Trip Tips
It's Free -- Take
advantage
of the new ‘ambassador service’ at The
House, hip new 34-room boutique hotel in Barbados. Enjoy a
much- appreciated 30-minute jet lag
massage on arrival, in a beach cabana, or in your suite. A sumptuous
afternoon tea is also complimentary. Ambassador
Andrew Braithwaite smoothes your stay with unexpected extras – like
making
espresso in your room, booking the best table at Daphne’s, or sneaking
a
Snickers bar onto your pillow because it’s your favorite! www.thehousebarbados.com
French
101 accompanies a stay
at the Art Deco-infused Hilton Arc De Triomphe. To enhance your Paris experience, the hotel provides a French
language
guidebook that includes pronunciation, basic terms and phrases; plus a
special lapel
pin notifying the staff you want to speak French only. Knowing a little
Francais opens your eyes to the real
Paree! www.hiltonhotels.com
Bangkok’s 612-room Novotel
Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel for transit travelers is a
busy Asia
hub, and this hotel is well above what comes to mind as airport transit
stops. For
about US$58.00, travelers can buy two hours minimum stay. Additional
hours up
to six max cost US$15.00 per hour. Check in day or night. Use the
24-hour shuttle
service, or take a 10-minute walk through a convenient tunnel. A
business
center, 6 meeting rooms, 2 bars, 4 restaurants, a luxurious spa, pool
and
spacious lobby await you. www.novotel-asia.com
Park/Sleep/Fly. Since
travel now has so many regulations involving early starts, airport and
cruise port hotels with parking packages are in demand. Names may
differ, but benefits are uniform: one night's hotel accommodation,
transfers to and from the airport, plus parking in a protected area for
an average 7-14 days. www.parksleepfly.com
helps you find these hotel packages at cruise ports and airports all
over the U.S., parts of Canada and Europe.
Car
Rental Deals.
Don’t
get taken
for a
ride when you need a rental car. www.carrentals.com
and www.rentalcars.com offer
comparison costs at pick-up and drop-off locations. Find all kinds of
last-minute deals at www.independenttraveler.com/bargainbox.
Senior
Discounts.
Seniors
62 and over save 15% on train travel
with Amtrak (800-872-7245) www.amtrak.com.
Those seniors over 60 save 10% on full adult fare with Via Rail Canada
(888-842-7245) www.viarail.com,
and its ‘Bring a Friend’
program includes a companion free except during winter holiday season.
Need
tickets to a hard-to-get show, sports event, a papal audience?
Whatever your pleasure, no need to stand
in long lines or carry
on a lengthy
correspondence. Keith
Prowse is the oldest and largest source for tickets to worldwide
events, and the agency does all the work for you. www.keithprowse.com
MedicKey technology
eases health issues while
traveling. Launched by medical professionals, this tiny USB device
keeps medical records (medications, allergies, surgeries,
treatments) with you, and works on just about any Windows-based
computer in the world. New information is easily uploaded when you
receive medical attention on the road. www.medickey.com
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Best Buys
St.
Thomas Special at Bolongo BayBeach
Resort. Come
to America’s Caribbean
where no passport is needed, and experience
the fun capital of St. Thomas. Get
in the karaoke spirit, dance
the night away
with
the locals at Iggy’s, enjoy one of the island’s best Caribbean Barbecue
nights,
and forget all your cares as you sail the ocean blue on the resort’s
own
52-foot catamaran “Heavenly Days.” www.bolongobay.com
Young
Island Resort, a tranquil
romantic haven on its own island in the Grenadines, provides an
escape from winter weather in an idyllic setting. The 7-night Lover’s Package from $2,792 per
couple valid now through Mar. 31, 2010, includes
three meals daily, airport and ferry
transfers, a foot massage, tennis, basic laundry, non-motorized
watersports,
taxes and service charges. Sip a sundowner at your beachfront or
hillside
cottage, or meet new friends at the floating Coconut Bar that juts ten
yards
into the Caribbean Sea. St. Vincent and the Grenadines are a string
of 32 islands located 1,500 miles
southeast of Miami. www.discoversvg.com
Book 21 days
in advance at any HILTON HOTEL across Europe, Africa, Asia and the
Middle East, and take 20% off the rate. Rates include breakfast and
vary per dollar
exchange: Bangkok $262 p/room p/night; Singapore $216; Shanghai $160;
Tokyo $278; and Sydney $173. I've stayed at the amazingly innovative
Millennium Hilton on
Bangkok's Chao Phraya River. A
spacious spa blends indoor/outdoor at its best, a converted rice barge
shuttles you free to a shopping mall across the river, and there is
actually a real sandy beach by the fourth floor pool! www.hilton.com
Holiday
Inn Resort Aruba sets 2010 ‘Early
Bird’ savings,
reducing rates
by
45% thru Dec. 23, 2010. EP rates start at $126 per room per
night;
all-inclusive
from $319 per room per night for two in room. Minimum two-night stay
required,
and all room categories are valid except Lanai rooms and suites.
Use Promo
Code 145 when booking. www.caribbeanhi.com/aruba.
Ritz Tours’
2010 Asia tour schedule
offers reduced
rates (up to
$700 off 2009 costs). Premiere
Series takes $300 off four tours around SE Asia, reducing rates
to the $3,900
level on
15- to 18-day trips. Deluxe Series (10 to 16 days) covers China and a Yangtze River cruise at $200 off, costing
$1,779 to
$2,979. Departures run March through December, 2010, and prices quoted
are per
person, double occupancy. Renowned for offering the best quality tours
at the
most affordable prices, Ritz Tours currently offers more than 20
Premiere,
Deluxe and Asia Series tours and six Deluxe programs for Europe.
www.ritztours.com
Embassy
Suites Dorado, Puerto
Rico. Explore
the island on the Suites
& Wheels package, from $222 p/night through March
20, 2010. Compact car
rental, $20 gas card, 10% off on-site
food and beverage outlets and massage treatments, plus the spacious
two-room
suite with wet bar, fridge, microwave and coffee maker. Add daily
complimentary
cooked-to-order breakfasts and daily manager’s cocktail party, golf and
tennis.
Drive on the right to El Yunque Forest, Camuy Caves, the luminous bay and mountain coffee
plantations. The
island is yours to explore. www.embassysuites.com
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