Travel Clinic with Philip Nolan

PARADORES OF GALICIA

It's one of the most famous pilgrimage routes in the world - but while most people walk the Camino to Santiago de Compostela, our resident travel expert, Philip Nolan of the Mail on Sunday, was on a pilgrimage of a different kind in Galicia.

Philip, what were you up to?
I was travelling around the province staying at different paradores, which are State-run hotels in historic buildings such as castles and monasteries. They're a great alternative to chin hotels insofar as they offer a very different experience. They're not always luxurious but they are intriguing and they usually have terrific restaurants.

So where did you go?
The first stop was Hotel dos Reis Catolicos on the main quad in Santiago. Then the Parador de Pontevedra Parador de Santo Estevo in Ribeiro Sacra Parador de Baiona. I also ate in the Paradors at Tui and Cambados.

Are there other places to see?
Monte de Santa Tegra and its beehive huts, Celtic Galicia, and the canyon of Ribeiro Sacra

A week's accommodation at four paradores - two nights in Reis Catolicos in Santiago de Compostela, two in Santo Estevo, two in Baiona and one in Pontevedra - costs €434.50 with Lorna Roberts Holidays. Flights are extra. Aer Lingus flies directly on a seasonal basis; check www.aerlingus.com for dates and fares.
You also can reach Santiago via Madrid with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) but remember to leave at least three hours in Barajas Airport as Ryanair is a point-to-point airline and won't compensate for missed connections. Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil was my favourite, a monastery converted in boutique hotel style with a good (though expensive) thermal suite and spa. More info on www.paradores.es and on www.lornarobertsholidays.com

You can find out more on Philip Nolan's travel discussion page on Facebook - click here to join in: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Drivetime-on-RTE-Radio-1/116002086132?v=app_2373072738&ref=nf

FLORIDA

Most Irish who go to Florida for holidays get no further than Orlando - but just over an hour away, the Tampa area boasts some of the finest beaches in the USA... and has a theme park that's worth thee detour alone...

Is Tampa worth the trip?

It's great for a two centre holiday, after a week of theme park fatigue in Orlando. Talk about the beaches at Clearwater and St Petersburg, the historic Hyde Park Village district and Ybor City, once the home of the US cigar making trade and now a cultural area with a wonderful Hispanic atmosphere.

Are the beaches close by?

Yes, and Clearwater is one of the best. Marriott suites there from €61 a night. St Petersburg and St Pete's beach. Home to largest Salvador Dali collection in the US, also to the Don CeSar Hotel. Even if you don't stay there, you should visit. It opened in 1928 and it's a pink palace on the beach, and has played host to every American president, as well as the likes of F Scott Fitzgerald and Al Capone. Rooms from €119 a night

And if you do succumb to theme park deprivation, where can you go?

Busch gardens has the joint best collection of white-knuckle rides in the Florida, along with Universal Islands of Adventure. $69.95 for an adult, $59.95 for as child. The massive Adventure Island waterpark is next door.

Getting there?

Fly with Aer Lingus to JFK and onward to Tampa with JetBlue for around €650 - €700.

QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

A couple of weeks ago, our resident travel expert, Philip Nolan of the Mail on Sunday, told us about Hamilton Island and the best job in the world competition.

The Irish finalist, George Karellas, sadly didn't win but there are still plenty of reasons for him to go back to Queensland.

What's on offer there?

Talk about Cairns, Brisbane and Port Douglas. Specifically the Kuranda Scenic Railway, built at the end of the nineteenth century, largely by Irish immigrants, and which offers stunning views of the Stoney Creek Falls and Barron Falls. Also Kuranda Skyrail, world's longest cable car ride at 7.5km - best tourism experience I've ever been on.
Also talk about trip to the Great Barrier Reef and Cape Tribulation and Daintree Rainforest that you can take from charming Port Douglas.

Where should you stay?

Emporium Hotel in Brisbane, Peppers Beach Club in Port Douglas, Shangri-La in cairns.

What about tours?

You can self-drive but some of the terrain is off limits to hire cars unless they're 4x4s, and you also won't learn as much about the environment.
Catamaran trips to Low Isles and the Barrier Reef can be booked with Sailway (sailawayportdouglas.com) and day trips in 4x4 vehicles to Daintree and Cape Tribulation on downundertours.com.
Down Under Tours can also take you on day trips to Kuranda, or you can book independently for the scenic rail trip on ksr.com.au and for the cable car ride on skyrail.com.au.
In Cairns, the best hotel is the five-star Shangri-La (shangri-la.com). Huge rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies offer great views towards the city or the marina. The NORTH restaurant offers fine dining with an emphasis on fresh fish.
The famous Cairns Esplanade markets take place every Saturday between 8am and 5pm, while the Wildlife Dome, an all-weather 20-metre-high glass enclosure on the rooftop of the Reef Hotel Casino, showcases over 100 species of animal in a natural, free-roaming environment.

How to get there?

Qantas Holidays offers the Coastal Explorer package - that's 15 nights in Queensland on a self-drive package, including flights, car hire, accommodation, taxes and return ferry to Fraser Island from €1,750; your flights to Heathrow will be extra. See qantasholidays.co.uk for full details.

Monday, March 2nd 2009: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

Fancy a weekend in Paris but can't afford it? Then why not go to Brussels instead - there's never been a better time, says our resident travel expert, Philip Nolan of the Mail on Sunday.

Brussels - it's boring, isn't it?
Quite the opposite. Talk about restaurants (more Michelin stars per capita than anywhere else in Europe), the great budget eating experience of the rue des Bouchers, the shopping at the likes of the Galeries Royale St Hubert and the rue Neuve and the parks, squares and attractions like the Atomium, built for the World's Fair in 1958 and recently renovated. Also, the Berlaymont building of the EU and the famous Mannekin Pis, the little boy having a piddle all day long. Statue dates from 1619. Grand Place and Place Ste Catherine etc

What about bars and nightlife?
My favourite is A La Mort Subite (To the Sudden Death), a great old-style bar that hasn't been redecorated in decades. But the city is heaving with great cocktail bars - the hottest at the moment is Archiduc on the rue Antoine-Dansaert, an art deco palace famous for house music and jazz.

If you want to strike out, what can you do?
Well, if you liked the movie In Bruges, you can get to the city by train in 55 minutes and there are two trains per hour. €25.80 return weekdays, €13.80 weekends and cheaper for children, students and over-60s.

What about hotels?
Well, the value we all expected this year is upon us! I found city centre four stars from €52 a night per room and five stars from €79. For a blowout, I suggest the Rocco Forte Hotel Amigo, just off the Grand Place, for €169 a night mid-March.

And getting there?
Ryanair and Aer Lingus have returns for around €100 all-in at weekends but much, much cheaper if you can travel on weekdays - around €65-€70. The downside is that hotels will be dearer because they'll be full of Eurocrats, so look at the big picture. Charleroi is around an hour from central Brussels by bus. Zaventem is a short train ride.

Thursday, December 4th 2008: CHEAP FAMILY HOLIDAYS

Our travel clinic query for Philip this week comes from Peter, who lives near Naas in Co. Kildare. Peter and his wife have children who will be aged 5, 7 and 9 next year. For the last two years, they went camping in France and while they enjoyed it immensely, it worked out at around 5,000 euro for two weeks.

Like so many of us, in the current economic climate, they'd like something cheaper next year. All they really need is some sun, sea, good beaches, activities for the kids, interesting day trip possibilities and good value for eating out.

Philip told us the options available to them.

OPTION 1

France

Mobile home at Pachacaid. Waterpark etc. Half an hour to St Tropez and funfair at les Marines de Cogolins. Also to Port Grimaud etc. Fly to Marseille with Aer Lingus €1152, mobile home €1754 with keycamp.ie. Car hire Ford Fiesta 434 for 14 days. Total: €3,340.

OPTION 2

Malta

Two-bed apartment in Mellieha €495 a week, double, twin and one on sofa bed. Mellieha Bay a three-minute walk. Flights €1,241 with Ryanair. Days out to Gozo and Valletta. Total €2,141.

OPTION 3

Italy

Marina de Venezia campsite near Venice. Brilliant beach, great pool, bouncy castle park, lots of bars and restaurants on site. Great day trips to Venice by public transport, ie a boat. No need to hire a car unless you want to go to the likes of Verona and Trieste. Aqualandia nearby, voted best water park in Europe €24 per day for adults, €20 for kids up to 1.4 metres, under 1m free. On June 28, flights with Ryanair €1,279, mobile that sleeps six €1,188 with canvasholidays.co.uk, total €2,467.

www.tmb.ie - Tropical Medical Bureau guide to the vaccinations you will need, country by country

www.fco.gov.uk - British Foreign and Commonwealth Office guide to health and safety by country

www.travel.state.gov - US State Department guide to health and safety by country

www.tripadvisor.ie - Forum for internet users to share experiences of hotels and other tourism products

www.travel-images.com/electric-plugs.html - Guide to sockets and voltages worldwide to help you bring the correct adaptors

www.webflyer.com - Mileage calculator that checks flight distances for you

www.airlinequality.com - Home of Skytrax, the star ratings system for airlines, similar to the one used by hotels - also a useful forum for fliers to share their experiences of individual airlines

If you have a question for Philip, e-mail it to drivetime@rte.ie, marking your e-mail Travel Clinic.