Looking forward to spring and the prices it brings

By Richard P. Carpenter, Globe Staff, 03/16/03

		All Along  Destinations  Get in gear  Going Strong  Outbound  Real deals  Sensible traveler  Taking Off  Where they went

Although it sometimes seems hard to believe, spring will come. Already, there are such harbingers as seed catalogs in the mail, grown men playing baseball in Florida, and garden shows blooming across the nation. Here's another sign: Some very nice New England properties are offering shoulder-season rates, enabling you to save a little or a lot. Among them:

Through May 22 (and again in the fall), rates start at $100 per room per night, including breakfast, at the Fan House, a newly opened and refurbished 1840 country house in Barnard, Vt., 12 miles from Woodstock. The three-bedroom (all with private baths) bed-and-breakfast has been a labor of love for the owner-host, Sara Widness, who spent four years reclaiming the dwelling that she says was "imploding" under previous owners' neglect. Widness says, "I tried to let the house talk to me, to tell me what it wanted to be, rather than imposing myself on it." The results of that conversation include polished floorboards, Victorian window frames, and a turn-of-century wood cook stove.

(The price range through May 22, and again Sept. 1-18, is $100-$150. In summer on non-holiday weekends, the price goes up slightly, to $110-$160. On holiday weekends and during foliage season, prices can go from $110-$180.)

Visit www.TheFanHouse.com, call 802-234-9096, or e-mail swidness@aol.com.

The Winnetu Inn & Resort on Martha's Vineyard, which opens for the season on April 18, is offering a free extra night through July 2, if guests stay at least two nights. And if that stay is before June 6, a free gourmet breakfast basket will be delivered to their room. Spring/early summer studio rates begin at $195-$250 per night depending on availability and dates.

The Winnetu also offers "Dinner & a Classic Movie." After a casual dinner from the new bistro menu at the inn's Opus restaurant, guests can head to the library for a complimentary classic movie with coffee and dessert. Among films to be shown are "Casablanca" ("Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world . . ."), "The Graduate" ("Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me"), and "Singin' in the Rain" ("What a glorious feeling, I'm happy again"). The offer is good Sundays through June 8.

Call 978-443-1733 or visit www.winnetu.com.

In Nantucket, the upscale White Elephant, where standard summer rates begin at $520 a night, has a new one-night package called the 222. It includes a room for two, breakfast for two, and nightly jazz for two for $222, valid Sundays through Thursdays during May, June, September, and October. The White Elephant consists of 54 guestrooms and suites, most with working fireplaces and harbor views, and 12 garden cottages. There are also a library, fitness room, business lounge, and harborside lawn.

Call 800-445-6574 or 508-228-2500 or visit www.whiteelephanthotel.com.

Rocking the boat

New England's impresario of doo-wop, concert producer Harvey Robbins, is once again bringing an oldies show to sea, traveling from Boston to Bermuda and back aboard the Norwegian Majesty. The "Royalty of Rock 'n' Roll All-Stars" cruise takes place May 18-25.

Performers, led by Detroit's Billy Davis, will do four concerts, including a scheduled sock hop contest and dance under the stars in the town square of St. George's, Bermuda, on May 17. Robbins must be doing something right: This is his 11th annual cruise.

Group rates are $794 for inside cabins and $960 for outside staterooms, plus port taxes of $274.50 (the ship spends the equivalent of three days docked in Bermuda). A bonus for every cabin booked is a free day of beauty at the Ashley Paige Day Spa in Chelmsford, including a massage, facial, manicure, and pedicure.

Call 978-256-6472.

Cranmore for $19

Everyone's a kid at Cranmore Mountain Resort in North Conway, N.H. — at least as far as prices go. From now until the end of the season, all ages pay the children's rate of $19.

That buys a lift pass good all day, every day, including weekends. Equipment rental packages are also getting the kids' treatment, with all ages paying $40 for equipment and a day's lift pass.

$200 credit

The website www.1800flyeurope.com is offering deals to Paris and Rome for spring and summer that include air fare and a $200 credit for car rentals, chauffeur services, traveler's insurance, or cellphones. Sample fares from Boston or New York — Paris, $457 from April 1 to June 15 and $519 from June 16 to Aug. 31; Rome, $509 from April 1 to June 15 and $617 from June 16 to Aug. 31.

(The fine print: Package prices are per person and exclude taxes and security fees. Fares must be ticketed by March 31.)

Visit the website or call 800-FLY-EUROPE.

Vegas values

The Las Vegas Advisor, a monthly publication, lists these as the top five values in Vegas: a complete steak dinner at the Ellis Island casino for $4.95; a shrimp cocktail at the Golden Gate for 99 cents; the "Superbuffet" at Texas station for $4.99 to $10.99; the prime rib dinner at California for $5.99, and a hamburger at Wild Wild West for $1.99.

Subscriptions to the Advisor are $50 a year but include a book of coupons for food, rooms, shows, car rentals, etc., that the publication says is worth $239, adjusted for a single trip with average use. Only a few of the offers seem to be from the best-known casinos, however.

Visit www.lasvegasadvisor,com or call 800-244-2224.

$25 Disney room

The Courtyard by Marriott hotel, in the Walt Disney World Resort, has a rate beginning at $25 a night.

The Dream Rate, as Marriott calls it, is good Sunday through Thursday, May 5-June 5. The hotel is near the Downtown Disney marketplace and West Side area. There is complimentary transportation to all Disney parks.

(The fine print: There is a maximum of four persons per room. Tax is not included.)

Call 800-223-9930 or visit www.courtyardorlando.com.

Speaking of Disney

Diehard Disney fans may be interested in a new Visa credit card that, among other things, provides a 1 percent rebate in the form of Disney Dream Reward Dollars, good for merchandise, theme park tickets, hotel rooms, and other things Disney. A couple of cautions: If you want to pay for one of the costlier items totally with reward dollars, it will take a lot of buying to get the necessary amount. And as with any credit card, be wary of spending yourself into unmanageable debt.

Call Bank One at 888-878-7222 or visit www.disneyapplynow.com.