Hot Deals | weekly travel bargains

The deal: Kimpton Hotels, a specialist in boutique properties with individual character, is putting San Francisco on sale through September 1—and it has eight locations there. In most cases, the special rates apply for Thursday through Sunday stays, like the starting rates of $109 a night at the Harbor Court Hotel and the Triton, $119 at The Serrano, and $159 at the Hotel Palomar and Hotel Monaco. Sale rates are good any night of the week at the Prescott, starting at $129; Sunday through Thursdays at the Argonaut Hotel, starting at $169 a night; and Sundays through Fridays at the Sir Francis Drake, beginning at $139. Blackout dates may apply.

The dollars: from $109.

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The deal: The Reef, an eight-year-old resort on the East End of Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands, wants more guests to arrive midweek rather than on weekends in late summer and fall. So it is offering a 40 percent discount off its usual summer rates for persons who arrive Tuesday or Wednesday and stay a minimum of five nights, from July 29 through November 3. Summer nightly rates at The Reef begin at $220 for a studio suite, or $295 for a one-bedroom. With a 40 percent discount, the comparable starting rates would be $132/$177. The hotel boasts the longest beach on the island at 1,600 feet.

The dollars: from $132.

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The deal: 15 luxury resorts in Turks & Caicos have joined together to offer a great summer promotion. Called Summer Break 2008, it offers a free fourth night at participating resorts with three paid nights, for travel from now through September—a 25 percent discount. Rates vary with hotel selection and arrival dates. Other island vendors are also offering discounts and specials for the promotional period, ranging from free spa treatments and dinners to price cuts on rental cars, dive trips, and greens fees. Mention “Summer Break” when you book.

The dollars: vary by hotel.

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The deal: The elegant (and expensive) hotel in South Beach called The Setai—created by renowned hotelier Adrian Zecha—has rack rates that begin at $645 a night for a studio suite with a city view. During the summer season, the hotel has Summer Escape rates that start at $520 a night. But from now through October 15, The Setai is offering an “Extra Night” package that gives you a fifth night free when you book four nights starting at the reduced $520 rate. That works out to an average nightly cost of $416 for one of South Florida’s hottest properties.

The dollars: from $416.

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The deal: Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Symphony will be spending next spring in the Far East, and the luxury line has come out with special incentives for three cruises there. Passengers who book the ship’s April 20, 11-day Hong Kong to Singapore sailing, starting at $4,805 per person, double, will get two-category cabin upgrades to verandah suites, worth $3,600 per couple. Those who book the 15-day Hong Kong to Beijing cruise March 27 or the 15-day Beijing to Hong Kong departure April 5, both starting at $5,995, will get the same two-category upgrade plus a free three-day Beijing excursion including hotels, all meals, and sightseeing. Persons who book Penthouse accommodations can save $2,000 per person.

The dollars: from $4,805.

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The deal: Water levels are up this year at Lake Powell, the pleasure-boating mecca on the Utah-Arizona border, opening up passages that have been closed to boaters for years. And Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas has a fall sale on houseboat rentals, offering free gas for your boat’s final fueling (a savings of up to $1,000) as well as 20 percent discounts on four boat categories—Voyager, Adventure, Discovery, and Expedition—for rentals of five days or more. With the special, a Voyager boat starts at $2,075 for five days. It sleeps up to eight people and comes fully furnished and equipped. Book by August 15 for travel from August 15 to December 31.

The dollars: from $2,075.

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The deal: You won’t often find Caribbean cruises on a major line for under $75 per person, per night—especially during peak winter season. But that’s the deal currently on offer from MSC Cruises, which is bringing its new 3,000-passenger MSC Orchestra to the islands this winter. While they last, MSC has starting fares of $519-$599 per person, double, for the January 10 and 24, February 7 and 21, March 7 and 21, and April 18 sailings of the Orchestra from Ft. Lauderdale on seven-night western and eastern Caribbean itineraries. Those rates are for inside cabins. Starting ocean-view rates are $719 to $849, and balcony cabins start at $849-$989 on those seven cruises. What’s more, kids 17 or younger sail free.

The dollars: from $519.

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The deal: Book by August 29 and you can lock in a price of $888 per person, double, for seven-night, all-inclusive packages to any of nine Club Med resorts this fall and winter. The $888 Couples Vacations offer applies for travel from August 23, 2008 through February 13, 2009 at Columbus Isle in the Bahamas; Turkoise in the Turks & Caicos; the Cancun and Ixtapa clubs in Mexico; Sandpiper in Florida; Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic; Buccaneer’s Creek in Martinique; La Caravelle in Guadeloupe; and Bora Bora in French Polynesia. Six of the clubs also have a family version, with rates of $888 per adult and $444 per child age 4-15.

The dollars: $888.

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The deal: During September, the elk in northwest Wyoming’s picturesque Grand Teton National Park begin their annual migration through the park to an area near the town of Jackson. And the park’s Jackson Lake Lodge, operated by Grand Teton Lodge Company, has an “Elk Lover’s Package” available from September 2 through October 4 that provides a 25 percent savings. Priced at $179 a night, single or double, it includes “classic cottage” accommodations, buffet breakfast in the hotel’s Mural Dining Room, and a self-guided elk excursion.

The dollars: $179.

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The deal: Through October 4, the second person in a mother/daughter duo (or daughter-in-law, or granddaughter) can get a special rate of $600 for seven-night spa packages at Mexico’s Hotel Ixtapan Spa and Golf Resort. The first person pays the usual rate of $1,299. That covers accommodations, all meals, personal treatments with organic ingredients, tennis and golf lessons, use of the fitness center and tennis courts, fitness classes, and more. The hotel is at 5,400 foot altitude in the Sierra Madre Mountains, 65 miles from Mexico City. Proof of eligibility might be required on check-in.

The dollars: from $1,299 for the first person, $600 for the second.

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The deal: Vacationers who want to take advantage of fall specials at leading Caribbean resorts can now find bargain air fares to get there. American Airlines just came out with a sale on travel to the islands for departures from September 2 through December 8, with a purchase deadline of July 31. Return flights must be completed by December 10. Besides destinations in the Caribbean, the sale also includes Bermuda and Mexico. Sample roundtrip fares: Miami to Port of Spain, Trinidad, $152; Miami to Freeport, Bahamas, $156; New York JFK to Bermuda, $246; Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, $262; Miami to Grand Cayman, $254.

The dollars: from $152 roundtrip.

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The deal: Across the Pacific for less than $800 roundtrip—including all taxes and fuel surcharges? Sounds pretty amazing for the summer of 2008, but the starting price for a Los Angeles to Tokyo roundtrip flight on Singapore Airlines this fall is $794, with all those nasty add-ons included. The airline’s online “Super Deal” is good for trips departing LAX between August 30 and December 9, with a final purchase deadline of December 9. It applies for departures Monday through Thursday. The airline also has a sale on LAX-Taipei flights, from $875 roundtrip including everything. That’s good for departures between September 5-30, with a September 30 purchase deadline.

The dollars: from $794.

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