Daily travel deals – 6 nights Disney World, $79 Marriott rooms and $429 Caribbean packages

by Scott Carmichael on

Welcome to our new format for daily travel deals. Starting today, we’ll let you in on the hottest trips from our network.

As with all travel deals, these trips can sell out at any moment, and the price we publish may not always be based off a departure from your home town.

Disney vacation package

Starting at just $1360, a family of 4 can spend 5 nights/6 days in a Disney hotel, receive a 6 day park pass and eat for free (one snack, one quick service meal and one table meal per person, per day). The price is based on accommodations in a Disney Value resort.

Click here to book this deal, or to learn more about the package.

$79 Marriott sale + 20% extra off

On Thursday through Sunday nights, till September 7th, Marriott is offering a variety of their hotels starting at just $79/night, plus an additional 20% off.

Click here to book a room or to learn more about this Marriott hotel deal.

Caribbean package deals 50% off + $50 bonus

With packages starting at just $429 (after $50 bonus discount) for a trip to Jamaica, this is the best time ever to book a Caribbean vacation. That low price includes air, all meals, drinks and entertainment.

Click here for an overview of all the Caribbean destinations included in this sale.

Double up on St. Lucia at Ladera and Cap Maison

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Start at the Ladera for three nights, and then move to Cap Maison for another three. And, there’s one rate that includes food and beverages for the week you’re bouncing between the island’s southern rainforest and northern secluded beach. For two people, the package starts at $5,400 – but includes a few aspects that translate to a 20 percent savings on your trip.

At the Ladera, you’ll enjoy an open-air Gros Piton Suite with a private plunge pool and unobstructed view of the mountains and the Caribbean Sea. You’ll also have all meals covered at Dasheene reastaurant covered, not to mention cocktails, wines by the glass, daily afternoon tea and a treatment at Ti Kay Pose Spa.

For the second half of your trip, a private car will take you up to Cap Maison, St. Lucia’s newest hotel. Golf, shopping and nightlife are nearby, and you’ll be comfortable in your Ocean View Villa Suite – with a private Jacuzzi and sea views. Wine and champagne with meals are covered, as well as afternoon tea, a spa treatment at Spa Maison and full use of resort facilities.

This deal is available from May 1 to December 20, 2009, though rates vary with booking date. You can add nights to your stay if you like.

New B&B deals offer savings around the world

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The bed and breakfast community will probably put a hit out on me soon, if the comments from my last article are any indication. But, I’ll take my life into my hands and cover the latest news from BedandBreakfast.com anyway.

Under the new “Tanks for Traveling” program, BedandBreakfast.com members will be able to save some cash on their travels this year. I’m not crazy about the name of the program, but it probably resonates with the cutesy B&Bers.

B&Bs in around 40 states – not to mention the Caribbean, Canada, Italy, France and (wow!) Croatia – have found north of 150 ways to help their guests save on travel this year. The Vine Street Inn (California), for example, is kicking in a $100 gift certificate to any guest who arrives by train or bus … and they’ll pick you up at the station! Tudor Rose, in Colorado, is only asking for $1 for the third night when you pay for two, and Sabal Palm House in Lake Worth, FL is willing to give you the third night free – as long as you bring a bag of non-perishable food items for personal care products for the local pantry.

So, there are plenty of ways to save some money in these shitty challenging economic times.

Please, B&B people, have I repaid my debt?!

Jalousie Plantation resort brings solar golf carts to St Lucia

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Okay, it’s not exactly a cure for cancer, but any initiative that does cut down on fossil fuel reliance still resonates with me. So, I was pretty excited to see that the Jalousie Plantation has adopted a hybrid solar-powered golf cart to move guests around on its 192-acre property … with no carbon emissions! This is among the first of these environmentally-friendly golf carts in the Caribbean, and the goal is for this quirky little vehicle to replace the oil-dependent carts and minibuses that currently carry passengers around Jalousie.

This measure is reflective of Jalousie parent company Kor Hotel Group’s “Second Nature” program, which consists of several eco-friendly measures across its holdings. Kor’s properties are encouraged to source local produce, arts and other supplies to cut down on food-miles (or other “product-miles”) in an effort to reduce carbon emissions while contributing to economic growth in the community.

“We want to play our part at The Jalousie Plantation in supporting the environmentally-conscious initiatives of Kor and the new hybrid solar-powered golf cart is seen as a first step in helping us to do this,” Jalousie’s General Manager, Rodrigo Caldeira said.

The golf cart has a photovoltaic cell on its roof, which takes St Lucia sunshine and turns it into the electricity that makes the cart move. In the event of rain, the cart can be plugged into an electrical outlet to have its battery charged.

“Eventually all of the vehicles we use at Jalousie will be gasoline-free and this will help us to lessen our emissions of greenhouse gases which are having a tremendous impact on eco-systems around the world and contributing to climatic change and global warming,” Caldeira said. “The new cart also significantly reduces noise pollution and makes a great contribution in our efforts to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and in ensuring our operations are environmentally sustainable.”

Top 10 best beaches in the Caribbean

by Karen Walrond on

I grew up in a little fishing village, as did my husband — and so now that we both live in the city, about every 12 months or so, we both crave the ocean. It’s like a sickness, really: unless we get an opportunity to breathe in some salty air, we start to get all crabby and out of sorts.

Or maybe that’s just my excuse for wanting to get away to a beach vacation.

In any event, my yearning for the ocean hasn’t eased any by this recent post on AquaTerraSky, listing their favourite top 10 beaches in the Caribbean. Perusing the list, I’m surprised that there aren’t very many I’ve been to — although admittedly, I was pleased to see that Englishman’s Bay, from my home country of Trinidad and Tobago, made it to number 7.

Looks like it’s time to start planning that Caribbean vacation. And now’s a good time, too: after Easter, most of the hotel and resort rates in the Caribbean drop for low season.