Halloween mid-term family breaks

Ballygarry House Hotel and Spa

Hotels across the country are coming alive this Halloween. One that is set to impress is Ballygarry House and Spa in Co Kerry which will turn into a haunted hotel on Halloween night as their resident witch tells tales and hands out treats. And if that wasn’t enough to get the kids excited, their family break package also includes a pass to Aqua Dome Water World as well as the Playidum indoor play center. With packages starting from only €89 per adult sharing, with two children under 12 sharing and dining for free, it’s also extremely reasonable.

www.ballygarryhouse.com

Tullamore Court Hotel

For families that love to get out and explore, the Tullamore Court Hotel is only a five-minute walk from the town centre, so you can all enjoy bike rides along the Grand Canal or venture further afield by the Slieve Bloom Mountains. Afterwards, Mam and Dad can warm the cockles with a visit to the Tullamore DEW visitors centre.

Inside the hotel, there is a free children’s club, games room and a spacious leisure centre with a 20-metre swimming pool, jacuzzi, water volcano and back massage seats. There is live music every Friday and Saturday night in the Furlong Bar, so you can test out your dancing feet.

www.tullamorecourthotel.ie

Wells House & Gardens

Wells House and Gardens hosts its acclaimed annual Dare to Scare Halloween tour from 25 to 31 October. Construction work in the cellar has unearthed a tombstone, revealing evidence that a vampire had been buried there but has now escaped. So children can join the vampire whisperer, Phelim O’Shaughnessy, to track him down and set his spirit free.

For smaller children, there is a dress your own scarecrow event every day during the midterm break from 11am to 3pm. And, of course, all visitors can pop into the Irish Wildlife Sanctuary for fun activities. Booking is essential.

www.wellshouse.ie

Causey Farm

Pooka Spooka is an afternoon of family fun all around Causey Farm, Co Meath. Kids can explore the enormous corn maze, enjoy broomstick rides, pop into the witch school, laugh at the top-class magician, get stuck into some pumpkin carving or venture through the tunnel of terror. This is all for €13 per person and it runs from 27 to 31 October at 1.30pm. We also love that Causey Farm caters for teenagers, with the much more terrifying FARMAPHOBIA which runs in the evenings from 7.30pm. Warm clothes are essential, spooky costumes preferred.

www.causey.ie

The Twelve

Comfy, funky and a great base for exploring the west, The Twelve in Bearna, Co Galway, has a spooky Halloween family break that is set to impress. Your family package includes tickets to the local attraction Brigit’s Gardens, which has a fabulous Halloween bonfire and storytelling evening planned for 30 October. It’s a special Samhain evening for all ages, with a “Do you Dare?” spooky treasure hunt, ghostly and wondrous stories and music from the Wacky Witch and others, mask-making with natural materials, apple-fishing and a bonfire with the Púca. This is a fancy-dress Halloween night full of tradition and tall tales that the whole family will enjoy. This two-night family break starts at €410.

www.thetwelvehotel.ie

The Cliff House Hotel

We’re loving the sound of the midterm packages at the Cliff House Hotel in Waterford. For those who love a bit of action, the midterm adventure package is guaranteed fun. It includes a range of activities with the excellent Ardmore Adventures, just two minutes walk from the hotel, or upgrade your package with a two-hour sea kayak.

Although many of our readers live on farms, there are also plenty of others who would love nothing more than a few hours with some wildlife. The midterm fun at the farm package includes a visit to the nearby open farm. A haven for children, with endless hours of fun and activities for all ages, Open Farm is home to a wide variety of animals, including horses, ponies, cows, goats, alpacas, lemurs and meerkats. Family packages start from €565.

www.thecliffhousehotel.com

Put the Boo into Bewley’s

One of the best things about the Halloween packages at the Bewley’s Hotels in Ballsbridge, Leopardstown, Newlands Cross and Dublin Airport is the activities that come included with your package. As well as family passes to Dublin Zoo, you also get access to Tayto Park. Both are guaranteed to add some magic to your break.

Dublin Zoo’s annual Spooktacular Boo at the Zoo is full of tricks and treats that will have the kids howling with joy as they spend the day doing creepy arts and crafts, spine-chilling keeper talks and spooky face painting. Kids also get the chance to show off their costumes and get jiggy with it at the Monster Disco on the lawn. For the ultimate spine-tingling experience, brave a visit to Tayto Park’s House of Horrors, where the kids will learn the new meaning for the word Mummie!

Packages start from €369 for a three-night stay.

www.bewleyshotels.com CL

COMPETITION

Win a Halloween break at the Osprey Hotel, compliments of Farmbake.

Halloween is drawing scarily close but fear not, Farmbake, the Irish-owned and family-run cake business, have a frighteningly tasty Halloween Brack that’s sure to keep all your little demons delighted.

To celebrate the arrival of the new brack on shelves and to keep spirits up this Halloween, Farmbake is giving you the chance to win the following:

The luxurious four-star Osprey Hotel and Spa is based in Naas in Co Kildare. With an onsite spa and leisure centre as well as international fusion cuisine restaurant Mash, the Osprey Hotel is the ideal getaway location.

The Farmbake range consists of a range of tasty cakes and treats and can be found in approximately 2,500 stores and haunted houses nationwide. To win, just finish this popular Halloween catchphrase:

Trick or ?

Send your answer along with your name, address and phone number to: Farmbake Competition, Irish Country Living, Bluebell, Dublin 12, or click on www.farmersjournal.ie/competition