Travel

Shop till Santa Drops

Balance the pain of Christmas preparations with some well-deserved indulgence for the harassed shopper. Here are the top three destinations if you want to do your shopping somewhere special. The murmured “I got that on Fifth Avenue” or “There’s a little shop in El Born which sells nothing else” gives a touch of class to the frenzy of paper-tearing and tree decoration destruction on Christmas Day.

1. London
It edges out the fashionable choice, New York, because of sheer proximity. The language is the same, the weather is the same, but the travel time is short. And nothing quite compares with walking down Oxford Street on an icy December evening (any time after 3.30pm). With the lights and decorations a-twinkling, nothing beats heading towards the intersection with Regent Street and anticipating the delights of Liberty’s, Hamley’s, and the warren of shops behind Carnaby Street.

Getting there:
Ryanair (www.ryanair.com or tel 0818 303 030) has flights from 1 cent in early December, but total taxes will be around €80. Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com or tel 0818 365 000) has return flights for €1, taxes similar. The general rule these days is that the nearer the date you book, the dearer you pay.

Staying:
You’ll probably want to spend at least one night. If you don’t have obliging friends and rellies, Bed and Breakfasts all around the major stations (Paddington, Victoria, Euston) tend to be cheap (about €80), if compact. Jury’s (www.jurysdoyle.com) has hotels scattered around town, with occasional good deals. For example, at the Great Russell Street branch by the British Museum, you’ll pay approximately £200 sterling (€270) a night for two sharing.

Best shops:
Selfridge’s has always been a favourite of mine. At 400 Oxford Street, it has five floors of everything you could want, including an excellent beauty salon and a number of restaurants in different styles and price brackets. My latest discovery, especially for clothes, shoes and nice nick-knacks, is Marylebone High Street.

Prices?
No particular bargains, but at least you don’t get the extra mark-up on sterling prices that a number of the British chains sneak into price tags in Ireland. Remember the exchange rate: €1=£0.675, which means that you have to add an extra third to the price to get the euro equivalent.

2. New York

Take a bite out of the frozen apple, splendid in snow, with the ice skaters at the Lincoln Centre! There’s Bloomingdales and Macy’s of course. Do Fifth Avenue for the exhilaration and some good buys too. But the real New Yorker knows that the best place in town for bargains is Daffy’s. There are five branches around Manhattan, with some fantastic bargains on designer-quality clothes. But be prepared to spend the whole day, because the stores are packed with stuff (www.daffys.com).

Getting there:
Travel packages are easy to come by. Gohop has an offer for €45 for three nights at a 2-star hotel, leaving Dec 8th. This is based on four people travelling, so round up the buddies. Atlas Travel (01 241 2386) has Aer Lingus return flights for approximately €200, excluding taxes.

3. Arklow

And if you’d prefer a much shorter hop, this country town in Wicklow is a good spot. I spent a number of Christmases in north Wexford, and Arklow was where guests and family found plenty of great gifts. There are good clothes shops, an extraordinary furniture and bric-a-brac place, and Wicklow Vale Emporium at Tinahask. At Peter Power’s eclectic food store we once found a tin of genuine paté de fois gras for just over €1!

Getting there:
Down the N11.

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