Take me there: Connemara, Ireland
A kayaking trip along the Connemara coast in the wake of a 16th-century pirate queen is one of several inspiring trips being launched by new adventure company Wilderness Ireland this summer. From hiking in the Aran islands to cycling through Yeats Country, the tours combine unusual cultural experiences – such as taking tea in Father Ted's house or a walk with a storyteller – with some of the most beautiful landscapes Ireland's west coast and Atlantic islands have to offer. The six-night guided kayaking holiday costs €1,250pp and departs 1 June. (wildernessireland.com)
It's a good time to... stay in London
Things have gone quiet in London following the hoo-ha around the Olympics, but a handful of new hotel openings should stir things up a bit this summer. The most high-profile – literally – is the hotly anticipated Shangri-La in Renzo Piano's Shard building near London Bridge (shangri-la.com/london). Details of an opening date are sketchy, but bookings will be taken from the end of this month. Like the views, rates are expected to be high altitude.
More affordable is the Nadler Soho (thenadler.com), slated to open on 1 June in the heart of Soho. It offers great-value rooms (some with terraced courtyards or views of Soho Square) with mini-kitchens. Rooms will start from around £155 for a small double.
In nearby Chinatown, a 15-room boutique hotel and restaurant will open next month. One Leicester Street (oneleicesterstreet.com) is the latest project from Singaporean hotelier Peng Loh, who transformed a dreary municipal building in Hackney into The Town Hall, one of the capital's most talked-about hotels, two years ago. With Michelin-starred St John chef Tom Harris in the kitchen and rooms from £150 a night, it promises to be an exciting new addition to the Soho hotel scene.
Give me a break: The week's best deals
HOME May Day bargain The National Trust has savings of up to 25% on a selection of self-catering properties for the May bank holiday weekend. A three-night stay at Vyner, a stately apartment for three in the 16th-century Fountains Hall in Yorkshire, has been reduced from £374 to £299 and guests get free access to the 12th-century ruins and gardens of nearby Fountains Abbey (nationaltrustcottages.co.uk)
AWAY Sardinian spring With its lively trattorias, seafront cafés and string of gorgeous beaches, Alghero is a beguiling base for a spring break. Book a stay at the Casa delle Palme, a three-bedroom villa with secluded gardens and pool on a hillside above the city, departing on 18 May, and you'll save £206pp, bringing the cost of a week's holiday to £379pp, including flights and car hire (sardinianplaces.co.uk)
