Archive for the 'Weekend Getaways' Category
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 »
Yosemite: Curry Village ice rink opens today
November 20, 2009 2:57pm
Whether you’re on the ice to pirouette, or to practice skating in a straight line without causing any harm, you can’t have less than an awe-inspiring time at an outdoor rink in Yosemite. The national park’s ice-skating venue, which sits below Glacier Point’s cliffs, is naturally blessed with good views of popular landmarks like Tenaya Canyon, Half Dome and Cloud’s Rest.
And now you can see it for yourself. Located in the western section of Curry Village, the rink opens today for the 2009-2010 winter season.
Though the attraction got its start in 1928, after a Yosemite club flooded a parking lot, the rink is equipped to meet visitors’ 21st-century needs: Rental skates are available, as is a warming hut, and an ice-resurfacing machine comes through regularly to freshen up the rink. Non-skaters can watch the fun next to a fire pit close by.
Skating sessions are scheduled daily, from 3:30 to 6 p.m., and 7 to 9:30 p.m. Additional sessions are available on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:30 to 11 a.m., and noon to 2:30 p.m. 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 »
NYC Restaurant Week 2010: Three-course dinner for $35
November 18, 2009 12:32pm
Time your New York City vacation right and you may be able to eat your way through the Big Apple without going broke. This week, the dates for the famous NYC Restaurant Week Winter 2010 were announced by NYC & Company, the city’s marketing and tourism organization.
The two-week event, which runs semiannually in summer and winter, is scheduled for Jan. 25 to Feb. 7, 2010.
And maybe we have the recession to thank, but prices for the foodie series are the same as they were in 2006. At participating restaurants, three-course, prix-fixe dinners will run $35. Lunches will cost $24.07 (as in 24 hours a day/7 days a week in the city that doesn’t sleep). These prices do not include beverages, tax and tip. And the special prices are valid every day during the two-week period except Saturdays. 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 »
Big Bear: Free Thanksgiving dinner with vacation rental
November 14, 2009 5:45pm
I’m grateful for my many blessings — really, I am. But the thought of cooking a Thanksgiving dinner this year makes me to want to hide out until 2010. The only problem with that plan is that I’d really be missing out on the turkey and the trimmings, and of course the familial camaraderie. So maybe I’ll cart everyone up to a cabin in the San Bernardino Mountains instead.
Deal: Big Bear Vacations, which rents out over 300 cabins and homes, is offering a free prepared Thanksgiving dinner for those booking any of their properties for at least two nights during the holiday weekend, with arrival being on Wednesday, Nov. 25, only.
The dinner, enough for six to eight people, is prepared by the deli at the Vons in Big Bear Lake, and it will include turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, cranberry sauce, rolls and a pumpkin pie. If your party is a smaller one, you’ll get the same amount of food — but presumably, you’ll end up with lots for leftovers too. Read the rest of this entry »
Cabo San Lucas: Luxe ‘Thanksgiving in the Sun’ 4-night package (with football!)
November 13, 2009 5:58am
If you’ve never thought about leaving town for Thanksgiving because there was no way your family could live without the tradition of watching football, this splurge of a deal is for you. I bet you didn’t even know you could watch NFL games in Mexico. The brand-new Hacienda Beach Club & Residences in Cabo San Lucas knows what you want. It has put together a Thanksgiving package complete with turkey dinner, the NFL, and if you can break away from the bar — a sunset cruise on the Sea of Cortez.
Deal: Four nights in a one-bedroom residence for two people comes to $740 per person, or $1,480 before the 13% tax. When I called, there was plenty of availability for Wednesday, Nov. 25 through Nov. 29. If there are four people staying in a two-bedroom residence, the cost is $640 per person, pre-tax. The package includes a traditional turkey dinner prepared in your residence by a personal chef and butler, a margarita and chips & guacamole welcome, a sunset cruise on Friday, and a tailgating party at the Palapa Bar at the Beach Club, where NFL games will be shown. If you’re feeling guilty about the big turkey dinner, a personal trainer is also included one day during your stay. It’s worth noting that one-bedroom residences are priced at $575 per night after their grand opening in January.
When: Valid through Nov. 30, 2009, based on availability.
Note: The Hacienda Beach Club & Residences has a vacation rental component to it, but because there is no minimum night requirement it operates like a hotel.
Contact: Hacienda Beach Club & Residences, (949) 388-8590
— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger
[Photo credit: Hacienda Beach Club & Residences]
