FOR MORE THAN a decade I have been using my January column to recommend the best-value holidays, hotels, restaurants and transport services at home and abroad for the year ahead.

Alas, 2008 turned out to be the worst year for forecasters since 1938 when the Chief Crystal Ball Gazer not only said that there would be no WWII, but also that television was a passing fad and quill-pens would never be replaced by ball-points. My own predictions for 2008 were somewhat less idiotic; all I said was that favourable exchange rates and increased opportunities for travel would mean that unprecedented bargains worldwide would be enjoyed by travellers from Northern Ireland throughout the year 2008.

Nobody needs reminded that it did not happen QUITE that way, but there are lots of reasons for optimism. That's why I am particularly looking forward to the Holiday World Show at the King's Hall around the middle of the month to find out at first hand how our ever-resilient travel industry is coping.

This is particularly true of our local tourist industry, which has an unprecedented opportunity to prosper by attracting stay-at-home tourists from the Province as well as bargain-hunting Eurozoners and Americans.

As you will see, I have made the following choices for All the Best For 2009 in the light of recent personal experiences. You may be surprised that they include USA and Eurozone destinations. That's because there are still great-value holidays to be had in America off the beaten track and even in the most luxurious European destinations - but only if you follow my advice. Bon voyage!

BEST FOR HOME HOLIDAYS

IF YOU decide to holiday at home this year, then splash out on the very best. Here are some destinations which have impressed me immensely on recent visits.

DERRY/LONDONDERRY BREAK: For around £100pps, which includes 2 nights B&B plus one dinner, you and your beloved can stay up late, go on pub-crawls and generally enjoy what my friends up there call a wild good time in any of its good hotels.

My two favourite places to stay and eat are the Beech Hill Country House Hotel and the City Hotel. Beech Hill is the famous privately-owned and managed hotel on the outskirts which has invested wisely in keeping up to date with consumer trends. It is claimed by some humourous Derrymen (and which of them is not) that the reason the Saville Inquiry took so long was - allegedly -- because visiting English lawyers were reluctant to say goodbye to the excellence of the hotel's cuisine, hospitality, service and olde-worlde setting alongside an old mill-pond.

Although the modern City Hotel overlooking the Foyle is contrasting in style, it has the same core values - especially in its friendly, efficient service. When I left my swimming trunks behind the curtains (don't ask!) of my beautiful room during the Jazz and Big Band Festival for which the City is famed, they were sent to my home with a jokey note from the Head Housekeeper after a 'brief' call (or should that be a 'trunk' call?).

BELLE ISLE, in the most delightful part of the Fermanagh Lakeland, gave me my best Northern Irish self-catering break for years so I can recommend it wholeheartedly. Around Easter 2008 my family rented the three-bedroom Bridge House, one of the many self-catering accommodation options on this historic private island - well managed by my friends Charles and Fiona Plunket -- on Upper Lough Erne.

What a delight! I wrote very enthusiastically about the place and had excellent feedback from readers. Also, it was extensively covered on Joe Mahon's brilliant UTV programme, Lesser Spotted Ulster, which I am taking this opportunity of nominating as Best LOCAL PROGRAMME of the Year.

One of the best aspects of a stay there is the opportunity to participate in the Belle Isle Cookery School which added to its groaning sideboard of trophies and accolades during the past few months. The School, which celebrated

its fifth anniversary last November, won the 'Good Food Ireland' Top Regional Member Award North.

This was judged across all member sectors and the cookery school was selected for its commitment, above all else, to using local and artisan food produce.

Chef and Tutor Liz Moore certainly does the 'local' to the full - when my wife and daughter spent a fulfiling day at the School learning new tricks about Dinner Party Cuisine, Liz got them to bake the most delicious garlic bread I have ever tasted by incorporating Wild Garlic which she gathered from the side of the picturesque laneways all over the island. It's a common 'weed' in the spring, and I have often smelled it but did not have a notion that it could be used as a culinary herb.

I love lots of places in Fermanagh and Tyrone and have raised many a smile by describing Fivemiletown as the Chill-Out Capital Of Ulster! To discover why, book a break in the Williamson family's beautifully refurbished Valley Hotel or Nick and Colleen Lowry's excellent Blessingbourne Estate Apartments.

Yes, the Clogher Valley is hard to beat for a relaxing break in cosy comfort, so I was pleased to have a natter with Mrs Jean Beacom in the 17th Century atmosphere of her family's Corick House Country Hotel near Augher and hope to be reporting soon on a serene weekend there. I have had many glowing reports on Corick and its Carelton Restaurant ( named after the great Victorian novelist William who lived nearby.) If the rest of Jean's offerings are up to the same standard as her chef's shortbread then I'm in for a treat!

LOCAL HOTEL OF THE YEAR

ON THE SUBJECT of real treats West of the Bann, there is none better than the magnificent, the majestic, the marvellous (Editor-Get on with it John, we get the picture) Lough Erne Golf Resort near Enniskillen.

I wrote about it just last month in these pages, so I am not going to repeat any more superlatives. It is, undoubtedly, my nomination for Best Local Hotel of the Year. It is, of course, much more of a full-on Resort than a hotel, being more like Northern Ireland's answer to famous Scottish Golf Resorts like Loch Lomond or the Old Course Hotel at St. Andrew's (which General Manager Jonathan Stapleton managed before being enticed to Lough Erne by local tycoon and the Resort's dynamic developer Jim Treacy).

Executive Head Chef Noel McMeel heads the brigade in the spacious kitchens, preparing local produce with real flair, served with style in a choice of dining areas. The Thai Spa is simply superb.

There's a special New Year New You package which gives you opportunities to sample this luxurious lifestyle, including the Spa and what I call a 'Noel Mc Meal' along with other treats, priced FROM £127.50 per person PER NIGHT based on 2 sharing. This is a lot less than the usual tariff. This offer closes on 12 February.

ATTRACTION OF THE YEAR

FOR THE FIRST time in my lifetime of travel, I waited until last July to visit what is regarded by many as the world's greatest man-made Visitor Attraction…the Palace of Versailles.

Wow! It was the highlight of a year in which I spent 14 weeks abroad in some other very exciting destinations, but nothing to compare with the totally opulent palace and unbelievable gardens which the Sun King, Louis the Fourteenth, built to impress the world.

As is usual nowadays, we rented a Parisian apartment from the highly=recommended PerfectlyParis.com and enjoyed living like real Paris-ites ( as I call discerning travellers who get the most out of this astonishing city) instead of being corralled in an international hotel speaking only to fellow guests from Philadelphia and Portadown.

Opting for the half-hour train journey (6 euros) instead of an expensive Tour Bus, it was a ten minute hike across the town to get to the Palace and its superb Gardens, Lakes and Fountains which stretch for miles, so prepare for a tiring day!

Aim to visit on a weekend, even if you have to share this vast area with literally thousands of others (Versailles has four million annual visitors). For about 25 euros you get the weekend bonus of Les Grandes Eaux Musicales - musical fountains - which do not operate on most weekdays, when the Day Pass is a bit cheaper (20 euros). Better still, go to one of the nocturne pageants on summer evenings. That's what I aim to do on my next stay in Paris which cannot come soon enough for me, no matter what the bloody exchange rate is… I adore the place.

EUROPEAN DESTINATIONS OF THE YEAR

FOLLOWING ON from the above, it will come as no surprise that I recommend three other regions of France that I have recently explored in these pages - Brittany, the Loire Valley and the Cote d'Azur.

BRILLIANT BRITTANY:The spa hotels of the north Brittany coast are an eye-opener, particularly Hotel L'Agapa at Perros Guirec, an ultra-modern, split-level hotel that successfully blends in with the Pink Granite Coast.

It's a real experience to witness the sun setting over the glowing rocks below as you sample the amazing food in the hotel's award-winning Belouga Restaurant.

I nominate our Menu of 36 Little Plates as RESTAURANT MEAL OF THE YEAR.

It comprises three courses of 12 tiny starters, 12 small main dishes and a dozen bite-size desserts. Each course is presented on big glass plates moulded with twelve squares Exquisite!

In addition, L'Agapa Spa is equipped with all the latest ways of pampering you. I had a full massage concentrating on my feet and I was walking on air for days. Visitwww.lagapa.com for a taster of what's in store.

Hotel L'Agapa is a half-hour drive from Roscoff, which is one of the French destinations served from Rosslare Harbour by my FERRY SERVICE OF THE YEAR, Irish Ferries ( their main French port is Cherbourg in Normandy).

Their marvellous new cruise ferry, Oscar Wilde came into service just a year ago and my trip to Roscoff was the first time it had been on that particular route. What an improvement on its predecessor! Brilliant bars, restaurants, a cinema and live entertainment PLUS more hotel-style accommodation instead of bunks Excellent.

LOVELY LOIRE: Our trip to see the best Gardens of the Loire Valley was memorable - especially for our determination to fit in visits to more than a dozen major parks, castles and public gardens in just one week

I enjoyed it so much that I filled four whole pages of this paper, in two monthly sections last summer, which I suggest that you read at www.nitravelnews.com following the link from News Stories to Trew's Travels.

My favourite was Chateau du Rivau which was enchanting - as was the vivacious owner Patricia Laigneau, whose love of gardening and folklore have combined to create these fairytale gardens and beautifully-maintained grounds.

I was really chuffed to discover that Northern Irish roses bred by Sam McGready and Dickson's of Newtownards are among her favourites. The location is at Lémeré, 10 minutes from Chinon, south-west of Tours. Visit the entertaining website www.chateaudurivau.com

RAVISHING RIVIERA: The newly refurbished city of Nice is my SHORT-BREAK DESTINATION OF THE YEAR because it is the gateway to the whole Cote d'Azur and Provence. For the first time in 2008 I rented a self-catering flat there instead of paying hotel prices that are more expensive than ever for those of us who earn their crust in pounds sterling.

Paul Manion of www.riviera-rentals.com is an Englishman who knows his market well. For a fraction of the price of a room in the adjacent hotels, we had a bijou (ie small) flat in the exclusive Royal Luxembourg apartment building directly across the Promenade des Anglais from the most fashionable beaches. The views of the Bay of Angels from the swimming pool/sundeck are among the best.

WORLD DESTINATION OF THE YEAR

NEW MEXICO is not the most obvious place to nominate as my WORLD DESTINATION OF THE YEAR but I urge everyone who loves America , but is put off by the dollar exchange rate, to go there.

That's because it's a really good-value US holiday option, especially if you choose to 'stay and play' in a Native American Reservation such as the one I raved about in Trew's Travels last spring. I reported on my sojourn in Sky City Casino Hotel and our visit to the nearby Acoma Pueblo -- the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the United States (900 years!). My full review of the Hotel can be read on www.TripAdvisor.com under the heading Sky-high Value.

It is located an hour's scenic drive west of Albuquerque along what was the route of the fabled Highway 66. We booked into the Hotel which is run very efficiently by the proud people of the Acoma Pueblo tribe.

Food was fabulous: The nightly buffets offer a high quality selection of salads, hot meat dishes, vegetarian options and New Mexican specialities for a big-value tariff (less than ten pounds for a full seafood dinner) which is set low to attract people who will later play the gaming machines. Tell genial PR consultant Phil Robertson I sent you and he may organise a wee discount!

My other Indian Reservation recommendation is right on the Billy the Kid Trail which I was following from Albuquerque through Roswell to Lincoln. It's the grandiose Inn of the Mountain Gods, a golf resort and casino in the midst of snow-capped Mescalero mountains outside Ruidoso. Again, the luxury accommodation and food is subsidised by gambling - so if you stay away from the slots, this is a real bargain. I'm nominating it as my BEST RETREAT FROM WORLD RECESSION!

We always fly to America with my favourite long-haul carrier, Continental Airlines which I name as my AIRLINE OF THE YEAR. To be able to travel direct from Belfast to the handy Newark International ( where we easily transferred to our Albuquerque flight) is a real boon. There's no better way to travel transatlantic -- particularly in Continental's BusinessFirst section where food and service are impeccable. Go for it!

LOCAL TREATS OF THE YEAR

HERE IS a ragbag of different places that have provided me with good nosh recently and I trust will meet with general approval.

NATIONAL TRUST properties have invariably lived up to their reputation for decent food. Lady Ada's Café at The Argory is excellent for home baking and I like the style of the Bay Restaurant at Mount Stewart.

THE PIT STOP next to the Eddie Irvine Centre in Bangor's Balloo area came under new management in the past few months and is better than ever for Big Ulster Fry-ups and traditional style lunches.

McKEE'S FARM SHOP in the hills above Newtownards is another, more refined, place for good local grub. A favourite of Dr Paisley and Stormont bigwigs,but don't let that put you off the best broth around.

In total contrast, the Japanese restaurant ZEN in Belfast's Adelaide Street serves up immaculate oriental cuisine with a touch of showbiz.

The OYSTER BAR in the Victoria Square Centre serves the trendiest (and non-alcoholic) Oyster Shots.