Hot Deals | weekly travel bargains

The deal:

Why Go:
A trip to Washington DC is one of those educational trips that no one in the family minds. Stay at one of ten Kimpton properties in the Washington D.C. area over a July weekend and you'll only pay $17.76 for the third night. The hotels include the Topaz Hotel, Hotel Helix, Hotel Rouge, Hotel Palomar Washington DC, Hotel Madera, The Hotel George, Hotel Monaco Washington DC, Hotel Palomar Arlington, Lorien Hotel & Spa, and the Hotel Monaco Alexandria.

What You Get:

• Stay Friday through Sunday any weekend in July and get Sunday night for $17.76

The dollars: From $129/night.

For booking information, terms and conditions, click here

The deal:

Why Go:
The list of hotels participating in this summertime promotion includes some great properties: NYC’s Hôtel Plaza Athénée, The Setai in Miami, the Taj Boston, the Hay-Adams in Washington, and many more. If you’re traveling this summer, it wouldn’t hurt to check the list and see if you can stay in one of these lovely hotels for a very affordable price.

What You Get:

• Overnight accommodations for 30% off the rack rate

The dollars: Vary according to property.

For booking information, terms and conditions, click here

The deal:

Why Go:
Perhaps you don’t expect the kind of hotels where the L.A. Lakers go to party to run family specials, but Hyatt Regency Century Plaza bridges those two worlds with panache (and a fab pool).

What You Get:

Century Plaza Friends & Family Package includes:

• Overnight accommodations
• Complimentary breakfast buffet for 2 adults and up to 4 kids under 12
• 15% discount on the Equinox Fitness Club and Spa
• 15% discount on food and beverage
• 50% discount on a second room
• 50% off the second night when you book a weekend (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights) in June, July, and August

The dollars: From $199/night.

For booking information, terms and conditions, click here

The deal:

Why Go:
20 Mexican resorts, including honeymoon favorites, luxe all-inclusives (like Secrets Maroma Beach), and movie-star hangouts (like Las Alamandas), are being offered on sale, one at a time, over the next few days. Each is offering the first night of 5-night stays at $20, but the offers vary from there. Most offer discounts for the other nights, and $200 resort fees to spend on necessities like swim-up bar refreshments and spa treatments. Some offer free breakfast. Book now for stays between now and December 15. Check out the list and the schedule of sales and buy yourself a nice Mexican treat.

What You Get:

• $20 for the first night of 5-night stays
• 15-20% discount on best available rates for the remaining nights
• Guaranteed room upgrade
• $200 resort credit from 14 of the 20 properties

The dollars: From $100/night.

For booking information, terms and conditions, click here

The deal:

Why Go::
The Hotel des Academies et des Arts is a quirky and charming 20-room property in the 6th Arrondisement, near St. Sulpice and the Jardin du Luxembourg. For the month of August, when Paris is serenely quiet because everyone’s vacationing, get a fourth night’s stay for free. (In July and August, you can also opt to stay for a guaranteed USD price of $280 instead.) Book now for stays between July 29 and August 27.

What You Get:

• 4 nights’ overnight accommodations for the price of 3

The dollars: 687 Euros for 4 nights’ stay ($952 at today’s exchange rate).

For booking information, terms and conditions, click here

The deal:

Why Go:
Summer’s been slow starting up here in New York, so here, at the end of June, I’m already a little cross about how short the season will be. Friendly Planet Tours has a way for those of us who need a little more sun to extend their summer. They’ve got a trip from JFK that starts with 3 days in Athens and goes on to spend 3 more shipboard, visiting Mykonos, Rhodes, and Patmos, as well as Kusadasi in Turkey. Sailing dates are October 28, November 4, and November 11, but book before July 17 to snag this rate.

What You Get:

• Roundtrip airfare from JFK, plus fuel surcharges
• 3 nights’ superior hotel accommodations in Athens
• Daily buffet breakfast in Athens
• 3 nights’ accommodations shipboard
• All meals on the M/V Aquamarine, plus daily buffet breakfast plus all the touring, by land and by sea.

The dollars: From $999.

For booking information, terms and conditions, click here

The deal:

Why Go:
The Borrego Ranch and Spa, surrounded by the Anza-Borrego Desert Park south of Palm Springs, may not seem the logical choice for a summer break, but this resort, a collection of low-rise casitas and buildings around pools and desert gardens, provides a quiet break, even in the heat. The resort also holds nightly star-gazing on the lawns to take advantage of the remarkably dark desert nights. Midnight at the oasis, anyone?

What You Get:

• 2 nights’ accommodations in a deluxe poolside room
• 2 50-minute spa treatments
• A bottle of sparkling wine upon arrival

The dollars: From $520 for two nights.

For booking information, terms and conditions, click here

The deal:

Why Go:
Maybe you go to Ireland to visit family, or to wander around and stay wherever you feel like that night, or you've got some hotels you want to try on your own. This is the deal for you. Aer Lingus Vacations will get you to Ireland and give you a car for a week, but the rest is up to you to plan or play by ear.. Book now for travel between November 1 and March 31.

What You Get:

• Roundtrip airfare to Ireland
• Standard 3-door economy car for the week

The dollars: From $299/person (plus taxes that range from $98 to $175 per person).

For booking information, terms and conditions, click here

The deal:

Why Go:
The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas is a perennial favorite in our annual T+L Family 50 and this year, they’re throwing in a free night to make sure they’ve got your attention this year. The chain is also offering meal plans for kids under 12 that start at $29/day at its Caribbean hotels.

What You Get:

• 4 nights’ accommodations for the price of 3

The dollars: From $359/night.

For booking information, terms and conditions, click here

The deal:

Why Go:
Even if you don’t golf, staying in a big, lavish suite at the Venetian or the Palazzo makes this deal a deal.

What You Get:

Tee-Off in Paradise:

• Luxury Suite at the Venetian or the Palazzo
• $50 off one round of play at Walters Golf Courses (the Bali Hai or the Royal Links) with free club rentals
• 20% off bill at Restaurant Charlie
• 2-for-1 drinks at Salute Lounge
• $25 in slot credits per stay

The dollars: From $109/night.

For booking information, terms and conditions, click here

The deal:

Why Go:
The desert is hot in summer, but it’s, you know, a dry heat. Dry heat can get pretty hot, but for my money, not much beats the Utah desert, crazy hot, fragrant with sage, and magnificent light. Red Mountain Spa is an active spa--not a loll-around-wrapped-in-adobe-and-seaweed spa, but a get-up-and-hike-at-dawn spa.

What You Get:

The Summer Super Deal includes:

• Overnight accommodations and all meals
• Daily guided morning hikes and unlimited fitness classes
• Lifestyle classes (cooking, meditation, tai chi) at the Wellness Center
• Use of resort facilities including indoor and seasonal outdoor pools, bicycles, walking trails and strength and cardio studios

The dollars: From $199.

For booking information, terms and conditions, click here

The deal:

Why Go:
If you’re going to the beach, anyway, who cares about heat? JetBlue makes the Caribbean off-season look mighty alluring with fares that start from $29 (before all those pesky fees and taxes) each way. That fare is for flights between Fort Lauderdale and the Bahamas or Cancun, but there are flights from all over the continental U.S. to Puerto Rico, Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. Book by Friday, June 26, for travel between July 14 and October 6.

What You Get:

• Roundtrip airfare
• An additional $20 off when you pay with PayPal

The dollars: From $29/each way based on roundtrip airfare.

For booking information, terms and conditions, click here