What a bloomin' bargain: London in the off-season

By Richard P. Carpenter, Globe Staff, 10/20/02

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Prices for London vacations in the off season have dipped so low you may be tempted to doubt they are the real thing. But believe it.

Those trips now start at $299 for air and three nights' hotel. Oh, there are airport taxes and fees that add about $100, and you may want to stay longer and upgrade your accommodations, and you do have to eat. But you will still be buying into one of the world's great travel bargains, enabling you to visit a vibrant city where they speak your language, more or less. Here are some of the offers:

The $299 price is from American Airlines Vacations. In addition to the flight and three nights at the Thistle Euston Hotel, the offer includes daily continental breakfast, a Thames sightseeing cruise, a two-for-one dining discount, hotel service charges and taxes, and 2,000 frequent-flier miles (plus 1,000 more if you book online).

(The fine print: Prices are per person, double occupancy. Travel must take place between Nov. 1 and March 31, with March 22 the deadline for booking. There may be blackout dates or other restrictions, and availability is limited. In October, you can only book by phone.)

Call 800-321-2121 or visit aavacations.com, then click on Deals, then Featured Destination, then Britain Just Go at the bottom of the page. And if you can't get the deal or the days you want, other airlines are also offering low-cost packages. In addition to those listed elsewhere in this column, they include United Vacations (888-328-6877 or www.unitedvacations.com/manymiles.htm) and British Airways (877-4A-VACATION or www.britishairways.com).

Virgin Vacations, which has a passel of good deals for London, is offering $25 off its three-night Thanksgiving Special, a package for Nov. 27-Dec. 1 that starts at $499 per person. For the extra savings, book online by Nov. 1.

In addition to flights, hotel, and daily continental breakfast, the package offers round-trip airport to hotel transportation, a city guide and map, a carry-all upon arrival, discount dining coupons, and five extra wine tastings at the Vinopolis attraction.

Call 888-YES-VIRGIN (888-937-8474) or visit www.virgin-vacations.com.

If you'd prefer to celebrate Christmas or New Year's in London, go-today.com is offering six-night packages for trips departing Dec. 19, 20, 22, 26, or 27, beginning at $599 for the pre-Christmas dates or $549 for New Year's.

Visit www.go-today.com and click on Holiday/Themed Specials. The Web site also has non-holiday deals, including a six-night London-Paris package with rail beginning at $599 and one that includes air and a seven-day car rental beginning at $349.

Bigger spenders who want to enjoy Thanksgiving or Christmas in deluxe London lodgings might consider these offerings from 51 Buckingham Gate, which has 82 apartments, all of which include a fully appointed kitchen. For 999 pounds (about $1,500), you get three nights in a junior or own-bedroom suite, a traditional Thanksgiving turkey-and-trimming dinner served in your suite, complimentary pickup from Heathrow Airport (air fare not included), two tickets to the National Theatre revival of "My Fair Lady," two tickets to the Queen's Gallery of Royal Treasures at Buckingham Palace, a ride on the London Eye, and a gift from the Shiseido salon. A Christmas offer is similar, except goose is served and you get a London ornament.

Call 888-528-2503 or visit www.51-buckinghamgate.com.

If you're looking for a luxe lodging place that's not necessarily linked to the holidays, the Atheneum Hotel & Apartments is offering a package in US dollars that is roughly 25 percent off the usual rate. Prices thus begin at $265 for a single room and $290 for a double. Until Jan. 31, guests who book the new US dollar rate package will also receive daily continental breakfast, a welcome drink upon arrival, a complimentary newspaper, pressing service, and priority check-in and extended check-out times.

Call 800-335-3300, fax 800-335-3200, or e-mail info@athenaeumhotel.com.

Rail sales

BritRail is taking 25 percent off any BritRail Classic pass or BritRail Flexipass bought between Nov. 1 and Feb. 28. Train travel must be completed by Feb. 28. A four-day Classic pass ordinarily costs $149-$279 depending upon class of service, and a four-day Flexipass ranges from $185-$349.

Call 877-677-1066 or log on to www.britrail.net.

Rail Europe, meanwhile, is offering a 20 percent discount on the high-speed Eurostar train connecting London with Paris or Brussels through the Channel Tunnel. Tickets must be booked by Nov. 22 for travel through Dec. 15.

The discount is automatic when you buy a full fare or leisure fare ticket in either first or standard class or a ticket in First Premium. Thus, a $130 standard-class leisure ticket would cost $111, and and a first-class full fare, normally $279, would be $223. Every little bit does help.

Call 800-EUROSTAR or visit wwww.raileurope.com.

Food, glorious food

The seventh edition of Zagat's London Restaurant Survey is out, containing reviews of 957 dining spots. Among the best buys are Food for Thought in Covent Garden, the Troubador in Earl's Court, and Busaba Eathai in Soho. The guide costs $12.95 and is available at many bookstores and at www.zagat.com.

Beyond London

A 10-day, eight-night escorted Trafalgar tour called Real Britain visits London, Salisbury, Stonehenge, Bath, Stoke-on-Trent, Chester, Grasmere, Moffat, Edinburgh, Jedburgh, York, Coventry, and Stratford-on-Avon. Scenic drives include the Salisbury Plain, English Lake District, Scottish Borderlands, Northumberland National Park, and the Cotswold Hills. Departures are from Nov. 1 to April 4, and land-only prices begin at $725; with air, the price starts at $990.

Participants get a full English breakfast each day, two dinners, and local guides in London and Edinburgh. Service charges, tips, baggage handling fees, and local taxes are included. See a travel agent, call 800-648-1638, or visit www.trafalgar.com.

Britain booklet

The British Tourist Authority thinks it would be peaches and cream to give you a free pocket-size booklet called "UK City Experience," featuring information on nearly two dozen urban centers in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. London is, of course, one of the cities.

Call the British Tourist Authority at 877-899-8391 or go to www.ukcityculture.com for an online version. The authority's travel center in New York can be e-mailed at travelinfo@bta.org.uk.