Archive for the 'Hotels' Category
Thanksgiving travel: Black Friday hotel deals in Los Angeles & Orange County
November 23, 2009 11:24am
It’s not too late to book Thanksgiving travel for this weekend. Lucky for us Southern Californians, there are some Black Friday deals to be had right in our own backyard. Priceline’s travel “Ekspert,” Brian Ek, named his best shopping cities based on “the best ‘Name Your Own Price’ hotel deals for Thanksgiving weekend.” In order of the biggest savings, the top four cities/regions where you can save money on hotels this weekend are Orange County, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Ek said that Orange County showed a 46% median savings for rooms and Atlanta, Philadelphia and L. A. showed 45% median savings. The important thing to note about his top city picks is that it’s not all about price — these destinations have availability.
“As expected, traditional big shopping cities for the Black Friday weekend, like New York, Chicago and San Francisco, offer significant hotel savings, but room availability is going to be tight. The same holds true for getaway cities like Las Vegas and New Orleans. For these cities, I recommend being as flexible as possible in your star-level selection to maximize your chances of getting a room at a bargain price,” said Ek.
While the list is based on availability and median price ranges for deals via Priceline’s “Name Your Own Price” feature (check-in dates for Friday and Saturday), I looked at rates for hotels near South Coast Plaza on Priceline’s main hotel page. I found the four-star Westin South Coast Plaza for $99 per night, four-star Hyatt Regency Irvine for $99 per night, and the four-star Fairmont Newport Beach for $129 per night. The three-and-a-half-star Hilton Irvine was priced at $78 per night. Rates are on average for a two-night stay Nov. 27-29, pre-tax.
— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger
[Image credit: Priceline.com]
Coeur d’Alene to the North Pole: An Idaho resort goes all out for Christmas
November 21, 2009 6:49am
When not in Vegas, 1.5-million lights can only mean someone’s putting on one heck of a holiday party. Northern Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene Resort, which claims to hold the world’s tallest living Christmas tree, puts on a family-friendly Holiday Light Show annually on the shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene. This year, the event runs Nov. 27 to Jan. 1.
One of the show’s highlights is a “Journey to the North Pole” boat cruise, which includes a visit with Santa at the North Pole Toy Workshop. And that towering tree? At 161 feet, the green giant beats, in height, the 76-foot Norway spruce in New York City’s Rockefeller Center. What’s more, each ornament on the Coeur d’Alene tree will be 10 feet tall.
The following accommodations package offered by the resort makes a Christmas-themed trip easy.
Deal: The “Holiday Light Show B&B” package, which starts at $145 per night (pre-tax), includes your room, two tickets to the “North Pole” and breakfast for two. Read the rest of this entry »
Grand Bahama Island: Flight-hotel packages for $900
November 19, 2009 6:05am
For us West Coasters, the Caribbean is not really so close. But given the amazing sale rates we’re seeing to this island region, we just can’t ignore its appeal. Take, for instance, the following package deals now being offered to Grand Bahama Island in the Bahamas.
Deal: For winter travel (holidays included), CheapCarribean.com is offering up to $500 in savings over its typical rates for vacation packages. Stay five nights or longer for the $500 discount. For four-night vacations, you’ll save $400, and for three nights, $300. Some of the Grand Bahama Island hotels included in this deal are Flamingo Bay Hotel, Our Lucaya Reef Village, Pelican Bay at Lucaya, Radisson Our Lucaya Resort and Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach.
Tested: I tested a four-night getaway at the Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach in early January. From LAX, I found fly-stay packages for $706 per person (pre-tax, and based on double occupancy). Via CheapCaribbean.com’s online reservations system, that worked out to $892 per person total, after taxes. Read the rest of this entry »
Book your 2010 Palm Springs hotel stay now to save 40%
November 18, 2009 6:03am
Here in Los Angeles, we may get flak when complaining about a winter chill, especially during times when much of the country is buried under snow. But it’s all relative, right? So once we’re in the winter months, remember: When the goose bumps start popping up and the heating bills skyrocket, head to the desert.
Palm Springs is just perfect, weather-wise, in the late winter, and there’s always lots to do, whether you’re into hiking or shopping, hot-air ballooning or horseback riding. And if you plan your stay in advance, you can save a pretty penny on accommodations at the family-friendly Riviera Resort.
Deal: A current Riviera Web special offers 40% off the resort’s best available rates for those booking now for stays from Jan. 1 to March 31, 2010. Read the rest of this entry »
Santa Barbara: Third night free at 22 hotels with ‘24 More’ promotion
November 17, 2009 5:55am
Who can’t use an extra 24 hours in Santa Barbara? Whether you’re heading to this popular vacation destination to get pampered in a B&B or anonymously relax in a larger resort, have a look at the following promotion. It provides great incentive to take a longer-than-usual weekender away.
Deal: With the new “24 More, Compliments of Santa Barbara” offer, you can take advantage of a third night free when you book two nights at one of 22 participating properties in and around the city.
Venues featuring the offer include Hotel Oceana Santa Barbara, Four Seasons Resort, Inn by the Harbor and Franciscan Inn. You can see your full list of options here online.
You must book directly with the hotel or other venue, referring to the promotion code cited in the respective place on the “24 More” page.
When: Valid for stays now through March 31, 2010. Read the rest of this entry »
Oahu, Hawaii: Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beach Walk opens
November 16, 2009 2:52pm
Boasting 462 guest rooms over its 38 stories, a new luxury hotel is now open for business in Honolulu. Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beach Walk — the fourth property for the Trump Hotel Collection brand — is welcoming its first overnight guests today.
A ceremonial welcoming event, with traditional Hawaiian dance and music, occurred this morning for the inaugural guests of this hotel that is a few minutes’ stroll from the ocean, and right on Waikiki Beach Walk.
Pre-opening rates, valid for stays now through Dec. 21, 2009, start at $255 per night (pre-tax) for a “studio beach walk” room. In January and February, the rack rate for the same kind of room is $385. Read the rest of this entry »
Marriott New Orleans and other hotels offer ‘Papa Noel’ deals
November 16, 2009 5:59am
With sleigh bells ringing –– and surely an appetite for etouffee –– Papa Noel (that’s Santa Claus to us out-of-towners) is readying himself for a holiday destination guaranteed to be brimful with festive cheer.
Boasting a full holiday calendar in December, New Orleans will be offering its visitors free jazz and gospel cathedral concerts; caroling; themed meals and free cooking demonstrations; and the nightly Celebration of the Oaks tour in City Park.
And, as has become tradition, numerous hotels about town are offering “Papa Noel” rates for December stays. For a full list of participants, see the Christmas pages on New Orleans’ tourism site. One such deal, by New Orleans Marriott, is detailed below.
Deal: This Marriott, located on Canal Street in the French Quarter, is offering “Papa Noel” rates from $89 to $159 per night (pretax) for stays Dec. 1-24, 2009. Read the rest of this entry »
Yosemite: Bracebridge Dinner begins Dec. 13 [Updated]
November 13, 2009 11:47am
Squire Bracebridge and his household request your attendance at a most unusual feast this holiday season, but you’d better book a seat soon. The famous and long-running dinner at Yosemite’s Ahwahnee hotel, though pricey, is always popular. Last year, most of the eight evenings sold out. [Corrected at 11:53 a.m. Nov. 17: Previous versions of this post, along with the headline, said the dinner was in its 80th or 84th season. It began in 1927 but missed some war years.]
In recounting her experience at a 2008 Bracebridge Dinner, L.A. Times staff writer Sharon Bernstein called the tradition, which has been going since 1927 (it took a two-year hiatus during World War II), “part corny, part historical, wonderfully musical, very California and perfectly Christmas.”
[A scene from last year's Bracebridge Dinner is shown above. Click here for a related photo gallery.]
For the event, the Ahwanee’s Dining Room transforms into the Great Hall at Squire Bracebridge’s manor, where guests are treated to a four-hour, seven-course Christmas feast and pageant featuring more than 100 performers. Read the rest of this entry »
Friday the 13th travel deals: Hotels.com 50%-off one-day sale
November 13, 2009 10:31am
I’m going to ignore the bad luck that is associated with Friday the 13th and focus on the good. As in it’s a good time to take some time off with a hotel travel deal. Hotels.com is having a one-day sale on rooms through Nov. 27. Nearly 200 properties in 60 destinations are on sale for up to 50% off. I started looking at hotels in San Diego and Los Angeles, but I might not have been as lucky as I thought. Although the rooms were heavily discounted, I was hard pressed to find them at the promoted prices in San Diego on the Friday the 13th sale page. I did, however, get lucky with hotels in Los Angeles. Let us know what kind of room you scored with this sale. But you better hurry, the rooms with the lowest prices are selling out fast.
Deal or no deal? I had better luck finding the sale rates in Los Angeles than I did with hotels in San Diego.
Los Angeles: On the promotion page, the Custom Hotel was marked down from $178 per night to $95, but when I plugged in my dates for next Saturday, the nightly rate came to $69 pretax for a deluxe room with a queen bed. One of my favorite hotels, Hotel Angeleno, was promoted at $80 per night. I didn’t find it for $80, but I did find it for $99, which is still a great price for this hotel that can sometimes cost more than $200 per night. I also found the Hotel Maya (pictured) for $100 per night. Sure, it was listed at $90 on the sale, but at only $10 more I’d still hop on this rate for a Joie de Vivre boutique hotel.
Washington: Clam-digging season underway; scheduled digs and hotel deals this winter
November 12, 2009 11:18am
Are you manic for mollusks? Then head north, dear adventurer, as clam-digging season is underway in the Pacific Northwest.
Among upcoming clam digs in Washington is one on Nov. 16 at Olympic National Park’s Kalaloch Beach, scheduled by the National Park Service. The search at this coastal site, presumably popular with clam-digging types, will be for razor clams during the evening tide, with digs restricted to the period between noon and midnight. Other tentative dates for the season, meant to coincide with clam digs in other parts of the state, are Dec. 4-5, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
Helping to make such an excursion easier to plan, Kalaloch Lodge, a remote hotel within the park which Times staff writer Christopher Reynolds visited on a road trip in July, is offering related deals.
Deals: Kalaloch Lodge’s “Clam Digger” package features one night’s accommodations, a bucket, shovel and net, and breakfast for two for $169 per night (pre-tax). The equipment will be yours to keep. Experienced clam-diggers with their own tools, however, can opt to skip the equipment component and pay just $129 for the room and breakfast. Read the rest of this entry »
