Mother’s Day outings and classic Americana in Bristol
If you’re still debating what to offer your mother for Mother’s Day on March 27, Cassidy Travel has a selection of last-minute vacation packages to warmer, brighter locales. A three-night stay at the three-star San Cristobal Hotel in Marbella puts you only a stone’s throw from the beach and the city’s throngs of restaurants, clubs, and shops. Prices start at €249 per person based on two sharing and depart from Dublin International Airport on April 6. Alternative: a three-night B&B holiday to Madrid, staying at the four-star Hotel Santo Domingo (hello, sunroof patio and swimming pool), leaving Dublin on Friday (prices start at €359pp, depending on two people sharing) is available for a more cultural experience. Call 01-822-4000 or go to cassidytravel.ie for further information.
More locally, the Farnham Estate Golf and Spa Resort in Co Cavan is offering a two-night Thank You Mum midweek package for the month of March, starting at €209 per person sharing a room throughout the week. Breakfast and supper are included, and the 11km of natural walking woods and parkland paths on the estate’s doorstep are the perfect prelude to a relaxing bath in the spa’s heated indoor-to-outdoor pool or thawing out in the thermal suites after a long day of sightseeing.
farnhamestate.ie
A road trip to England’s gorgeous south-west in spring, in preparation for the summer surge, may be in order. Mollie’s Bristol, located off the M5 near Cribbs Causeway, is the ‘budget luxury’ spin-off of Soho House and is styled on classic American motels of the past, but with all the modern conveniences, such as free EV charging, digital check-in, and room keys that can be accessed through the Mollie’s app. A sophisticated Conran-designed melange of traditional themes, including cinematic neon signs, reeded panelling, and, of course, a 24-hour diner serving belly-busting mainstays such as chicken and waffles and Oreo milkshakes, transforms what might have been a shoddy imitation. A third Mollie’s is slated to open in Manchester’s historic 1950s Granada TV building early next year (the second is in Oxfordshire), the former of which was the scene of both the Beatles and the Sex Pistols’ first television debuts (the latter was in Oxfordshire). Rooms start at £79 per night, and the restaurant is available to non-residents.
mollies.com
Ski resorts aren’t only for the winter months: in the spring and summer, the pure mountain air, crystal-clear lakes, and sunny peaks take on an entirely other mood. With its wooden monopitch façade complimenting the spectacular scenery, the ICARO design hotel on South Tyrol’s Seiser Alm Dolomite plateau is undoubtedly enticing. Interiors are filled with modern and local art, as well as bright flashes of Wes Anderson-style humor. In the spring and summer, B&B rates start at €240.
hotelicaro.com