Take me there: Go Canoeing Week
If you've ever fancied dipping your paddle in the water but are not sure how to get started, here's your chance to find out. From 6-15 April, canoe clubs and activity centres around England will offer taster sessions and special events to entice people on to the water as part of the first National Go Canoeing Week. Highlights include the chance to watch Olympic hopefuls competing in the slalom selection event at the Lee Valley White Water Centre and a free family fun day of guided tours, races and canoe polo in Falmouth, Cornwall. Details can be found at canoe-england.org.uk/go-canoeing, which also has advice on equipment and route recommendations.
Travel clinic: a holiday in Mallorca
The dilemma I'm travelling to Mallorca with my wife, mother and two-year-old son in May and am looking for a quality B&B or small family-run hotel near Palma and near a sandy beach. Stephen
Joanne replies The coastal resorts around Palma are dominated by bland package-holiday hotels and apartment blocks, so your best bet is to stay in Palma's atmospheric old town. The Hotel Dalt Murada (daltmurada.com) is an intimate family-run hotel in a 16th-century mansion house with just 12 charming rooms. Doubles cost €173, but a more economical option is to book a suite with sofabed in the lounge for €296. Cots are provided free. From here it's a short bus ride to the golden sands of Playa de Palma. If you want to be right on the beach, the Hotel Bon Sol (hotelbonsol.es) in laid-back Illetas, while not small (it has 90 rooms) is family run, with lots of character, a pool, access to a sandy cove and only a 25-minute bus ride into Palma. Family suites cost from €139 in May. If you plan to hire a car, the upmarket port of Andratx is just 30km from Palma. The friendly Catalina Vera Hostal (hostalcatalinavera.es) is a great budget option, with doubles from €59, and it's just a stroll from the seafront promenade.
If you have a travel dilemma, email Joanne O'Connor at magazine@observer.co.uk
Three of the best… Easter days out
From Easter-egg hunts to chocolate-making workshops, these three family-friendly attractions will offer plenty to keep the children amused during the holidays
1. Peter Rabbit Easter Egg Hunt, Cumbria Find one of 110 hidden ceramic eggs and win free entry to the World of Beatrix Potter. Free. From 5 April (hop-skip-jump.com)
2. National Wetland Centre, Carmarthenshire Den building, nest making and pond dipping. Daily until 16 April. Adult £8.45, child £4.65 (wwt.org.uk/visit-us/llanelli)
3. Mayan Chocolate Adventure, Kew Gardens Follow a Maya- themed trail to the chocolate-making workshop. Daily until 15 April. Adults £13.90, under-17s free (kew.org)
