February 9, 2004 -- Celebrating St. Patrick's Day doesn't have to be confined to March 17 any more than being Irish would confine you to Dublin on that day. There will be parades and dancing, beer and some blarney, on both sides of he Atlantic, and some bargains that last more than a single day.
Green-Letter Day in Mass.
Up on Cape Cod, where they know a thing or two about being Irish, the Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club is offering a "St. Patrick's Day Golf for Two Getaway" package, good from now through March 31. The cost is $135 for weekday nights and $150 for weekend nights, which gives you a Mansion hotel room or a one-bedroom villa, greens fees for two and a complimentary golf cart, breakfast for two, as well as tax and service charges included.
The 18-hole PGA championship course plays to a par 72 (with a slope of 129), and was designed in 1986 by Brian Silva and Geoffrey Cornish, with 56 Scottish-style bunkers (half sand, half grass) and five freshwater ponds. Instruction is also available. The Ocean Edge is near Brewster, with 355 rooms, six swimming pools and a tennis complex. Contact them at 800/343-6074 or by visiting www.oceanedge.com.
Across the Pond
CIE Tours International has just come out with a new vacation called "Irish Gold," a fully escorted ten-day/eight-night tour that is priced from $1,784, including airfare from New York, Boston or Baltimore. The tour will have weekly departures from May 5 through October 27, 2004, and features four- and five-star hotel accommodations including three-night stays at the Dunloe Castle Hotel in Killarney and the Radisson SAS Hotel in Galway. The itinerary starts and ends with one night in Dublin, and includes stops in Cashel, Blarney, Killarney, the Dingle Peninsula, Cliffs of Moher, The Burren, Galway, Connemara and Clonmacnoise. The package includes eight full Irish breakfasts, seven dinners, a whiskey tasting and tour at the Old Jameson Distillery, a Shannon River ferry ride, a catamaran cruise on Killarny Fjord; and admissions to the Book of Kells at Trinity College, to Blarney Castle, to Blasket Centre, to Muckross House, to the Burren Display Centre, to Kylemore Abbey, to Connemara Celtic Crystal, and to Clonmacnoise. Also included are the sightseeing, luxury motor coach and services of a professional tour director, service charges and local taxes.
Extra Savings for Seniors
If you are 55 or over, you can save $110 per couple this spring and summer on a 69 different escorted vacations to Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales, from CIE. Ask for the "55 & Smiling" discount. One such is for the Irish Tradition program, a fully escorted 12-day/10-night vacation covering the coastal circuit of Ireland, regularly priced from $1,729 per person, including airfare from New York, Boston or Baltimore. These discounts apply to departures on March 20, April 17, May 3 and 17, June 19, July 17, August 9 and 28, and October 4 and 18. Discounts are limited to the first 15 seats requested for each date, so book soon! Contact CIE at www.cietours.com, e-mail them at helpdesk@cietours.com, or phone 800/CIE-TOUR.