I'm looking for suggestions for a honeymoon, preferably in Europe. Nice beaches, with activities such as scuba diving, hill-walking and cycling would be a bonus. – James, Dublin 8
That sounds like a very active honeymoon and there are quite a few places in Europe suitable for action and relaxation together.
Chios, despite being the fifth largest of the Greek islands, is not one of the main tourist destinations. It has some great scuba diving around caves, rocks and reefs, and good hiking and cycling routes. It is an ancient island with ruins from many centuries and some interesting museums. It can be accessed via Athens with en.aegeanair.com.
See discoverchios.com and chios-scuba-diving.gr/en.
Another island with a great range of high quality hotels and a reputation for spoiling honeymooners is Cyprus. It is also a place where you can dive the wreck of the Zenobia which foundered on its maiden voyage and is bigger than a football field.
Cyprus also has extensive bike trails all over the island and hiking routes in the Troodos mountains. See visitcyprus.com.
I have met a number of people who told me they learned to dive on the island of Gozo, a satellite island of Malta. It has good hill walking and cliff walking, particularly Ta'Cenc, and is a quiet place to relax. There is a Kempinski hotel, kempinski.com and the Ta'Cenc hotel, tacenc.com, both with spas. Malta is easy to get to from here with direct Ryanair flights, see visitgozo.com.
Could you help me find a hotel in Ireland at which to celebrate my mother's 70th birthday next June? We live in Westport and don't want to travel too far. There will be 11 adults and six children. Ideally, we would like to stay for two nights with dinner on one of the evenings. A pool would be an added bonus. – MC, Mayo
Within a reasonable distance of Westport there is a good variety of hotels that would be suitable. Kilronan Castle in Roscommon was the ancestral home of the Tennisons. It is now a luxurious hotel with spa and swimming pool. There are also self-catering houses in the grounds. A weekend with dinner will cost from €189pps in June. Tel: 071-9618000, kilronancastle.ie.
In Sligo, the Clarion hotel is an ideal place for all generations; there is a pool and crazy golf for the children, a spa and lots of nice nooks and crannies for relaxing. It is on the outskirts of Sligo town with its good selection of places to eat. Rooms are very spacious. Two nights B&B with dinner would cost from €169pps. Tel: 071-9119000, clarionhotelsligo.com.
If you ventured to Galway city there would be plenty for everyone to do. The Galway Bay Hotel is a family-friendly place in Salthill with good-size rooms and a swimming pool. Weekend packages will cost from €175pps. Tel: 091-520520, galwaybayhotel.com
Can you provide details of day or shorter sea cruises from Nice to neighbouring resorts and harbours? – DH, Dublin
It is possible to do day trips from Nice to Cannes, Monaco, St Tropez and Ile St Marguerite with Trans Cote D'Azur line. The routes are seasonal and you would need to check and book in advance. The pick-up point is Quai Lunel in the port. See trans-cote-azur.co.uk.
Send your queries to jscales@irishtimes.com