbean travel, International Travel Connections and Sandals, have come together to create Complete Caribbean, a company offering an all-inclusive Caribbean holiday.

Both ITC and Sandals are established players in Caribbean travel.

Complete Caribbean will feature nine key Sandals resorts in Antigua, St Lucia, Jamaica and the Bahamas, with emphasis on the luxurious Concierge and Butler Suites in each property.

Check out the deals on www.completecaribbean.co.uk, be advised the prices are in sterling.

SCANDINAVIAN Airlines, one of the Star Alliance, has announced that the group is to offer a frequent flyer program with confirmed upgrade award product across the divide.

This enables core customers — the frequent business traveller — to use their miles/points to upgrade to Business or First Class on another Star Alliance member carrier from December 5.

The airlines involved are Air New Zealand, Asiana Airlines, ANA, Austrian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufhansa, Swiss, TAP Portugal, Thai Airways and United. For more information please visit www.flysas.ie.