Daily Travel Deal – Las Vegas MGM Grand getting close to paying you to stay

by Scott Carmichael on

This was bound to happen sooner or later – Hotels in Las Vegas are so desperate happy to have you come and stay with them, that the deals are better than ever.

Short of being comped, this deal at the MGM Grand is one of the hottest out there at the moment.

Starting at $48, you get a night at the hotel, $35 in dining and activity credits, a 2 for 1 spa pass, 2 VIP passes to Studio 54 or Tabú and $25 in free slot play.

If a standard room isn’t good enough, you can drop an extra $25 for a bungalow suite, or $30 for a celebrity spa suite (700 sq ft).

Seriously, this is indeed getting close to having the hotel pay you to come and stay with them. Of course, the hotel would prefer if you left them some extra cash on the gaming tables or at one of their other amenities

The fine print is simple – you can stay at this promotional rate between April 22nd 2009 and December 29th 2009, but you need to book before April 30th 2009. The $48 rate is only available on certain dates, but a quick peek at the availability calendar shows that most of the summer months have that rate. Some dates are very high, but on average, it won’t be hard to snag yourself a really good deal.

Still trying to plan your summer vacation? Check out these hot international travel deals!

Daily gear deal – Garmin nüvi 200 for $87

by Scott Carmichael on

Today’s daily deal is for the GARMIN nüvi 200 GPS unit. The nüvi 200 is one of the most popular GPS devices on the market, and thanks to its great routing, and Navteq maps, you’ll have a reliable device that shouldn’t have too much of a problem getting you where you need to be.

With such a low price you’ll get a fairly basic product, so don’t expect too many bells and whistles. It has all the basic navigation features, including a large point of interest database as well as a calculator and world clock.

The nüvi 200 normally retails for about $150, but Newegg.com has it on sale for just $87.

This low price does mean you’ll get a refurbished unit, which means the product was once returned to the manufacturer, and was returned to its “as new” condition.

Included with the product is a windshield mount and car charger. The nüvi 200 ships for free with 3-day UPS express.

Daily Travel Deal – Royal Caribbean Cruises starting at just $229 + bonus credit

by Scott Carmichael on

Royal Caribbean is currently offering a huge variety of very nicely priced cruise packages, starting at just $229.

That low price actually gets you a 3 night/4 day cruise from Miami to the Bahamas (and back).

To make the deal even better, they’ll also throw in a $25 on-board credit on select dates, making the final price just a couple of bucks over $200.

That $200 includes all your meals, entertainment, pool access, rock climbing, 9 bars, a casino, movie theater and a fitness center/spa. That means you get an all inclusive vacation for just $68 a night!

If you have a little more time (or money), you’ll find a nice lineup of other cruises including 10 nights in Alaska for $1049 (with a $200 on-board credit) or even a 12 night transatlantic cruise from London, via France, Ireland, Iceland and Canada to Boston for $1099.

Of course, these prices are all based on an inside room, but in my experience, if you plan your ship time well, you’ll only be using the room for sleeping. Upgrades to an oceanview room start at just $50. As with most travel deals, availability will be limited, and not all dates will be available for the lowest price.

Check out the entire lineup of Royal Caribbean cruise deals here. If you’d prefer to keep both feet on solid ground, be sure to check out the top 5 travel deals!

Daily gear deal – Pink 4GB Zune with free car kit for $74.99

by Scott Carmichael on

Mothers day is coming up again (May 10th), which means we’ll start seeing more pink gadgets go on sale.

If you want to get shopping a little early this year, check out this deal from Buy.com – they currently have the Microsoft Zune 4GB Pink on sale for $74.99, with a free car kit.

The car kit consists of a charger/FM transmitter. Normally, the 4GB Zune retails for about $95 and the car kit for $25, making this deal about $45 cheaper than normal retail prices.

The package even ships for free (with slow ground shipping), but you can upgrade to 2 day shipping for just $5.95.

The player is of course perfect for traveling, and the addition of the car kit means mom (or anyone else you buy this for) will be able to enjoy tunes in the (rental) car.

Daily gear deal – Archos 2GB MP3/video player for $30

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is perfect if you are low on budget, but high on requirements for an MP3 player.

This Archos 105 2GB media player features a 1.8″ OLED screen and is just 7mm thin. The device supports music from most popular formats, and video in the WMV format. The device even features a photo viewer, capable of viewing JPEG images.

The battery is capable of powering the device for about 18 hours, making it perfect for your upcoming long haul flight.

Reviews of the player are generally positive, but they do point out that video quality is quite poor, which makes sense with such a small screen.

Still, at just 40 cents over 30 bucks, it’s a real bargain, and if you need a couple of players to keep your kids (or significant other) quiet during your trip, it probably won’t disappoint you.

You’ll find the deal at Amazon, and since it is over $25, you’ll even get it shipped for free! The player comes with a quick start guide, headphones and a USB cable. To make the deal even better, 3-4 weeks after your purchase, Amazon will send you a redemption link where you can download $5 in free tunes from their music store!