| Free Nights at Westins Worldwide I'm a big fan of third-night-free deals. Such promotions are clean and simple, you don't have to pay a rate that includes extras you might not want or need (e.g., meals, parking, spa treatments, kids' club), and, once you factor in taxes and other mandatory hotel fees, the free night usually translates into a reduction of at least 30% off your total bill. |
| Which is why we like Westin's offer of a free night when travelers book three or four nights, and two free nights when you book a six-night stay. This deal applies at all Westin properties worldwide. |
| Example: You can stay three nights in Venice's Westin Europa & Regina (a perennial Gold List honoree) in August starting at $984 instead of $1,476. That's $328 per night (including all taxes and fees) instead of $492 for a room with two twin beds and Murano glass chandeliers. Same deal at the 2009 Hot List property the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa in Avon, Colorado (which has some other good specials on offer right now too). Book three nights in August and pay a total of $540 instead of $810. That's $180 per night (including all taxes and fees) instead of $270 for a room with a queen bed and a queen sofa bed. |
| Book by and travel by: December 31, 2009. We're told that Westin may extend this deal through 2010, though, so stay tuned. And make sure to book through the complimentary nights promotion website, where you can also check out all the Westin locations participating in this deal. |
| Caveat: The rates for the nights you pay for are based on availability and demand. We've seen demand for hotels in Italy rise lately, so if you're headed there soon meaning, late summer or fall--book immediately. |
| Save 45% at the One&Only Palmilla in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico The
One&Only Palmilla is offering a "Short Breaks" promotion which, along with the extras that it includes, amounts to 45% off the regular rate. |
| If you stay a minimum of three nights, you get a reduced room rate, daily continental breakfast for two, roundtrip airport transfers, and a $300 resort credit. The math breakdown: With this deal, a three-night stay in an Ocean Front Superior Room costs $1,901, including taxes and service fees. If booked separately at rack rates, the room, transfers, and resort credits would cost you $3,516. |
| Book by and travel by: October 31, 2009. |
| Book through: Adamarie King, one of the Mexico experts on my list of top travel specialists. Thanks to her connections at the property, she may be able to snag you an upgrade if a better room is available. |
| Save 48% or More at Florida's Boca Raton Resort & Club Calling all families looking for a getaway complete with golf, tennis, spa treatments, and a kids' club: This deal, available until just before Christmas, might be for you. And the savings will only get better as we move from summer into fall. |
| The Place: Boca Raton Resort, a 1,000-plus-room complex sprawled on more than 350 acres and centered on an original 1926 Spanish-style building--and a six-time honoree on Condé Nast Traveler's Gold List of the world's top places to stay. |
| The Deal: With the "Best of Boca Package," $244 after taxes gets you your room, 50% off on services at the spa and at the kids' camp for children ages 3 to 12, and freebies such as breakfast and parking and unlimited golf and tennis. The late check-out and daily resort fees are also waived. |
| The Savings: We're now in the low season, when double rooms start at $99 a night. On the face of it, $244 per night doesn't appear to be a bargain, but when you factor in what you'd pay for the extras that are either half off or free, the savings become substantial: |
| Say you start the day with breakfast for your family of three, send the little one to camp, then one adult plays a round of golf, both adults spend some time on the tennis court, one of you gets a 25-minute massage at the spa, and you all check out late the next day. Normally your fun would put you back $618 after taxes. Under the "Best of Boca" package, the same schedule would cost $320 after taxes, for a savings of 48%. |
| The reduction becomes even more dramatic in the fall, when room rates and greens fees go up, but the "Best of Boca" package price stays the same. |
| Good for travel through: December 23, 2009. Prices are subject to availability and level of accommodation. |
| How to book: Call the hotel at 888-495-2622 or 561-447-3000, or go to http://www.bocaresort.com/bestofboca/. |
| Paradise in the Maldives for 65% Less Alila Villas Hadahaa is a brand-new, environmentally friendly resort in the Maldives that Lindsey Wallace-- the Maldives expert on my list of top travel specialists whose Indian Ocean island recommendations we covered in the "Islands on Sale" feature in our July issue--has checked out and says is one of his new favorites. |
| Luxury like this doesn't come cheap: An "Island Villa" (the lowest-category room type, pictured above) normally costs $1,183 per night. But Lindsey has negotiated a special rate with the resort: $790 per night, including all taxes and service charges, with every other night free. If you stay an even number of nights, you end up paying an average of $395 per night -- which is more than 65% off the rack rate of $1,183. |
| For travel between: August 16 (the resort's opening date) and December 19, 2009. |
| Book by: There is no book-by date. |
| Book through: Lindsey Wallace of Linara Travel, the only person who can get you this specially negotiated rate. |
| Caveat: You'll also need to pay for transfers to and from the resort. These start at $280 per person. |
| Up to 69% Off SeaDream Yacht Club Cruises Did you read "Ultimate European Cruise" in Condé Nast Traveler's April issue and say to yourself, "That's nice, but no way can I afford such a splurge"? Well, now perhaps you can. The luxury small-ship cruise line SeaDream Yacht Club has dropped prices by up to 69% on ten Mediterranean and Caribbean sailings between now and December. |
| These are "cruises for people who hate cruises": The line's two ships are able to stop in smaller, less-touristed ports than larger ships can, and each carries a maximum of only 112 passengers (who are nearly outnumbered by staff, allowing for personalized attention). Our readers have consistently rated SeaDream among their top three favorite small-ship lines in our annual Readers' Choice Awards poll. |
| Here's an example of an itinerary we like: It's a 9-night sailing from Athens to Barcelona, stopping at Kefalonia, Sicily, Malta, Tunisia, and Menorca. The brochure rate is $9,493 per person, but with the discount the price is $3,987 per person, reflecting savings of 58%. The timing of this particular sailing is ideal: The tourists and backpackers are largely gone in October, and the oppressive summer heat is no longer an issue, says Richard Turen, one of the cruise experts on my annual list of top travel planners. |
| Book by: There is no book-by date. This deal is capacity-controlled, which means that the cruise line may revoke the discount once a certain capacity is reached on a given sailing. |
| For travel through: December 2009, although most sailings included in this deal are from late-August through mid-October. |
| The catch: These discounts apply mainly to the lowest-category cabins, which have portholes rather than picture windows. In addition, when booking these cabins, you may not be able to select a specific cabin number--although using the right travel agent (see below) can possibly get you a "category 2 guarantee" (which, in the case of SeaDream, is usually the best available pricing offer). |
| Book through: Richard Turen, whom I have recommended before for his savvy advice, unflinching honesty, and encyclopedic knowledge of cruising. Turen is good at negotiating extra perks for his clients from the cruise lines, and Perrin Post readers also receive the favored-client benefits of his "Royal Cruising Society." |
| Happy Travels! |
Wendy Perrin
Conde Nast Traveler's Consumer News Editor |
For more up-to-the minute travel deals and tips,
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