Getaways for guys from the mad to a makeover

From war games to bull running and golf to fly-fishing, SANDRA O'CONNELLrounds up some breaks to suit males

SOMETIMES A bloke just needs to get away. With other blokes. And without WAGs. We understand, really, which is why we’ve rounded up a few guy-getaways to fit the bill. Just remember to call, okay?

Rugby ski in Austria

Combining rugby and skiing is too hardcore for even the most macho of men, except that this is tag rugby – the one with the Velcro strips on your shorts.

Basically it’s a seven-aside game following the rules of Rugby League but without the contact. And there are girls on the team too, sorry.

Last year the first ever tag rugby ski holiday was launched by sporting organisation Alive Outside, in association with Topflight.

Such was the craic had by the 64 people who travelled that it’s back by popular demand, taking place at St Johann from March 12th to 19th, 2011.

Evening entertainment includes a casino night in nearby Kitzbuhel, table quizzes, a tag rugby blitz on the local astro pitch and a unique St Patrick’s Day parade – Kitzbuhel’s first – which will see the group join a ski procession down the mountain.

Packages start at €924, including flights and three-star hotel accommodation.

topflight.ie aliveoutside.ie

Bar golf in Galway

If a little spectator sport is what you’re after, the four-star Hotel Meyrick on Eyre Square in Galway has the perfect excuse to escape.

Fagan’s, the hotel’s sports and music bar, is not alone showing the 2010 Ryder Cup but is showing it in 3D. This is because the bar is hosting the country’s only dedicated “Carlsberg 3D Lounge” and, in association with Sky, will screen every stroke, birdie and bogey of golf’s biggest team event live, from Friday October 1st to Sunday, October 3rd.

And to ensure you don’t miss a single swing, the hotel is offering an overnight package including dinner in the Oyster Bar Grill and reserved access to the 3D Lounge from €95 per person sharing.

hotelmeyrick.ie

Pamper packages

Ask a guy about pamper packages and, if it means anything at all, it might mean nappies. Yet the Urban Escape Day Spa at the River Lee Hotel, formerly Jurys Cork, is offering all sorts of men-only treatments.

And just in case you’d be embarrassed to ask, relax, they’re not at all namby-pamby. Instead they have reassuringly butch names, such as skin fitness deep cleansing and power moist hydration. Or check out its “l’anti age firming and energising” treatment. A 70-minute session costs €80.

If you’re feeling brave, or just hairy, you can get various parts (arms, chest, back) waxed for between €20 and €30 and the whole lot done for €70. Or just tame unruly eyebrows for €10.

Make a trip of it with a two-night escape package at the hotel, including BB, one evening meal and a €50 voucher per person towards any of the treatments above for €159 per person sharing.

urbanescapecork.com doylecollection.com

War games in Kerry

If it’s more excitement than relaxation you’re after, check out Paintball Ireland’s Predator War Games, an action packed day of shooting, ambushing and camouflaged mayhem.

Your theatre of war is a 27-acre action zone, 20 acres of which is natural woodland, with a river running through it and four bridges for those too wussy to get wet crossing it.

Go with a gang and your unit will move through the Jungle of Maize to attack Fort Skull, traversing the forest, and indeed the river, infiltrating enemy territory and capturing their flag without getting “shot”, or even covered in paint.

It’s great fun and, if you have eight or more travelling, good value too at €35 per person, including combat gear, grenades, gas, goggles and of course, your gun.

There’s a barbecue lunch provided and, at the end of the day, a tank to drive too.

paintballireland.com

Fishy fun in Waterford

The joy of fishing is that it allows one stand quietly on a river bank, for hours on end, without having to talk. Guess that’s why it appeals more to men than to women.

One of the best places to learn angling skills in Ireland is Clonanav Fly Fishing Centre in Waterford. The season runs from March to September so you’d be booking now for next year, but a one-day fly fishing course for complete beginners costs €160 per person and covers casting, tackle, safety, fishing techniques and knots.

Courses run from 10am to 5pm and accommodation is available in the school’s BB from €50 a night. And once you’re up and running, or at least fishing, the school offers a range of guiding packages.

One night’s guiding, BB, pub lunch, fishing permit, transport and equipment, costs €275 per person sharing. A three-night version of the same costs €610 and, if you really are a solitary creature, a single supplement of just €10 per night applies.

flyfishingireland.com

Bull running in Spain

For something insanely macho, or just insane, look no further than Pamplona’s famous bull running festival.

Made famous by Ernest Hemmingway, in 1926, it’s been going strong ever since, except of course for the dozens of people injured in the stampede each year, not to mention the 15 killed since Ernest’s day.

Still, if it’s adrenaline you’re after, and a natty red scarf, this is the event for you.

UK firm PP Travel has a five-day Pamplona dash (don’t worry, the runs only last three minutes, starting at 8am on July 7th) which won’t break the bank, whatever about bones.

The trip includes return coach crossings to Spain, beginning and ending in London, and staying in a tent at Camping Lizarra at Estella, a half hour’s drive from Pamplona.

The upside of such cheap lodgings is that the trip only costs you £239 (€284). All you’ve got to do is get yourself to and from London, in one piece.

pptravel.com

Motoring at Mondello

Tired of being on the road? Then how about getting off it with some serious off-road adventures? The off-road centre at Mondello Park has all sorts of high octane treats designed to put the fun back in driving for even the weariest commuter.

This includes its own Land Rover 4x4 adventure course, a 15-acre facility that will see you negotiate hill climbs, descents, embankments, water splashes, ramps, bridges, tunnels and even hedgerows under expert tutelage.

If you feel a need for speed that the 30km city centre limit ain’t quenching, check out its Motor Racing School, where starter courses in a Mazda 3 start at €149 and a full chequered flag spin will cost you €385.

Meanwhile, back off-road, there’s a hovercraft to fly, a reverse steer Jeep course to get around and another tank to drive. Round up a posse and prices start at €190 per person based on a group of between 10 and 20.

mondello.ie

Tee off in Portugal

Or, finally, how about a straightforward golfing getaway? Ok, not so straightforward.

Cassidy Golf still has some places left for the San Lorenzo International Amateur Golf Tournament, taking place from November 20th to 27th.

The seven-night package includes five rounds of golf (one practice and four competition rounds), welcome buffet, prize giving dinner and your very own San Lorenzo polo shirt.

The price per golfer sharing a twin room is euro €829 – excluding flights – with a single room supplement of €329.

Alternatively, for a once in a lifetime kind of golfing holiday, the same firm can get you to the US Masters in Augusta, including three nights hotel accommodation, tournament badges, transfers and car hire.

The package here runs from April 9th to 13th next and costs €2,690 per person sharing, again excluding flights.

Get seven of your best buddies together and the price, for a private house stay, including car hire, falls to €2,350 each.

cassidygolf.com