23 Easter holiday deals for 2023 – it’s not too late to find short breaks in Ireland and overseas

Searching around, I’ve found dozens of Easter deals in Ireland and overseas, though these will become scarcer as the holidays approach – and the best value is definitely midweek.

To give yourself an eggs-stra (sorry) chance of saving money, book Irish hotel deals direct; this can save them the booking.com or hotels.com fee, which can then be partly passed on to you in the shape of a small discount, or perk like a glass of bubbles on arrival.

If you received a hotel voucher for Christmas (from the likes of the Blue Book or IrelandHotels.com), use it! And don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and ask hotels for extras like activities or a meal thrown in – the longer you stay, the more valuable you are as a customer.

Here’s a selection of the best Easter holiday travel deals this year.

Easter holiday deals in Ireland for 2023

1. Imperial Hotel, Cork

Cork’s Imperial Hotel has a special offer and a lobby display inspired by the Mad Hatter from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. It has also collaborated with milliner Tina Coyne from Kinsale’s Elizabeth Christina Design to curate a hat and headwear showcase, and a themed afternoon tea is available too. Book until April 16; an overnight stay for two with afternoon tea costs from €160pp. imperialhotelcork.com/madhatter

2. Pure Camping, Loop Head, Co Clare

This lovely family-run campsite in Co Clare (pictured top) has a last-minute Easter deal for a family of four or five sharing in its self-catering ‘Willow’ woodland lodge. Three nights are reduced to €360, with limited availability. Longer stays are available from approx. €120 per night. purecamping.ie

3. Ashdown Park Hotel, Gorey, Co Wexford

This Gorey four-star hotel has an Easter family break offer including one night’s B&B, a three-course meal and a free family pass to one of the county’s top attractions (choose from Wells House House & Gardens, Irish National Heritage Park, Johnstown Castle and others) from €220. Ask at reception for the hotel’s board games, crab fishing kits and walking maps. The offer is available on April 7. ashdownparkhotel.com

4. Hylands Burren Hotel, Co Clare

The Quinn family’s Ballyvaughan hotel has a ‘Burren Food Experience’, including two nights’ B&B and dinner on one night. The extras are what makes it stand out – admission for two to Caherconnell Fort and its sheepdog demonstrations, as well as tickets for the brilliant Aillwee Burren Experience, where you can learn about its cheeses and enjoy a birds of prey display as well as explore the caves. The package starts from €235pp, based on two sharing a midweek stay, or from €250pp at weekends. hylandsburren.com; originalirishhotels.com

5. The g hotel, Galway

The g has just finished a €1m refurbishment of its ground-floor and restaurant – be one of the first to see the results with a two-night offer including two nights’ B&B and a three-course dinner from €215pp. The deal runs until the end of April, and you can also book a courtesy car to the city centre. theghotel.ie

6. Cahernane House, Co Kerry

This Blue Book country house in Killarney has a two-night family stay, including a five-course dinner in the Herbert Restaurant and Easter treats and welcome gifts for the kids from €738 based on four sharing. It’s available from Tuesday, April 4, to Thursday, April 6. Read our Cahernane House review here. cahernane.com

7. Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny

This ever-improving family resort has two nights’ B&B plus dinner on one evening for a family of four from €770 (April 2-4). The price is high, but includes the hotel’s Easter kids’ camp, evening entertainment and lots of activities on site – including the life-sized, animatronic dinosaurs of Jurassic Newpark, mini go-karting, a fairy trail, nature walk, adventure playground, indoor games room and use of its pool. newparkhotelkilkenny.com

8. The Lodge at Ashford Castle

Ashford Castle’s little sister property has a two-night family offer including B&B, a family dinner on one evening, a one-hour Corrib lake cruise and an hour-long introduction to gardening course with Alex Lavarde from €960 (ie, €480 per night, based on four sharing). It’s available from April 1-16. thelodgeac.com; originalirishhotels.com

9. Killashee Hotel, Co Kildare

This refurbed Co Kildare four-star outside Naas has an ‘Easter bunnies Family Break’ including two nights’s B&B in a family room (two queen-size beds), and dinner on one evening, from €490. It also includes a cookie and goodie bag for kids, and there are lovely garden walks and a pool to boot. Availability is from March 31 to April 16. killasheehotel.com

10. Cork International Hotel

The airport four-star has teamed up with Leahy’s Open Farm to offer an Easter family package including passes to the East Cork attraction. It’s a two-night stay, with B&B, an early-bird dinner on one evening and a chocolate-themed afternoon tea from €568 for a family of four. Activities at the hotel will also include Easter egg hunts, arts and crafts and bowling (April 3-16). corkinternationalairporthotel.com

11. The InterContinental Dublin

An “eggs-tra special” Easter awaits, this city five-star says, with a one-night package including B&B, welcome treats like champagne and handmade Easter eggs, and a kids’ egg hunt on Easter Sunday from €480 per room. The deal is available from April 2-12, and includes a €50 “food credit” to spend on site, access to the 14m pool, and a 10pc discount on spa treatments. intercontinentaldublin.ie

12. Ferrycarrig Hotel, Wexford

The four-star Ferrycarrig has a two-night family break based on four sharing, including B&B and a family pass to the Irish National Heritage Park, just across the road, from €390. It also has a 20m swimming pool. The deal is available April 12-13, it says. ferrycarrighotel.ie

13. The Fitzwilliam, Dublin

The Dublin five-star has a ‘Family Fitz’ package for two adults and two children from €399. It includes one night B&B and “a welcome surprise” for the kids, with Dublin on your doorstep. A couples deal if available from €269… with a complimentary Easter egg delivered to your room. The hotel also has an ‘Easter Feaster’ afternoon tea on weekends from 1-3pm at €49pp or €130 for a family of four. fitzwilliamhoteldublin.com

Easter holiday travel deals for 2023

For overseas travel deals this Easter, check the last-minute tabs on tour operator websites, or consider an old-school phone call! Members of the Irish Travel Agents’ Association also upload their late deals to a central page – you can find their Easter offers here.

14-15. Tenerife, Canary Islands

There’s lots of access to the Canaries from Irish airports, so late deals are possible.

TUI has a seven-night package from Dublin to Tenerife departing April 7, for example, with three-star accommodation from €489pp.

An April 11 family departure (with two-star, self-catering accommodation) starts from €1,619 for a family of four. tuiholidays.ie

Cassidy Travel has a three-star holiday in Lanzarote’s Puerto del Carmen from €720pp, departing April 9 on a room-only basis. cassidytravel.ie

16. Walk the Camino, Spain

Navan Travel’s Uwalk.ie has a ‘Travel Solo, Not Alone’ collection of walking holidays aimed at solo travellers seeking group trips. A seven-night package departing April 12 includes five days walking (the 115km final section of the French Way from Sarria to Santiago) and two nights in the city from €649pp on a B&B sharing basis (single rooms are extra at €180pp). It also includes a welcome dinner, meet and greet, and baggage transfers – but not flights. uwalk.ie

17. Sorrento, Italy

Topflight’s flagship hotel in Sorrento is the Hotel Bristol, and it has seven-night packages from €1,264pp departing April 2 and April 16, based on two sharing. They include flights, transfers, breakfast and dinner each day (i.e. half-board), and a complimentary excursion to Pompeii or tour of Sorrento town. The Hotel Minerva is also available from €1,235pp on a B&B basis, departing April 9. topflight.ie

18-19. Kusadasi, Turkey

Some of the lowest sun holiday prices this spring are in Turkey, where Sunway says it has late, seven-night deals to Kusadasi from €349pp departing April 5 and 12. They include flights, B&B at the four-star Golden Day Wings Hotel, a 30kg luggage allowance and transfers, based on two sharing. sunway.ie

If you aren’t confined to the Easter holidays, LoveHolidays.ie has a seven-night package departing April 16 to Kusadasi. It’s all-inclusive, and includes accommodation and meals at the five-star Ramada Resort by Wyndham from just €413pp. loveholidays.ie

Is it safe to travel to Turkey after the recent earthquake? Read my column here.

20-21. The Algarve, Portugal

Portugal’s southern coastline is another popular bolthole for spring sun-seekers, and Loveholidays.ie has a four-star package departing April 8 from €571pp sharing. It’s based in Albufeira, with a self-catering stay. loveholidays.ie;

Meanwhile, Cassidy Travel has a three-star family holiday in Albufeira departing Wednesday, April 5, with prices from €1,752 for a family of four (€439pp). cassidytravel.ie

22. Sunshine in Salou

ClickAndGo.com has a four-star package to Salou in Spain (near the PortAventura theme parks) from €473pp based on a family of three sharing. It includes flights and B&B at the four-star MedPlaya Hotel Calypso departing April 4. clickandgo.com

23. Discounts at Travel Department

Travel Department and its TD Active sister brand have spring offers available to book up to April 6. They include €60 off holidays of seven nights to Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Croatia & Slovenia, or its Explore holidays in TD Active’s case (use the code SPRING60). It can be applied to all 2023 holidays. traveldepartment.com; tdactiveholidays.com

NB: All prices subject to change and availability. This story has been updated since it was first published.