We were far overdue a visit to our only national theme park of any description, Emerald Park, just outside Ashbourne in Co. Meath

For our weekend trip to Rome, we booked into the very new, stylish Hotel Casa Monti Rome in the charming Monti neighbourhood

Once again, a relatively quick weekend away gave us time to write up an Aer Lingus flight review of an ever-pleasant, uneventful short-haul journey

My best attempts to sample the British Airways Lounge Rome FCO were nearly thwarted - but I was still determined to fit in several glasses of wine

We had a wonderful time at Lake Garda, staying in Malcesine - a lovely, medium-sized town with relative peace and quiet