Tag Archives: Dublin

The Top 5 City Breaks

Posted on by

image010newyorkIf you’re bored of the usual beach holidays and crave a little more culture on your well-earned break then try a city break. Perfect for shorter holidays city breaks are a great way to get away from your everyday life and truly indulge. In most cases you’re only a short flight away from a memorable and meaningful break. So, what are you waiting for? All you need to do now is choose your destination and took make life a little easier we’ve listed our top 5 favourites.

 

New York

A firm favourite, especially around Christmas, New York is the ideal break for the super consumer. Shopping until you drop is easy in this bustling city but make sure you leave time for sightseeing and delving into the Big Apple’s dazzling nightlife. All of the major attractions will be calling your name the moment your feet land on New York concrete from Time Square and The Statue of Liberty to Central Park and the Empire State Building. Film buffs should head to the famous Film Forum and there’s plenty more culture to pack into your trip in the form of theatre trips and museum visits. All this activity should make you pretty hungry but there’s no chance of starving in this city, indulge in your own version of Man versus Food and scoff as much fine cuisine and famous fast food as you can.

By the time you leave, we guarantee you’ll be singing this city’s praises, just like Frank Sinatra.

 

Dubai

For the ultimate VIP city break that combines beaches with culture, all tied together in a concrete jungle, Dubai is the perfect choice. Dubai’s skyline is ever changing and whilst you’re there you should drink in as much of its development as possible and one infamous part of that skyline is the Burj Al Arab. Check this world famous hotel out for yourself to see if it really does deserve its 7 star rating. By day you can sip refreshing drinks by the pool or sink your toes into warm sands and when night falls you can eat at world-class restaurants and dance until dawn at one of the city’s famous clubs. If you feel like you need a break from the glitz and glamour rent a car and hit the road to Abu Dhabi, Dubai’s calmer relative.

Once a humble fishing village Dubai is now a must-see metropolitan city, with great beaches thrown in for free.

 

Dublin

Fancy a tipple? Then head to Dubai! The famous home of Guinness is a hive of activity and a firm favourite for large groups. The social scene begins right from the moment you wake up with trips to The Guinness Brewery that include a full tour and a glass of the famous black stuff. Dublin’s attractions are all easily accessible on foot and a stroll through Temple Bar is punctuated with bars and souvenir shops but if you want to do something a little different, head to Dublin’s Leprechaun Museum.

 

Amsterdam

Well know for both its beauty and its risqué darker side, Amsterdam will definitely leave you open-mouthed. Do as the Dutch do and hire a bike to cycle along this city’s winding canals and onto it’s cultural hot spots including the Van Gogh Museum and the Albert Cuyup outdoor market or to one of the many cafés.

Hop onto a canal boat to see the city from the water and delve into a slice of history by visiting the house of Anne Frank. If you’re feeling a little racy, head to the famous Red Light District to take a sneak peek at another world, but keep your wits about you!

 

Rome

The Eternal City is another firm favourite among tourists, especially couples. Rome is dripping with history and culture with plenty to tick off on your ‘must-see’ list. Make like Russell Crowe’s character from Gladiator and visit the well-known landmark, the Colosseum where you can learn about the city’s battles.

For a bit of popular culture, head to the Vatican to see if you can catch a glimpse of the newest Pope and the staring up at the celiling of the Sistine Chapel is well worth a sore neck!

When you have had your fill of history, fill your belly at one of the city’s many piazzas, squares brimming with shops and authentic dishes to try.

 

Rugby World Cup Fans Face Hotel Hike.

Posted on by

RUGBY WORLD CUP FANS FACE AVERAGE HOTEL PRICE HIKES OF 29%

Impact of major sporting events on room rates revealed in Hotels.com new HPI

British rugby fans travelling to the World Cup in New Zealand are facing steep average price increases of 29% for hotel rooms, according to the latest Hotels.com Hotel Price Index (HPI).

The booking demand for the six-week tournament in the first six months of the year contributed to the sharp rise with the average room rates in the host cities of Wellington up 29% to £73 per night and Auckland up 11% to £68 per night. The overall rate in New Zealand itself also rose 14% to £70.

As well as big rugby showpieces, the Hotels.com report reveals how Formula One Grand Prix racing can affect prices and occupancy rates in venue cities with the sport being one of the factors behind a 22% jump in Melbourne to £96 and a 5% rise in Barcelona to£102.

Sports fans also helped to boost the price of a room in London by 3% to £113 with the city at full occupancy for the Wimbledon tennis tournament.

The latest HPI also charts how prices can fall dramatically after a major sports event such as the football World Cup in South Africa. The country saw its average room rate tumble by 17% in the first six months of the year to £105 with host cities Cape Town down 20% to £100 and Johannesburg down 13% to £111.

The statistics could provide a pointer to what could happen in London before, during and after the 2012 Olympics with some industry insiders already predicting rates could jump as high as 50%.

Alison Couper of Hotels.com, said: “Prestige sporting events are key drivers of hotel prices and can lead to double-digit percentage increases as many rugby fans have found.

“What is happening in New Zealand and what happened in South Africa could provide a foretaste for what might occur in London next year. It is expected that several thousand additional hotel rooms will be available in the city in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics. However, despite the extra capacity, we would urge people thinking of coming to London next summer to book their accommodation as soon as they can as the demand and prices could soar the closer we get to the event.

“London is always popular with both domestic and foreign travellers but the Games are set to take that popularity to a new level.”

The impact of other non-sporting, one-off events on hotel prices could also be seen in the report. Dublin witnessed a 7% increase in the average cost of a room to £73 with the visits of the Queen and Barack Obama in May enhancing the city’s profile and appeal. Dusseldorf also saw an increase by 17% to £100 after the German city hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in May.

The Hotels.com HPI tracks the real prices paid per hotel room (rather than advertised rates) for 125,000 properties around the world. The latest HPI looks at prices in the first half of 2011 compared tothose in the first half of 2010.

President Barack Obama Comes Home to Ireland

Posted on by

U.S. President Barack Obama will receive the warmest of Irish welcomes when he visits the Emerald Isle this week. Hundreds of thousands of well wishers will line the streets as the President makes his first visit to Ireland – home to some of his ancestors. Mr. Obama’s heritage has been traced to the village of Monegall in Co, Offaly. There is a great sense of pride in this tiny picturesque village located at the very center of the island, where preparations are in full swing.

Canon Stephen Neill, Local Church of Ireland Vicar, “Since St. Patrick’s Day when the announcement was made that he was actually coming to Moneygall, since then it has literally been a media storm. My phone never stops ringing. But it is a good story, we are happy to share a good news story with the world. This is something very positive and it’s positive for Ireland too. I think it’s very good that the president has indicated his confidence and interest in Ireland by coming to visit us here and I think it is the kind of boost we need.”

President Obama will become one of eight hundred thousand Americans expected to travel to Ireland this year and his visit is being seen as a great opportunity to encourage more U.S. vacationers to make the trip in 2011.

Niall Gibbons, CEO Tourism Ireland, “We have huge connections with America and we look forward to deepening those in years to come and giving a warm Irish welcome to all the Americans that come here. There are 40 million people of Irish decent in America and we think they are going to be thrilled that President Obama is coming here and the genealogical connection is an indelible one and we are delighted that president Obama is coming here to discover his roots with us in Ireland.”

Fiona Fitzsimons, Genealogist, Eneclann, “Well, we traced back nine generations from the president, so we took Megan Smolenyak’s work and we took it back another four generations again, tracing it back to the late 1600s and that’s a real achievement in Irish Genealogy because so many of the records have been destroyed over the previous 300 years. The thing to remember as well, is that the president’s family, they weren’t rich, they weren’t anglo Irish, they were simply a regular family and to be able to trace them back was really quite something.”

President’s Obama direct descendents are looking forward to welcoming home their famous family member.

Henry Healy, distant relative of the president, “We hope he will come and visit the school house behind me where his ancestors were educated. The ancestral home still stands in the village, that’s another important site, also Templeharry church. So there are three important sites within the area for anyone to come and visit, and of course it wouldn’t be a presidential visit to Ireland without a traditional stop off in the local pub for a pint of Guinness.”

During his stay President Obama will also visit the capital city of Dublin where a huge celebration rally is planned.

For more info on visiting the island of Ireland check out – www.discoverireland.com

Alex Knott on Home Nations

Posted on by

Last month, former Northern Ireland and Fulham manager, Lawrie Sanchez took to the airwaves to launch a blistering attack on Liverpool stating: “They are no longer a big club. The Premier League has been going for 18 years and they have not won it. They won the Champions League [in 2005] by default. It was one of those days where everything went right, having gone wrong. I mean, they lost 17 games that season.” He went on to tell BBC Radio Five Live: “I remember when they used to win the title, then go on to win the European Cup in the same season. That’s when they were a big club.” One of the unwritten rules of football is that Liverpool are a BIG club, no matter what state they currently lie in.

It is with this sort of straight talking that, in December 2006, Sanchez, then manager of the Northern Ireland national team, bandied around the idea of resurrecting the defunct British Home Championship. Sanchez was fed up with the games he was playing and stated that reviving the competition would be much more beneficial than playing non-interesting friendlies. He did immediately concede that there was ‘not a lot in it for England’ and went on to cite both a fear-factor from England regarding losing the games and also a lack of commercial attractiveness for them. Walter Smith, manager of Scotland at the time and now boss at Rangers, agreed saying: “Sometimes the friendly matches that we have at international level are not worthwhile having.”

A few months later, Sanchez left the Northern Ireland job to take over at Premier League Fulham, but the seed had been planted and the ball begun to roll. In September 2008, presumably after a few behind-the-scenes conversations between the respective FA’s, it was announced that from 2011 the Nations Cup would take place in Dublin featuring Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. England declined to take part in the tournament.

Fast forward two and a half years and England find themselves playing a somewhat meaningless friendly in Denmark while the rest of the home nations battle for regional pride in Éire. All because England felt themselves above things – both from a commercial and a competitive angle.

According to the FIFA rankings, that is true regards the competitiveness, but any ranking system that puts England sixth and Wales 116th is as flawed as the day is long. England’s current ranking puts them above Portugal and Uruguay, which cannot be right, and Wales’ current position puts them behind Malawi, Qatar and Niger.

A meaningless friendly is something that England players frequently experience. But the feel of a tournament, albeit a slightly meaningless one, can only be a good thing – especially the England players who complained of being bored while in South Africa. Indications are that England will compete in 2013, at least as a one-off, to mark the 150th anniversary of the Football Association. The FA will no doubt wait until the tournament is successfully established and then ask to join. Most likely to be told to push off. England arrogant? Never!