Duty Free Challenge: We found the best way to head to Dublin with the family and arrive with bags of treats

We took a mini break away with our teenage son and decided to rise to a challenge set by Stena Line.

Not only were we going to swap the plane for a ship, we were set to take on a shopping challenge while sailing. The Stena Line €100 Challenge asks travellers to see how many deals they can snap up without breaking the budget.

So we headed into the Duty Free. There are all the sections you would imagine and we immediately split up to head to the areas which tempted us most.

Being mum, I took a look at gifts to take home for those who hadn't been able to join us for the trip. There is plenty to choose from including specialist treats from the region you are about to visit. My son, being a typical 13-year-old, went straight to the electronics section. There are plenty of ways for a teenager to spend far more than €100 here if you left them to it! What he really wanted were new earbuds. Dad, he headed to the gadgets.

We managed to avoid the alcohol although there were some great deals to be had. The Duty Free offers more than 450 premium brands. There is everything you would expect and more including limited edition gift sets. If you want to save on alcohol the best bargains can be found on Jameson Irish Whiskey, Absolute Blue, The Famous Grouse Scotch Blended Whisky and Bombay Sapphire Premium Dry Gin.

We resisted excess sweets but only just.

The make-up and perfume section was good and varied. It is blissful to be able to browse slowly - no rushing between shops, no ticking clock for school runs and the added joy of heading towards a holiday. This allows you the chance to sample beauty products and smell perfumes without a care in the world.

Did we manage to spend the full €100? Of course, we were very skilled at that. We left with Calvin Klein deodorant €20; Butlers dark almond chocolate bar €2.90; JBL headset €40; Cadbury's Dairy Milk Whole Nut €5; Shamrock Shortbread €4.50; Sheep Shaped Shortbread €4; Benefit The Porefessional €21; and Butlers Creamy Toffee €2.50.

So everyone was happy when we arrived home armed with delicious treats, I felt spoiled with a Benefit product much more reasonably priced than on the high street and our son, well, he loved his earphones so much he never heard me ask the question.

Travelling with Stena Line was fun. It is definitely worth splashing out on the lounges to set the right tone for your holiday and it is great to be able to explore in your own car at the other end. We took more luggage than we would if restricted to plane luggage. Board games to beat the boredom and even a football for a kick-out were thrown in the boot before we set off.

Duty Free Day Trips were recently reintroduced on the Dublin-Holyhead route and, although we were heading away for a couple of nights, must be a great way for a crazy trip with friends.

The best lounge is the Stena Lounge Plus. Here you get unlimited drinks and snacks, at table service if you want to buy a proper meal, extra comfy seats and newspapers to keep you occupied. It is also the best spot on the ship to admire the gorgeous ocean views - unless you are brave enough to wrap up and face the winds on deck.

The Hygge Lounge is inspired by the concept of hygge (cosiness and well-being) and also offers free hot drinks but isn't quite as comfortable.

If you don't want to pay the extra, you will still find good spaces to relax and some brilliant things to entertain the children. There are movies for all ages and interactive screens with quizzes, on which the teenager soundly beat the parents.

Our few hours onboard passed quickly and we were very pleased with our haul of goodies from Duty Free. A different way to travel for an up lighting start to a family holiday.