REAL DEALS

Warm places at reasonable prices

By Richard P. Carpenter, Globe Staff, 2/23/2003

 
   All Along
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I've had it. And unless you're a skier, skater, sledder, or snowboarder, you probably have, too. New England's snow-shrouded, icicle-encrusted winter makes many of us long to head for warmer climes while saving cold cash. Here are some possibilities:

  • The Caribbean isle of Barbados has reintroduced its Best of Barbados package, offering a $200 or $300 credit toward air fare, free first-night accommodations, free breakfast daily, and a variety of discounts on activities. In addition, renting a car for at least three days gets you a fourth day at no extra cost.

    (The fine print: Travelers must stay at least seven nights at hotels and resorts, or five nights at all-inclusive properties. The $300 air-fare credit is for bookings between now and March 1 for stays from March 1 through April 11. The $200 rebate is for bookings between now and July 31 for stays from April 26 through Dec. 14. Blackout periods are April 11-25 and July 13 through Aug. 25.)

    For reservations, see a travel agent. For more information, call 800-221-9831 or visit www.barbados.org.

  • The Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau, along with 15 tourist attractions and 12 hotels, has created five new packages: Fun, Family & Value; Real Adventure; History Buff; Culture Craver; and Deluxe. Prices start at $87.50 a person including taxes. Visitors may add extra attractions, nights, and people for additional cost.

    The packages can be booked at www.visittampabay.com.

  • The East may be cold but the Far East isn't. For $1,459 a person from Boston, a nine-day Thailand trip includes air fare to, from, and within Thailand; seven nights at deluxe hotels, with breakfast; and a touring program that includes Bangkok, Chiang Rai, the Golden Triangle area, and Chiang Mai. Activities include visits to hill tribes, an elephant ride, and a riverboat tour. The trip is available until May 31.

    (The fine print: An $80 additional charge is levied in April and May. Airport taxes are not included.)

    Call Natrabu Indo-America Travel at 800-628-7228 or visit www.natrabu-usa.com.

  • The Waikoloa Beach Marriott, on the Big Island's Kohala Coast, has a new golf package with garden-view accommodations, one confirmed tee time a day, and unlimited play privileges on the same course. The Golf Forever package costs $154 a person, double occupancy, or $237 single rate. Golfers can choose from the King's or Beach courses, both award winners.

    See a travel agent, call 888-924-5656 or visit www.waikoloaresort.com.

  • Hotel Hacienda Del Caribe, a 34-room hotel in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, is offering a low-cost package geared to honeymooners or families. The package includes seven nights' accommodation, breakfast daily, and a 15 percent discount on passes to the eco-parks Xcaret and Xel-Ha, with children under 12 free. The package is $65 per room, per night (double occupancy) and is available through July 5.

    Call 011-52-984-87-33132 or visit www.haciendadelcaribe.com.

  • Air Jamaica Vacations is shaving up to 35 percent off the cost of complete and all-inclusive Caribbean vacation packages booked through March 1.

    From Boston (and several other cities), a complete four-day/three-night vacation to Barbados starts at $579; Curacao, $749; St. Lucia, $669; Antigua, $689; and Grenada, $759. The packages include round-trip air fare, accommodations, on-island airport transfers, and 24-hour on-island customer service.

    Call 800-LOVEBIRD.

    $278 Paris trip

    Northwest Airlines WorldVacations Europe is offering round-trip air fare and three nights in Paris starting at $278. The package is good for travel between Feb. 25 and March 31. Extra nights are $40 each.

    (The fine print: Prices are per person, double occupancy. Airport fees and taxes, which can add $100 or so to a trip, are not included.)

    Call 800-727-1111 or visit www.nwaworldvacations.com.

    Wine tasting

    The Jackson House Inn & Restaurant in Woodstock, Vt., will host two weekend wine tasting events March 7-9 and 14-16. The Mid-Winter Weekend Wine Tasting Getaway package features two nights' accommodations and two tickets to the wine tasting evening starting at $370 per room, a 50 percent discount off the regular rates for the 15-room inn, which has a AAA four-diamond rating.

    Each wine tasting evening will have an opening reception with a cheese tasting matched with wines from the featured winery. Guests will then indulge themselves in a five-course Tuscan/Mediterranean dinner, with each course paired with appropriate wines.

    Call 800-448-1890 or visit www.jacksonhouse.com.

    Help an animal

    During March, the Captain Jefferds Inn in Kennebunkport, Maine, will donate 25 percent of your room rate, in your name, to the local Animal Welfare Society. If you want, the tax-deductible donation can be made in memory or in honor of a special pet. The fund-raiser includes a 10 percent discount off regular rates, which range from $145 to $315, plus a gift, fresh flowers and chocolates in your room, a three-course candlelit breakfast, and afternoon tea with homemade refreshments and hot mulled cider.

    Call 800-839-6844 or visit www.captainjefferdsinn.com.

    Women's Wednesdays

    At Vermont's Bolton Valley Resort, Women's Wednesdays feature full-day lift tickets for $20, child care for $15, and lessons for $10. Coffee, cocoa, and cookies are free in the lodge 10 a.m. to noon.

    Visit www.boltonvalley.com.

    Harry Potter trip

    With a second Harry Potter film and a new book in sight, Image Tours is again offering a 10-day Enchanted England Tour of sights inspired by the movies "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."

    Available dates are June 15, July 20, and Aug. 10. Prices are from $2,380 per person, double occupancy. The land-only cost is $1,440.

    Visit www.imagetours.com or see a travel agent.