Departure Lounge: From a Silk Road adventure to an Australian road trip
World Expeditions’ Azerbaijan Highlights trip
We’d love nothing more than to join World Expeditions’ Azerbaijan Highlights trip this year. It’s an 8-day guided adventure along the Silk Road, from the Caspian coast and Baku’s ancient walled city to the foothills of the snow-capped Caucasus.
Guests will explore Baku’s Unesco-listed Old Town, travel along mountain roads to Shemakha’s royal tombs and Sheki’s Khan’s Palace and visit Lahij village, famed for copperwork and carpet weaving, and see Gobustan’s Unesco petroglyphs and unique mud volcanoes. It departs year round, €2,090 excluding flights.
A road trip from Brisbane to Cairns along Australia’s Pacific Coast will deliver some of the country’s most spectacular settings. Australian Sky’s 13-night road trip passes Queensland’s breathtaking beaches, stunning islands, lush national parks, diverse wildlife, and the iconic Great Barrier Reef. Hang out in chilled beach towns, famous resort islands and tropical rainforest with a spot of snorkeling, sailing or diving on the Great Barrier Reef.
This thrilling Pacific Coast Tour from €5,059 pp based on two sharing on a mixed board basis, including international flights, 13 nights accommodation, detailed daily itinerary and vouchers, and car hire.
Bellinter House Hotel & Spa, is back on our radar after a swish new spa reveal. The cool country house hotel in the Boyne
Valley, has a sleek new outdoor thermal suite with a 10m heated infinity pool and three large saunas, a plunge pool, jacuzzis and a series of relaxation spaces.
Thermal Suite access costs €55 for 2 hours, or €65 including a light lunch served in The Bellinter Spa Café. For a more intimate escape, you could try one of the private pods, with massage chairs, floor-to-ceiling views, seaweed baths on the pod’s secluded deck, a choice of a private sauna or jacuzzi and refreshments, €250 for two people for 2.5 hours. It’s just a 40-minute drive from Dublin too.
Planning a US escape next year and want more bang for your buck?
HotelPlanner, a travel technology company and hotel booking platform has done the research and come up with the 5 cities with the cheapest hotel prices.
Las Vegas, Nevada, with an average hotel price range of $150–$250.
Dallas, Texas. with rooms averaging $80–$170.
San Diego, California, with rooms costing $150–$280 on average.
Phoenix, Arizona, from $120–$210 an average room per night.
Atlanta, Georgia, on average $80–$190 per night for a room.
So, now you know how to stretch that budget.
Galway is set to welcome a new 5-star hotel, with The Hawthorn by Galway Bay marking the county’s first new five-star property in 25 years. Representing an investment of €60 million, The Hawthorn by Galway Bay is promising a luxurious hotel, spa and championship golf course on the edge of Galway Bay.
Set on a dramatic headland near Oranmore, the Connacht Hospitality Group’s focus has included enhancing the championship course and clubhouse, elevating the golfing experience to five-star standard. Sustainability has been a major focus, with rewilding and biodiversity protection that has seen the return of the native skylark.
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