Archive for the 'San Francisco' Category
Hawaii: Pleasant Holidays $99 companion ticket from LAX to Maui
July 2, 2009 5:48pm
I thought the last Pleasant Holidays deal was incredible — three nights including air starting at $299 — but this new one is pretty irresistible too: Get a $99 companion ticket when flying between Los Angeles and Maui, or between San Francisco and Oahu or Maui, when you buy a Hawaii vacation package.
Deal: The $99 companion-air deal requires that you buy a hotel package or a fly-and-drive package through Pleasant Holidays. I was able to find a three-night hotel package (including a car) departing Los Angeles for travel to Maui on Aug. 24 to 27 and staying at Kaanapali Ocean Inn (just a one-star). The total came to $1,114 for two, including taxes. If you stay at a three-star beachfront condo, it would be $1,241.
‘Yay gay!’: San Francisco Pride takes over city streets in its 39th year
June 29, 2009 1:01pm
![San Francisco Pride 2009 [Credit: C1ssou on Flickr]](http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/sf-pride-crowd-c1ssou.jpg "San Francisco Pride 2009 [Credit: C1ssou on Flickr]")
From leather-clad to barely clad, masses numbering in the hundreds of thousands partied proud in downtown San Francisco this past weekend. June 27-28 marked the 39th anniversary of the San Francisco Pride Celebration & Parade, and judging by the morning-after media reports, the famous festival doesn’t seem to be getting dull with age.
If you’ve ever attended Pride in “The City,” you can imagine that, for attendees, festivities were far from tame, even in a year that included the passing of Proposition 8. As observed by the San Francisco Chronicle:
“Participants steered motorcycles and classic cars, danced on elaborate floats wearing formal gowns or skimpy underwear, and walked on stilts or behind simple banners. Rodeo cowboys and cowgirls rode a mechanical bull, while ‘Mistress Liliane’ was pulled in a pony cart by a leather-clad submissive.
![San Francisco Pride 2009 [Credit: C1ssou]](http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/sf-pride-ken-c1ssou.jpg "San Francisco Pride 2009 [Credit: C1ssou]")
San Francisco: ‘Classic’ family vacation, based at Fisherman’s Wharf
June 12, 2009 11:35am
I remember being a kid on vacation with my family in San Francisco: the eeriness of Alcatraz, the fat and happy sea lions, chowder-filled bread bowls and endless chocolate around the piers, the thrill of standing on a wild cable-car ride.
More recently as an adult who has resided in and frequently visited S.F., I have preferred rambles down the halls of cutting-edge music, art and theater venues; browsing books and oddities along Valencia Street; and the excitement of a four-course bistro meal to the aforementioned typically tourist to-dos.
But you can bet that when my daughter, now a toddler, is a little older, we’ll be happily tackling everything from Fisherman’s Wharf to misshapen Lombard Street to loaf after loaf of sourdough. I can’t wait.
Deal: If you and your family would like to stay near many of the popular attractions, the Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf is offering a well-priced “Classic Family Vacation Package.” Read the rest of this entry »
Dining at the source with Outstanding in the Field
May 31, 2009 8:01am
Talk about eating locally. If you’re a traveler of the foodie sort, eat where the goods you’ll ingest are grown — with those who helped grow it — on farm-dining tours offered by Outstanding in the Field.
The small Santa Cruz-based operation arranges events on farms all over California, the U.S., Canada and even Europe that take in guided tours before shifting into sit-down dinners with the food’s local producers. At each event, a long table for dining is set somewhere close to where the food was sourced. Usually that’s a farm, though, according to the website, it might be a ranch, a winery or — wow, picture this — a sea cave.
One of these events typically runs four to five hours, with the cost ranging from $180 to $220 per person. In addition to the farm tours and talks provided during dinner, the price includes a five-course meal with wine.
Can your tummy growls now be heard in the next room? If so, join the club. Read the rest of this entry »
Fare War: Fly within California for less than $30 one way
May 18, 2009 10:08am
Peter Pae’s airline news article, “Wi-Fi returning to airlines,” briefly mentions a fare war going on among American, Virgin America and Southwest for flights between Orange County’s John Wayne Airport (SNA) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO). I found fares as low as $45 one way, before taxes. The good news is that United also joined in the fun and is offering equally low fares for this route.
Don’t discount other destinations. It’s important to note that while I tested the SNA-to-SFO route for the fares below (and the one JetBlue Long Beach (LGB) exception), comparable fares can be found for other destinations within California. For example, San Diego (SAN) to San Francisco (SFO) is also only $46 each way on Southwest and just $49 on Virgin America.
Orange County-to-San Francisco Fare War
American Airlines | Pae’s article says that American dropped fares to $42 each way. I found $48 one-way fares. Book by May 24 for travel 14 days in advance on Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday. The total price after taxes comes to $117.
JetBlue | Although not a part of the Orange County-to-San Francisco fare war — if you fly out of Long Beach, you can find flights as low as $29 one way to San Francisco. Book by Thursday with a 10-day advance purchase for travel on a Tuesday or Wednesday through Sept. 9. You can also find $29 one-way fares between LGB and Oakland (OAK) and San Jose (SJC).
San Francisco Bay: 3 nights for price of 2 at Cavallo Point
May 17, 2009 9:36am
Let’s face it, if you visit the San Francisco Bay Area, staying only two nights will just leave you wanting more. After all, there’s a lot to take in, like Alcatraz and trolley rides, phenomenal eateries, Golden Gate Park, and live music and theater and cutting-edge art. Cross the Golden Gate Bridge, and the hundreds of miles of trails in Marin County could keep you busy for days.
And if you’re staying at the well-reputed Cavallo Point Lodge, at Fort Baker, just across the bridge from S.F., then you need some time to digest all of the offerings on the property, including a spa, a cooking school, a Michelin-rated restaurant, history tours, and hikes and walks. You need — no, you deserve — at least one more night. But who can pay for an extra night at a luxury hotel these days?
Deal: With its “Linger Longer” offer, pay for two nights at Cavallo Point and get a third night’s stay for free. Read the rest of this entry »
New Disney museum in San Francisco will be all about Walt
May 6, 2009 2:00pm
It’s not a theme park, but it does bear the name Disney.
A new museum about the life of Walt Disney is planned to open in three buildings in San Francisco’s Presidio in the fall, but don’t expect any spinning Tea Cups or Haunted Mansion.
His daughter Diane Disney Miller said in a release: “My father’s name is probably one of the most well-known names around the world, but as the ‘brand’ or trademark has spread, for many, the man has become lost.”
2009 shaping up as a low-key year for California theme parks
May 4, 2009 8:03am
Disneyland sets the pace for theme parks in California. And with the Happiest Place on Earth taking a breather on major new attractions in 2009, the rest of the state’s amusement parks are following suit, opting for smaller fare this year over multimillion-dollar additions.
The lone exception: Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia adds the $11-million Terminator Salvation, a 2,850-foot-long wooden roller coaster which opens Memorial Day weekend with movie tie-in visual effects and a loading station fly-through. (Watch POV video)
A roundup of 2009 additions at California amusement and theme parks:
* Disneyland rehabbed the “It’s a Small World” boat ride in February, adding 29 Disney characters and a new “Spirit of America” scene to the mix. The Anaheim theme park also debuted the Celebrate parade in March and bundled a series of nighttime shows under the Summer Nightastic banner (running from June 12 through August 23).
* Across the way at Disney’s Construction Adventure, the five-year-long $1.1-billion overhaul has begun in earnest, with the Ferris wheel getting a new Mickey Mouse theme (opens in May).
* Universal Studios Hollywood brings “Creature From the Black Lagoon” to the stage in July as a campy Broadway-style musical (I kid you not) with special effects, dance choreography and romance (still not kidding).
* Legoland California unveiled a new “Bob the Builder” 4-D movie in March. The 30-foot-tall Dune Raiders racing slides opens at the Carlsbad kiddie park in time for the Fourth of July weekend.
* Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park offers absolutely nothing new of note for 2009. Here’s hoping they’re saving up for next year.
Today only - 50% off Southwest flights to/from SFO, OAK and SJC
April 27, 2009 2:23pm
You’ve got mere hours before the Southwest Mystery City Sale comes to an end. Today, April 27, airfare to and from the San Francisco Bay Area is 50% off. Just use promo codes “LUVSFO” for travel to San Francisco, “LUVOAK” for travel to Oakland and “LUVSJC” for travel to San Jose. The deal is good for tickets purchased seven days in advance by April 27, 2009, 11:59 pm Pacific Time for travel through June 10, 2009.
Tested: I found tickets between Los Angeles (LAX) or San Diego (SAN) and San Francisco (SFO) marked down from $69 to $35 each way (pre-tax) during the first week of June. Flights between Burbank (BUR) and San Francisco (SFO) were not available for those same dates, June 3-5.
Contact: Southwest Airlines
— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger
[Image: luv.southwest.com]
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 »
