Archive for the 'Utah' Category
Ski Sundance? The town is not just for film festivals
October 23, 2009 3:33pm
If you thought about Sundance, Utah, only when the famed Sundance Film Festival took over the mountain town, think again. It’s a ski destination too. Sundance Resort is offering “Early Bird Gets the Powder” ski deals before its winter ski season kicks off on Dec. 11. Never been? The resort boasts about its great snow. It was also ranked second by Conde Nast Traveler’s 2007 readers’ poll for the top 50 U.S. mainland resorts.
Deal or no deal? Get three nights’ accommodations, daily breakfast, two all-day lift tickets per day and an upgraded amenity bag with snacks upon arrival. Rates start at $375 per night pretax, based on double occupancy. I found the promotion available Jan. 12-15 for $379 per night. The 15.75% tax added nearly $200 to the price, bringing the total for the trip to $1,316 for two people.
I do think this package is of value to skiers.. Without the early-bird promotion, the best available rate was $399 per night for the room and breakfast. And in the past, day lift tickets have cost $45 per person.
JetBlue 1-day sale: $24 to $49 one-way fares from Long Beach (LGB)
October 15, 2009 6:20am
If you thought Wednesday’s $44 airfare sale wasn’t cheap enough, you weren’t alone. Apparently, JetBlue also thought that was hardly impressive. The JetBlue Sample Sale has fares as low as $24 one way, pre-tax. Even better, of the seven flights on sale from Long Beach, none of the fares are over $49 each way. So, what will it be, a quickie getaway to San Francisco for $29 each way, or how about Seattle for $10 more?
Starting fares in the JetBlue Sample Sale from Long Beach, CA (LGB) :
$29 to Oakland, CA (OAK)
$49 to Portland, OR (PDX)
$39 to Sacramento (SMF)
$49 to Salt Lake City, UT (SLC)
$39 to Seattle, WA (SEA)
$29 to San Francisco, CA (SFO)
$24 to San Jose, CA (SJC)
When: Book by 10:59 p.m. Oct. 15 for travel between Oct. 22 and Dec. 16 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Lake Powell: ‘Bird on a Boat’ - Thanksgiving houseboat package
September 28, 2009 5:53am
Doesn’t the sound of mixing vacation with a family-packed holiday like Thanksgiving sound like a win-win? Don’t get me wrong: Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, but I also like the idea of spending a long weekend out on gorgeous Lake Powell with only my closest friends and family. And what’s even better than getting a good sale? Getting your Thanksgiving dinner included in the package so you don’t have to cart a big old turkey out to the lake.
Deal: Use promo code “TurkeyBoat” to get the “Bird on a Boat” Thanksgiving on Lake Powell house boat package with a five-day, four-night houseboat trip for the price of a three-day trip. The special holiday offer starts at $1,850 and comes with a full Thanksgiving dinner, including a 15-pound turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, a green salad with dressing, two pumpkin pies with whipped cream, and rolls and butter.
Zion National Park: Get a $100 in-park room this fall
September 16, 2009 5:57am
A highlight of America’s canyon country, Zion National Park is one of those magical places that visitors rarely forget. From multicolored sandstone cliffs to narrow canyons, the natural features of this Utah gem are awe-inspiring and teeming with opportunities to explore and be challenged.
If you’ve never been, or you’re eager to reacquaint yourself with the park, consider a visit in the fall. Now that summertime has passed, temperatures are lower, visitors are fewer and room rates are extra appealing. Here’s a great deal in October at the in-park Zion Lodge, operated by concessionaire Xanterra.
Deal: The special “Zion-Tennial” rate on offer for about a month this fall is $100 per night (pre-tax) for a standard motel room, which will be within walking distance of the main lodge and area trails. Read the rest of this entry »
Rainbow Bridge centennial contest invites artwork from youth
August 14, 2009 3:59pm
In 1910, President William Howard Taft designated Rainbow Bridge, on Lake Powell, to be a national monument. Adjacent to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which straddles Arizona and Utah, it is the world’s largest known natural bridge and is considered sacred to nearby Native Americans. For the many tourists who get a chance to visit, it is awe-inspiring.
In anticipation of the bridge’s centennial in 2010, Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas has announced a contest for the younger artists out there, who have a chance to win a vacation for themselves and their families (a real incentive for you parents out there to prod your little artists into action).
Contest: Youth in two separate categories — ages 5 to 11and 12 to 16 — are asked to submit a “creative expression” of the centennial’s theme, which is “Rainbow Bridge: Spanning Cultures in a Sacred Landscape.” Read the rest of this entry »
JetBlue 1-day sale: $29 from Long Beach or Burbank
April 23, 2009 12:04pm
Ready for some spontaneous trip-shopping? JetBlue has an aisle-full of cheap flights for your imminent consideration. If you can fly from Long Beach or Burbank on a Tuesday or Wednesday, you’ll want to snap up a discount fare ASAP — and definitely by sale’s end tonight.
Deal: With JetBlue’s “Sample Sale,” pay as little as $29 (pre-tax) for one-way flights. From Long Beach, the $29 rate is available for flights to Las Vegas (LAS), Oakland (OAK), San Francisco (SFO) and San Jose (SJC). For the $39 fare, you can get to Sacramento (SMF) or Seattle (SEA), and the $49 sale fare will have you to Portland, Ore. (PDX) or Salt Lake City (SLC).
From Burbank (BUR), the $29 sale fare is available for Las Vegas. Read the rest of this entry »
Kimpton Hotels offers April tax relief
March 31, 2009 1:08pm
In these number-crunching, brow-furrowing days preceding April 15th, are you reluctant to throw even one more cent into government coffers? If you can take a well-deserved getaway this tax season, maybe it’ll feel good to let someone else pick up the tax tab for once. Kimpton is offering.
Deal: Book the “Sweet Tax Relief Package” at a participating Kimpton hotel and you’ll get a break on room tax — the hotel will pay it for you. In addition, you’ll receive a bag of appropriately themed candy (i.e., Payday, 100 Grand, Sugar Daddy), a tax-free dining experience at an adjacent Kimpton’s restaurant, and, if available, a late 2 p.m. check-out time. There is no minimum stay. Read the rest of this entry »
Grade-A discounts at Zion and Grand Canyon national parks
February 14, 2009 8:54am
Here’s a new bumper-sticker slogan to try on: “My child may not be an honor student, but at least she got me a good vacation deal.”
No need for straight-A’s here, but if your little scholar got at least one, two or three of the top grades on his or her most recent report card, pack up that car and head to Zion National Park in southwestern Utah or Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.
Deal: At participating Xanterra lodges, the “Stays for A’s” deal offers $10 off per night for each A — up to three A’s, a $30 maximum per night — on your student’s report card. If you’ve got more than one whiz kid in your party, good for you, but note that only one report card can be used per room. Read the rest of this entry »
Changes ahead for U.S. national parks?
January 25, 2009 2:05pm
There were the attempts to gain approval for oil and gas leases to be auctioned near the boundaries of Utah’s Arches National Park. And the uranium-mine project a couple miles from a visitors center in Grand Canyon. The return of snowmobiles in Yellowstone. And permitting visitors to carry concealed weapons within park boundaries.
The Bush administration kept the National Park Service’s operating budget intact, Interior Dept. spokesman Chris Paolino has been reported as stating, yet its policies made the administration unpopular with environmentalists and left the parks service “demoralized,” according to a Los Angeles Times article: “Bush legacy leaves uphill climb for U.S. parks, critics say.”
Now, following an era in which conservation and preservation often took a back seat to commercial and energy-related interests, are changes to come? Read the rest of this entry »
Lend the land a hand with Wilderness Volunteers
January 17, 2009 3:36pm
Does the idea of loafing around a pool for a week make you want to jump off something? Are you the type that hates sitting around the house with nothing to do? If you’re a busy bee by nature, and a philanthropist at heart, sign up for a Wilderness Volunteer trip. If you don’t mind a working vacation, these trips can also prove a really good deal, money-wise, for a week in the great outdoors.
Nonprofit organization Wilderness Volunteers, around since 1997, organizes volunteers to work in U.S. public lands, like national parks, U.S. Forest Service areas and Bureau of Land Management land. Participants on projects work several hours daily on tasks that might include trail maintenance, planting native plants, removing nonnative plants or painting buildings and building fences. Read the rest of this entry »
