Departure Lounge: Five travel offers, including a €63K Antarctic adventure
Once-in-a-lifetime
For many, an Antarctic adventure is top of their bucket list. If money is no object, then White Desert will help you make the trip in style.
The luxury tour operator has been named Best Antarctic Adventure Outfitter in Modern Luxury's 2025 Best of Luxury Travel Awards and its otherworldly Echo Camp, has been recognised in Elite Traveler's Top 100 Suites for 2025.
Pushing the boundaries of high-end experiential travel in the region, White Desert delivers once-in-a-lifetime experiences, with private jet access, expert-led adventures, fine dining, and immersive itineraries. Day trips from €14,000. Six-day tour including return flights and transfers from Cape Town to Antarctica, all accommodation, food, beverages, and activities around camp from €63,000pp.
white-desert.com
Roman tour
Marvel at the artwork inside the Sistine Chapel ahead of the daytime crowds
The eyes of the world are on Rome this year, with the Pope's death but also to celebrate the city's 2025 Jubilee Year, a religious event that takes place just once every 25 years. With millions of pilgrims and tourists expected, it makes sense to book ahead, especially for any of the key attractions. Walk's Pristine Sistine Early Entrance Tour offers a guided tour of the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel with a maximum of 15 people. Over four hours, you'll have time to marvel at the artwork inside the Sistine Chapel ahead of the daytime crowds before exploring the Vatican museums at their quietest. Walks of Italy also offers food, culture and architectural tours. From €109.
walksofItaly.com
Ancestral luxury
Guests can spend time with a resident genealogist to uncover stories of their ancestors.
Hastings Hotels' Culloden Estate & Spa has a new package designed to help guests research their Northern Irish heritage and trace their family history. Guests of the elegant five-star's Ancestral Luxury Escape Package will spend time with resident genealogist Brian Watson, to uncover stories of their ancestors.
Set on the outskirts of Belfast, with views over Belfast Lough, the palatial building was once home to the Bishops of Down, and features 12 acres of gardens, a spa, and three restaurants. Breakfasts and afternoon tea in the hotel's fine dining restaurant, Vespers is included with this two-night stay in the hotel's Luxury Estate Suite or the Bishops Palace Tower Suite, from €2,157.
cullodenestateandspa.com
Portugal with purpose
Latitude is more than a tourist guide
A new kind of hotel group, Octant Hotels has just launched Latitude, a carefully researched platform that invites guests to discover local traditions, cultures, nature and cuisine at the heart of every location surrounding its hotels. Latitude brings together over 200 careful recommendations of things to experience at the hotels and their surrounding areas.
More than a tourist guide, it's like a little black book for travelling with purpose. Between October 24–26, Latitude will go even further, with an exclusive weekend at Octant Douro celebrating the area and its community through local chefs, artists, and producers over two days of informal luxury. The diverse programme including tasting dinners, live music, intimate talks with philosophers and thought leaders, riverside yoga, and countryside walks. Check out the considered programme at Latitude.octanthotels.com
octanthotels.com/en/
Deal of the Week
Fancy a sunshine-boost in North Africa
Line up a late summer break with a sunshine-boost in North Africa. Fly direct to Tunisia from Dublin and stay all-inclusive for less than €100pp* per day. TUI Suneo Palm Beach Skanes is in Skanes, Tunisia with a choice of five bars and two restaurants. There's a pool, gym and mini golf course and you're just 350m away from a private beach with free sunbeds and parasols. The port town of Sousse is a 20-minute drive away, for shopping and sight-seeing adventures. August 25 all-inclusive from €699.
tuiholidays.ie
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
The UK's best seaside walks revealed including a secret celeb-loved island
IF you're looking for the UK's most beautiful beachfront walks, you're in luck. 4 Here are the best seaside walks across the UK Credit: Alamy 4 Studland Beach was named one of the best in the UK Credit: Alamy One of the best named is Rihanna , Daniel Radcliffe have all been spotted there, although the public can stay by booking a night at one of the hotels or cottages. They said: "In the middle of the Blackwater Estuary, with faint echoes of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, sits 380-acre Osea, reachable only around low tide along an ancient Roman causeway." The island has been owned by Nigel Frieda for more than 20 years, a music producer behind The Rolling Stones and Sugababes. Read more on walks Earlier this year, the island went on the market for £25million which includes the entire island as well as all of the hotels on it. Also dubbed the English Necker Island, it is great for nature lovers due to the abundance of wildlife and fauna. Prices for the hotels start from £300, or you can splash out £35,000 to rent the whole island. Osea Island is not the only beautiful walking route that was praised by the experts. Most read in News Travel In regard to Lythe, Sandsend, they wrote: "There's something a bit magical about the place. "In these parts, it's possible to beach hang, fossil hunt, forage, rock pool , and explore more of the North York Moors . " Scotland's West Highland Way: A Global Hiking Gem Ravenscar in Studland Bay, in Dorset also made the list, with walks alongside the Jurassic Coast cliffs. They also listed Ynys Gifftan in Wales, praising the "lush uninhabited isle". You can only visit for a few hours a day, due to the ide, but the walk has views of the huge Snowdonia. 4 St Ninian's Isle was a top spot Credit: Getty And in Scotland, St Ninian's Isle was listed for its "fine sand that slowly disappears as the tide rises," along with the "romantic" Erraid, also in Scotland. Last year, a 2,700-mile walking route was finally complete, making it the The King Charles III England Coast Path stretches from the Scottish border to the Cornish coast. There is even a Here are some other And we spoke to a man who has walked thousands of miles across the UK - 4 Osea Island is loved by celebs but you can stay the night if you book a hotel stay Credit: fineandcountry
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Tiny ‘Bali of Europe' town right by Africa has beautiful beaches and £20 flights from the UK
A BEACH town in the south of Spain has been compared to Bali thanks to its beautiful beaches and laid-back vibes. Tarifa is the most southerly town in mainland Europe , being less than nine miles from Africa. Advertisement 6 Tarifa is one of the most southerly towns in mainland Europe Credit: Getty 6 It is often compared to Bali (pictured) for its beautiful beaches and laid-back vibes Credit: Alamy 6 The area is popular with kite-surfers and wind-surfers due to the windy nature Credit: Alamy It is often named the kite-surfing capital of Europe thanks to its strong winds making it a popular sport there. Travel influencer California ". However, it is also often called the Bali of Europe thanks to its huge sandy beaches. Another influencer, Advertisement Read more on Spain Playa de Bologna beach is one of the popular beaches where you can also go hiking as well. Otherwise there is also Playa de Los Lances which is where you will spot most of the kitesurfers and windsurfers. Or the Bali-like beach is Playa de Valdevaqueros, which is home to the surfer-style Tumbao Beach Bar. Tourists also head to Waikiki beach bar, with Bali-like thatched umbrellas, or Aloha Bar for €3 cocktails. Advertisement Most read in Beach holidays Exclusive Near this is also the Baelo Claudia, a 2,000 year old Roman town now ruins. If you want to explore the Old Town, it is home to beautiful tapas bars, nightclubs and local shops. Exploring the Beautiful Costa de la Luz This is where the nightlife is as well, with many of the streets filled with both tourists and locals. But while it is very Spanish in its atmosphere, it is also easy to see Advertisement Puera de Jerez is the ancient entrance of the walled town, and where you can also visit the 800-year-old Castle of Tarifa. On a long walkway is also Isla de Tarifa which has some of the best views of the town as well. 6 It is so close to Morocco, there are views of Tangier Credit: Alamy 6 It is around one hour from Gibraltar Credit: Alamy Advertisement While there are a number of hotels and B&Bs to choose from there are also a number of campsites and caravan sites. For example, there is Via Villagio Tarifa, which has glamping pods right on the beach or Dunas Tarifa with palm tree cabanas and safari lodges. Tarifa is also easy to get to, being around an hour from Gibraltar by car. Or, if in Morocco , it is around one hour by ferry from Tangier which you can fly to from the UK for £20 with Ryanair. Advertisement Here is why you should Not only are new luxury hotels popping up, but it has even been used to film Jason Bourne, Mission Impossible and James Bond . What is a holiday in Tarifa like? Here's what one writer thought after visiting. Old town Tarifa after 11pm turns in to what, in Britain, we might class as a street party. There is a courtyard with bars all around it and seating in the middle which is so lively it almost has festival vibes. Poniente's lazy start to the day looks even better when you learn that the clubs don't even open until 2am so you'll be needing that lie-in. So if you go to Tarifa and find kitesurfing really isn't for you then you won't be short of things to do. They say if you can kite in Tarifa, you can kite anywhere. In the mean time, here is another And a Advertisement 6 Playa de Bologna is one of the most popular beaches Credit: Alamy
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- The Irish Sun
The underrated French city that has a ‘bit of everything' with picturesque beaches and new cheap hotels
WITH relaxing beaches and super sightseeing – plus just a two-hour flight away – Nice on France's stunning Cote d'Azur makes for an easy sunny getaway. While it may happily soak up the glamorous associations of nearby 4 The idyllic beach at Nice in the South of France Credit: Getty WHY SHOULD I GO? NICE has a bit of everything. Great food, scenery and swimming. But it never feels like you need to elbow your way through its quaint streets. It is also one of France's brightest cities, with a reported 147 days of sunshine a year making it a great choice if you want to bask in the rays while also getting a top-notch culture fix. STREETS MADE FOR WALKING? ONE of the best things about Read More on Travel As you get your steps in alongside the palm trees, look out for the iconic hotel Le Negresco, which hosted Pack comfy shoes to walk 30 minutes up to the Colline du Chateau — a park from which you can get the best views of the city. It's smart to hop on a tram (€10, or £8.39, return) outside the airport to get into the centre after landing — it takes just over half an hour. BUCKET LIST ATTRACTIONS? THE cute Old Town comprises a series of winding alleys that have hardly changed from the 1700s and are made for wandering, complete with colourful, shuttered facades. Most read in Beach holidays Between the many historic squares and churches, you will find plenty of adorable shops selling handbags, jewellery and other stylish items. Or head to the flea market Les Puces de Nice, a treasure trove of affordable designer clothing. Martin Lewis gives travel advice about checking your passport Need an energy boost? Stop off at the Frisson coffee shop which serves dainty pastries and ice cream. Enjoy art at the Matisse Museum (€10, or £8.39, entry), before a free walk through the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre in the Jardin des Arenes de Cimiez. WHERE SHOULD I EAT? LUNCH on delicious Mediterranean cuisine beneath a chic, striped parasol at the laidback Hotel Amour Plage (part of Hotel Amour Nice) in a prime position on the promenade. Then retreat to the beach club's sunloungers beside the beach. 4 Hunt for bargains at the flea market Credit: Getty For a dinner you can dress up for, head to Taulissa above the five-star Le Victoria hotel. Dine on mouthwatering Provencal dishes — including plenty of fish and seafood options — with panoramic views of the city. For more of a local feel, try the friendly Rouge wine bar, whose small I FANCY A DRINK EASE into the evening with a sunset visit to Babel Babel, for a range of natural wines and a sea view. Later, Place du Pin and the adjacent Rue Bonaparte are full of bustling cocktail bars with terraces. 4 Enjoy a seaview from Babel Babel cafe Credit: Alamy WHERE SHOULD I STAY? THE Old Town is arguably best, not only for its charm but for practical reasons too — it's close to all the key sites you'll want to visit. EasyHotel Nice Old Town has had a multi-million pound refurb, and is a stone's throw from all the action. 4 Relaxing by the crystal sea Credit: Getty There is an all-you-can-eat continental breakfast buffet (£10.49, per person) — including croissants, of course — and the handy option to store luggage at €5 (£4.20) per item for up to 12 hours before or after your stay. GO: NICE GETTING THERE: EasyJet flies from Gatwick to Nice from £38.99pp. See STAYING THERE: Rooms at EasyHotel Nice Old Town is from £85 per night on a room-only basis. See MORE INFO: See
