MOTEL 6: Not what it used to be! ... Deal of the Day: 7 nights in sunny Aruba

I remember Motel 6 when I was a kid in California. Small rooms. Paper wrapped around the drinking glasses. And the vibrating beds with the "Magic Fingers."

Not exactly the Ritz. But they've come a long way.

Motel 6 is renovating its Canadian properties with bright, splashy orange colours and other amenities. They've also created something called Studio 6, a long-stay affair (very popular these days) but with a budget in mind.

They have a Studio 6 (see photo below left, with the green accents) in Mississauga already and they're planning one for late spring in, get this, Kensington Market in Toronto; about as urban a spot as you'll find in the country.

"The hotels are not dumps," laughs Monica Nowak, who's in charge of p.r. for the chain. "The hotels are clean, consistent. But there aren't frills. We have minimal operating costs and that helps consumers.

"There's no food or beverage; just free coffee and vending machines. But there's always a Tim Horton's or an A and W or something nearby. And prices are reasonable; usually $59 to $109."

There are 31 hotels scattered in five provinces: Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Alberta. More are planned.

The newer style Phoenix rooms (Nowak describes them as having an "Ikea look") feature free Internet and they're also pet friendly. About one half the motel 6 buildings feature the new Phoenix rooms now. They all should be renovated by 2015, Nowak said.

"They're very good for young professionals or families on a budget. They're called motels but that's just the name. They all have interior corridors like a hotel. The properties are lower-end in the U.S. but not in Canada."

STUCK ON "IT'S A SMALL WORLD"

As a guy who grew up going to Disneyland a lot and still enjoys the Magic Kingdom, I had to chuckle at the story of the guy (well, not really) who got stuck on "It's a Small World" for a half hour. The poor fellow is disabled and apparently didn't get evacuated in the way other guests were when there problems on the ride.

He sued and his attorney says Disneyland awarded him $8,000.

I think we've all been on that ride and thought to ourselves, "Please, lord, don't let this ride break down and make me listen to that insipid song over and over again."

To borrow a phrase from My Fair Lady, "I'd be equally as willing for a dentist to be drilling..."

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal on tap for sunny Aruba for $1,719, including $320 in taxes.

Jaunt Highlights

• BONUS: ACV Privileges offer private concierge service, spa discount, $50 casino coupons and more!
• All-inclusive 7-night stay at the 4-Star Occidental Grand Aruba, located on Aruba's Palm Beach
• Includes return airfare from Toronto to Aruba, and round-trip airport/resort transfers in Aruba
• Accommodations in a Supersaver Room, featuring 1 king-size bed plus sofa bed, and balcony or terrace with gardenview
• Daily breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
• Why choose Air Canada Vacations?
  Earn & Redeem Aeroplan® Miles, in-flight seat-back entertainment on most flights, airline service and reliability of Air Canada, and more!

• Aruba is one of the loveliest Caribbean destinations
• The casino on-site is a great source of excitement after a lazy day lounging beachfront or poolside
• Aruba's Palm Beach strip is loaded with entertaining things to do from glamourous shopping to decadent dining

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on March 31, 2013
  
• Pricing (Rates are per person, plus tax):
  
  Toronto:
  Double: $1399
  Single: $1829
  Triple: $1359
  Child: $1279
  Tax: $320
  
  Other DATES and GATEWAYS available.
  Call us at 1-855-687-5925.
  
  
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is 100% non-refundable at time of booking

China visitors spending up in Canada ... Pearson improvements ... Deal of day

So, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty makes headlines by tabling his budget and high-tailing it to Asia.

Good call. He’s following the money.

Yesterday in this space I talked about a VISA credit card study showing how China was leaping up the ranks of countries in terms of spending in the U.S. Today I can report similar findings for VISA spending in Canada; data surely Mr. Flaherty is aware of.

According to 2012 VisaVue Travel data, Visa account holders visiting Canada increased their travel-related spending from $6.6 billion in 2011 to $6.66 billion last year.

The U.S. remains number one by a huge margin, with more than half of that spending: $3.49 billion in all. But just as China jumped from fourth in the U.S. last year to second, so it did in Canada. Figures show Chinese visitors spent $379 million on their Visa accounts last year, up 15.2 per cent from the year before.

The Canadian Tourism Commission (as well as the province of Ontario and Toronto and other cities and just about every tourism board in the world with its salt) has been courting the Chinese market. Canada also introduced new visas to make traveling and staying in Canada easier, and it appears to be paying off.

No doubt the panda public relations could help, too, now that Toronto is home to a pair of beauties airlifted from China this week.

In a less than shocking result, Visa found most Canadians spend their money abroad in February, March and August, while visitors tend to come here between June and September. Smart visitors.

Here’s a look at the ten biggest contributors to inbound tourism spending in 2012 and the ten biggest outbound markets for Canadians, all based on Visa card spending. It’s not a perfect snapshot of overall trends, but it’s probably pretty close in terms of market share.

INBOUND

1. United States, $3.488 billion (-1.1 per cent)
2. China, $379 million (+ 15.2 per cent)
3. UK, $348 million (no change)
4. France, $343 million (-2.5 per cent)
5. Australia, $171 million (-7 per cent)
6. Japan, $144 million (+ 2 per cent)
7. Brazil, $141 million (+ 1 per cent)
8. Germany $123 million (no change)
9. South Korea, $121 million (- 11 per cent)
10. Hong Kong, $102 million (- 4 per cent)

 

OUTBOUND

1. USA, $11 billion (+ 4 per cent)
2. Mexico, $591 million (- 1 per cent)
3. UK, $477 million (- 5 per cent)
4. France, $400 million (- 4 per cent)
5. Italy, $281 million (- 9 per cent)
6. Australia, $234 million (- 3 per cent)
7. Germany, $161 million (- 2 per cent)
8. China, $151 million (- 2 per cent)
9. Spain, $145 million (- 4 per cent)
10. Thailand, $139 million (+ 7 per cent)

MAJOR PEARSON IMPROVEMENTS

In order to make connecting through Toronto Pearson easier, it will no longer be necessary for people arriving in Terminal 1 and connecting onward to the United States to collect their checked baggage.

Pearson Airport officials today said checked bags "will be directed to your onward flight to the United States without a requirement to claim your bag in Toronto before proceeding to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)."

Air Canada officials say it'll make the airline "an even more attractive option for travellers connecting to the U.S."

It's a definite improvement, as the "claim your bags and proceed through customs" bit was a real slog for folks on connecting flights.

HOTEL WORKERS GET EVEN

If you’ve ever been rude to a hotel worker, you know they have ways of getting even. But an interesting study by the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business? shows that workers in different parts of the world react quite differently to hostile guests.

The study found that North American service workers are more likely to sabotage rude customers, while Chinese react by disengaging from customer service altogether.

“Our research shows that culture plays a significant role in how frontline workers deal with customer abuse,” says UBC Sauder School of Business Professor Daniel Skarlicki, a co-author of the study.

“In North America, employees tend to retaliate against offensive customers – doing things like giving bad directions or serving cold food. In China, workers are more likely to reduce the general quality of service they provide to all customers – nasty or nice.”

In their paper, to be published in the journal Personnel Psychology, Skarlicki and former Sauder PhD student Ruodan Shao studied how frontline employees at a luxury hotel with locations in Vancouver and Beijing reacted to customer mistreatment.

Although the level of abuse was consistent in both locations, North Americans resorted 20 per cent more often to sabotage to get revenge. Abused Chinese workers were 19 per cent more likely to feel a lack of enthusiasm in their jobs, responding negatively to statements like, “I voluntarily assist guests even if it means going beyond job requirements.”

“North Americans take a surgical approach to abuse, zeroing in on individuals who mistreated them,” says Skarlicki, noting that managers must be mindful of these cultural differences when expanding operations across the Pacific. “Chinese don’t blame the transgressor. They blame the system – the company or customers they serve.” 

Skarlicki says the implications are clear.  “When service-oriented companies go global, they need to heighten their sensitivity to how culture in a new market can influence the performance of frontline staff and tailor their customer service operations accordingly.”

FREE INTERNET FOR IHG LOYALTY MEMBERS

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) announced today that it will be providing free internet to all its 71m loyalty program members, worldwide. The announcement comes as IHG reveals the results of a global online survey which show that nearly half of adults (43%) would choose not to stay in a hotel that charged for internet.

IHG also is renaming its loyalty program from Priority Club Rewards to IHG Rewards Club and introducing new benefits.

It's a smart move in a very competitive environment for hotel operators. The rewards program is free to join, so there's no reason not to set up a membership.

IHG said it's "the first and only hotel group to offer free internet in all hotels to all loyalty programme members." But that doesn't seem to be true.

Fairmont has been offering free Internet to its Presidents Club members for years. Kimpton, not as big a chain but still a player, has free Wi-Fi in all rooms and the lobby for loyalty program members. I suspect a few other groups, too.

Not to take away from a good move by IHG. But they're clearly not alone.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal on tap for a 15-day river cruise across Europe for $5,883, including all taxes.

EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS: Save $1,000 per couple! (reflected in pricing)

• BONUS: No Single Supplement!
• 15-Day Magnificent Europe River Cruise onboard the Avalon Tranquility, Panorama or Expression sailing from Budapest to Amsterdam (or vice versa depending on the sail date. See Offer Details for more information)
• Includes guided sightseeing programs in the following cities and/or ports of call:
  Amsterdam, Holland; Cologne, Germany; Rhine Gorge–Rüdesheim, Germany; Miltenberg, Germany; Würzburg, Germany; Bamberg, Germany; Nuremberg, Germany; Regensburg, Germany; Passau–Linz, Austria; Melk, Austria; Dürnstein, Austria; Vienna, Austria; Bratislava, Slovakia; and Budapest, Hungary.
• Accommodations in an upgraded Avalon Deluxe Stateroom:
  Category P - Located on the Royal (highest stateroom) Deck
  Category A - Located on the Sapphire (middle) Deck
• Includes all meals on the ship, complimentary sparkling wine with breakfast, soft drinks with lunch, and wine, beer, or soft drinks with dinner and a welcome reception, Captain’s reception, and farewell dinner

• A whole list of excursions are included in your itinerary without any extra cost
• Avalon cruises offer the best in all categories: views, food, entertainment and experiences

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on October 12, 16 & 23, 2013
• Pricing (Rates are per person, including tax):
  
  October 12, 2013 sailing on the Avalon Tranquility (Amsterdam to Budapest):
  Avalon Deluxe Stateroom (Cat. P): $6707
  
  October 16, 2013 sailing on the Avalon Panorama (Budapest to Amsterdam):
  Avalon Deluxe Stateroom (Cat. P): $6295
  
  October 23, 2013 sailing on the Avalon Expression (Budapest to Amsterdam):
  Avalon Deluxe Stateroom (Cat. A): $5883
  
  NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
  
  For ways to SAVE MORE, Other DATES and FLIGHTS call us at 1-855-687-5925.
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is refundable until 100% non-refundable at time of booking

 

 

 

Better summer ahead for Canadian tourism?/Jimmy Buffett hotel/Deal of the Day

Encouraging news out of the U.S. this week, as a survey suggests the optimism of travellers has risen beyond pre-recession levels.

A story by Hugo Martin of the Los Angeles Times says the Travel Sentiment Indes, put together by a company called MMGY Global, "may help predict how much Americans plan to travel for vacation this summer."

The survey, Martin said, asked respondents about their attitude toward travel; looking at prices, affordability and other issues. The February 2013 score jumped to 100.8, passing the previous high of 100 in March, 2007.

Martin wrote that the survey found that factors that influence travel, such as fuel costs, personal debt and the cost of airline tickets, all have declined in February, compared to Feb. 2012.

It remains to be seen if Canada, with our relatively woeful marketing budget these days, can take advantage of Americans who seem willing to spend. But it's encouraging news for Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Vancouver, Banff and the rest of our splendid country.

WASTING AWAY IN ST. THOMAS

Singer Jimmy Buffett is planning a Margaritaville resort on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to USA Today.

The resort will be a timeshare on the site of the former Renaissance Grand Beach Resort on Smith Bay, east of Magens Bay on the northeast corner of the island. I visited St. Thomas last year and had a great time.

Buffett and Wyndham Vacation Ownership President and Chief Executive Officer Franz Hanning announced the 262-unit resort, which is due to begin construction in July. First units could be done 18 months later.

Buffett plays the buffoon on stage but has become quite the business tycoon. USA Today reports Buffett now has about two dozen Margaritaville bars, cafes and restaurants and hotel in Pensacola, Fla., plus one due in Bossier City, La. And, of course, one in Niagara Falls.

There also are Margaritaville casinos in Vegas and Biloxi, Miss., with more to come.

A Margaritaville casino is due this spring at Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, and one just announced that's coming to the River Spirit Casino in Tulsa.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal on tap for a great holiday in beautiful Jamaica for $1,135, including $390 in taxes.

• BONUS: FREE UPGRADE to a Royal Beachfront Room with 1 king-size or 2 double beds, balcony, and prime beachfront location. Max. occupancy: 3 adults, 2 adults + 2 children
• All-inclusive 7-night stay at the 4-Star Braco Village Hotel & Spa in Rio Bueno, Jamaica
• Includes return airfare from Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal or Quebec City to Montego Bay and round-trip airport/hotel transfers in Jamaica
• Daily buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner, and unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks

• As part of Sunwing's Family Collection, Braco Village has a range of activities for the whole family, including a supervised Kids Club
• Resort won a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for 2012
• Enjoy amazing views from your Royal Beachfront room

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on the following departure dates:
  
  Toronto: April 3, 12, 15, 20 & 24, 2013        
  Ottawa: April 5, 19 & 26, 2013            
  Montreal: April 5, 12, 19 & 26, 2013            
  Quebec City: April 5, 19 & 26, 2013   
  
  Other DATES and GATEWAYS available.
  Call us at 1-855-687-5925.
  
• Pricing (Rates are per person):
  
  Toronto:
  Double: $745 + tax
  Single: $945 + tax
  Triple: $705 + tax
  Child (2-12 yrs): $445 + tax
  Tax: $390
  
  Ottawa:
  Double: $754 + tax
  Single: $954 + tax
  Triple: $714 + tax
  Child (2-12 yrs): $445 + tax
  Tax: $380
  
  Montreal:
  Double: $1145 tax included
  Single: $1345 tax included
  Triple: $1105 tax included
  Child (2-12 yrs): $845 tax included
  
  Quebec City:
  Double: $1145 tax included
  Single: $1345 tax included
  Triple: $1105 tax included
  Child (2-12 yrs): $845 tax included
  
  
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is refundable until March 27 at 5PM EST. After this time, this offer is 100% non-refundable.

 

 

 

Easter Travel dull for Canadians ... Carnival cruise cancellations ... Deal of day

I guess it makes sense. It doesn't exactly make Canadians look like world travel beaters in terms of exotic destinations, but it shows some very solid bargains to be had for next weekend.

Hotwire.com this week unveiled a list of the 10 most popular Easter destinations for Canadian travellers, based on bookings with their site. They said Canadians seem to be staying closer to home this year compared to 2012.

Here's a look at their findings for most bookings, with average nightly rates found on Hotwire:

1. Toronto, $80 (quite the bargain)

2. New York, $201 (not bad for NYC, actually)

3. Montreal, $80 (see photo at right)

4. Vancouver, $82

5. Seattle, $97

6. Las Vegas, $81

7. Boston, $97

8. Orlando, $73

9. Chicago, $80

10. Minneapolis, $54 (probably shoppers from Manitoba)

New York was the top destination for Canadians last year. Vancouver was sixth last year but fourth this year.

CARNIVAL CRUISE WOES

Carnival has cancelled ten cruises that were slated for its damaged Triumph ship. The cruise line announced Tuesday that the Carnival Triumph will be out of service longer than first expected after it was crippled by an engine fire in the Gulf of Mexico last month, leaving 4,200 people stranded for five days.

AP reports the company said the ship won't return to service until June 13, which means the cancellation of 10 more cruises.

"Those guests will receive full refunds, reimbursement for non-refundable transportation costs and a 25 per cent discount on a future four- to five-day cruise," AP said. "Also, the Carnival Sunshine, which is undergoing a scheduled full-ship makeover, will return to service May 5, following the cancellation of two European cruises."

Carnival says it is improving services that can run on emergency power and also fixing ship's fire prevention systems. Yeah, I would hope so.

USA TRAVEL WOES, TOO

A story from USA Today says overseas travelers want to avoid the United States because of long wait times and inefficient entry procedures at gateway airports -- and recommend to others that they too stay away.

A new survey of travellers from Britain, France, Germany, Japan, China and Brazil (but not Canada) found 43 per cent of travelers who had traveled to the United States say they'll tell other countrymen and women not to visit because of the cumbersome entry process.

It comes at a bad time for the U.S. as they're spending a small fortune to promote the country with their BrandUSA campaign. It's a good campaign that shows off the best of the U.S., but it may not matter if people are turned off by a customs or immigration hassle.

The USA Today story said one in three travelers said that "the U.S. was falling behind other countries or it was the worst they had ever experienced in terms of getting through U.S. Customs and Border Protection procedures.

* Business travelers, especially, said they were put off by the entry process, with 44% saying they will refuse to visit in the next five years.

* One in seven international travelers said they had missed a connection because of delays at Customs. Two-thirds said they would consider the U.S. an attractive destination if the Customs lines and wait times were shorter."

Speaking of the Statue of Liberty, the old girl's island was damaged by Superstorm Sandy. But officials Tuesday said it should re-open by the Fourth of July. Hopefully visitors will be able to clear U.S. customs by then.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a deal on hand for an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Celebrity Reflection for $898, including $99 in taxes.

Jaunt Highlights

• BONUS: $75 Onboard Credit per cabin
• BONUS: Includes Classic Beverage Package for Two! See offer details for more info.
• 7-night Eastern Caribbean Cruise sailing on the Celebrity Reflection
• Ports of Call include: Miami, Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Philipsburg, St. Maarten
• Accommodations in a Oceanview (Category 8) or Deluxe Ocean View w/ Veranda partially obstructed (Category 2C) stateroom

• The brand new Celebrity Reflection has the most up-to-date amenities and attractions
• The beautiful grassy knoll of the Lawn Club has private alcove hideaways, a delicious grill and other activities
• Visit some of the best ports the Eastern Caribbean has to offer

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on December 7, 2013
  We also offer other departure DATES and FLIGHTS.
  Call us at 1-855-687-5925.
  
  
• Pricing (Rates are per person, plus tax):
  
  Oceanview (Category 8):
  1st & 2nd Passenger: $799
  3rd & 4th Passenger: $399
  Tax: $99
  
  Deluxe Ocean View w/ Veranda partially obstructed (Category 2C):
  1st & 2nd Passenger: $889
  3rd & 4th Passenger: $499
  Tax:  $99
  
  
• Classic Beverage Package: Applies to two guests per stateroom and includes beers up to $5 per serving; spirits, cocktails, and wine up to $8 per serving, all soda selections, fresh squeezed and bottled juices, premium coffees, and teas and non-premium bottled water.
• Server gratuities are included
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is refundable until March 20 at 5PM EST. After this time, this offer is 100% non-refundable

 

 

 

U.S. budget situation could play out up here ... Major changes to Pearson YYZ

Folks at Pearson Airport and at U.S. border crossings are keeping a close eye on the budget situation in the U.S. With automatic cuts slated to come to all sorts of U.S. services if there's no budget deal between President Obama and Congress, things could get quite goofy up here in terms of U.S. Customs.

I had no idea, but Toby Lennox, Vice President, Strategy Development and Stakeholder Relations for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, told a business meeting in Toronto on Tuesday that Pearson is the fourth largest entry point for folks headed to the U.S. (Since U.S. customs has a pre-clearance centre here, Toronto is officially an entry point and, right now, is behind only New York, Miami and Los Angeles in terms of number of customers entering the U.S.)

Things at Pearson could be utterly normal by Friday or it might be "a calamity," Lennox told a session of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives at the Ritz Carlton in Toronto on Tuesday.

Lennox said things are happening in a big way at Pearson, with new restaurants (including the just-opened Fetta by celebrity Toronto chef Mark McEwan, announced just today) and new shops and lots of other changes coming down the pipe. Fetta, by the way, is located in Terminal 1 near gate E73 and serves paninis, salads and small plates.  It's part of a plan to install 15 new food and beverage places at Pearson, complete with 2,500 Apple iPads that folks can use to tap out an order for a quick meal, or even a pair of socks from a nearby shop.

Included will be a wine bar called Vinifera in Terminals 1 and 3, plus a place called Marathi for Indian street food.

Transportation is always key at YYZ, and Lennox said the train that will link Pearson to downtown Toronto, with a couple stops along the way, should open in 2015. It's great and will make travel much more reliable, especially for business folks on a tight schedule who can't afford 80-minute commutes to Bay St.. But he also noted the airport draws people from all over the GTA, as well as thousands of workers, and they all need convenient, affordable transportation options.

Pearson draws about 35 million passengers a year now but that could increase soon to 42 million, partly because of growing economies and more travel demand from China and South America, as well as India and Russia. That will mean more night flights and stronger connections to those parts of the world.

Asia already is going gangbusters, Lennox said. "I have to fly next week and it was tough to get a seat."

He also said Colombia is becoming very attractive as a source of passengers for Pearson and that Africa will some day be enormously important.

To his credit, Lennox said there are major changes needed to Terminal 3 at Pearson.

"We're badly in need of renovations. The floor is cracked. It's an energy hog. And the retail isn't adequate."

As much as Pearson would like new customers from places like China, it's hard to get them if would-be Chinese tourists don't know about Canada. And right now, they don't, he said.

Lennox's comments tie into the cuts made recently to the Canadian Tourism Commission's budget and also echo concerns issued by others in the tourism business lately. Namely, that other countries are beating the pants off Canada when it comes to self-promotion and that we're badly missing the boat.

 

 

 

DayGuest.com comes to polite, quiet Canada ... Jaunt.ca deal of day is Curacao

What would Canada's founding fathers think? Geez, what would the guys think who banned beer at the ballpark and locked the playgrounds on Sunday in Toronto?

A company called DayGuest.com has set up shop in the true north strong and free, offering folks day-time use of hotels for significant savings versus overnight stays. It's billed as a service for folks who simply want to freshen up or for business folks who might have a late appointment but need a daytime nap.

Yeah, right. To their credit, they also concede there could be, ahem, other reasons for daytime usage.

In a press release sent earlier today, Founder and CEO Philippe Cohen said his company is offering hotel rooms in various locations, near airports and in the city, for a few hours during the day, at deeply discounted rates (30-70% off).

"We already have over 100 hotel partners and are currently working on major chain deals," Cohen said. "We've seen a lot of business being generated throughout Europe and the US with our offering and naturally extended it into Canada. We provide access to otherwise hard to find reservations and otherwise unaffordable luxury rooms, DayGuest removes the inconvenience and embarrassment of the process.

"The users we anticipate include travelers stranded on long stopovers at airports, cross border business trips, staff sent to locations where corporations have no office, couples that have nowhere else to go and sometimes people from neighbouring cities for a Raptors of Leafs game (now that the Leafs are back).  We simply offer the possibility to rest, refresh, nap or meet privately. On the hotel side of things, we help them take advantage of the thousands of rooms that remain empty every day to generate additional revenue."

I went online today at dayguest.com and found several rooms at the airport for $65 to $79 or so, including a Quality Hotel and Suites in Etobicoke for $79 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In looking around on the Internet, I also found a website called between9and5.com, which was offering rooms at a couple of Toronto hotels for daytime use, including the Delta Toronto Airport West for $106.61 U.S. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

We ran a USA Today story in Star Travel recently that talked about a company called dayusehotels, which operates around the world but not yet, it appears, in Canada. They're quite open about the whole thing, with descriptions about having affairs and arranging secret sex trysts and all. They appear to have nice hotels in New York City for daytime use for about $135 and up.

It's interesting, for sure. In fairness, I actually can imagine folks on a layover wanting to take advantage of an airport hotel, not just folks looking for a laydown with a friend or loved one. And the business angle works, too. I mean, you can get free Wi-Fi at the airport or at Starbucks or McDonald's but they don't seem to have appreciated it the time I've gone and stripped down to my boxers and stretched out on the bench with a pillow and all.

TENNIS STAR JUMPS INTO HOTEL BIZ

Tennis champ Andy Murray is planning to transform a former country house hotel in Perthshire, Scotland into a boutique five-star property.

The winner of the U.S. Open championship and Olympic gold medallist from London last year wants to re-open Cromlix House Hotel in Kinbuck, Scotland next spring, just in time for the 2014 Ryder Cup, according to travelmole.com.

Murray said the project, which will create up to 40 new jobs, enabled him to "give something back to the community I grew up in."

Athletes have been involved in travel and tourism for some time, but I haven't seen too many opening hotels. Mike Weir, Canada's one-time Masters golf champion, has a winery down in Niagara that's quite good. Ernie Els and Nick Faldo have wineries, too. But I think Murray is doing something a little different with his Scotland hotel.

Next year is a big one for Scotland in terms of tourism. There's the Ryder Cup, mentioned above, which features Europeans against Americans and is always a huge treat for golf fans. It's also, more importantly, a Homecoming year for Scots, with a huge, year-long lineup of parties and festivals and events to celebrate their "creativity, culture and ancestral heritage."

For more information, check homecomingscotland.com.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a seven-night Air Canada Vacations deal on tap for colourful Curacao for $1,613, including $214 in taxes.

Jaunt Highlights

• EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS: Save up to $560 per couple, compared to what's available in market!
• BONUS: Includes FREE Upgrade to an Oceanview Room
• BONUS: Enjoy welcome cocktails upon arrival, free Casino Matchplay coupons, free shuttle service to downtown area, and more!
• All-inclusive 7-night stay at the 3.5-Star Hilton Curacao in Willemstad, Curacao
• Includes return airfare from Toronto to Curacao, and round-trip hotel/airport transfers in Curacao
• Accommodations in a Oceanview Room, featuring 1 king bed or 2 double beds and balcony. Max. occupancy: 4 adults
• EXCLUSIVE to Air Canada Vacations: All Inclusive Meal Plan featuring daily breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks

• Curacao is an intimate, secluded Caribbean destination
• The Hilton offers special extras like welcome drinks and an exclusive cocktail party
• The hotel has a beautiful beachfront property on pristine Piscadera Bay

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on March 30, 2013
  (Other dates available. Call us at 1-855-687-5925)
• Pricing (Rates are per person):
  
  Toronto:
  Single: $1779
  Double: $1399        
  Triple: $1299    
  Quad: $1249    
  Child 2-12yrs: $499
  Child 13-17yrs: $1169    
  Tax: $214
• Upgrade to Oceanview Room is applied at time of check-in
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is 100% non-refundable at time of booking

 

West Jet ups the ante in fight with Air Canada, Porter ... Deal of Day is Turkey

Big news in the Canadian airline biz today, as WestJet takes aim at both Air Canada and Porter.

Calgary-based WestJet announced today it will start flying twice weekly between Toronto and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (see photo at right), beginning May 2. Air Canada doesn't fly that route but Porter does, out of the Toronto island airport.

Myrtle Beach folks are obviously excited to welcome hundreds more Canadians to their beaches, golf courses and fine restaurants each week.

The Star's Vanessa Lu reports that within Canada, WestJet also is increasing the number of flights between Toronto and Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon and Regina, and will introduce new non-stop service between Toronto and Fort McMurray.

The airline will also boost flights between Toronto and Orlando to 11 weekly from seven a week, which is great news for Florida fans.

It is moving service between Calgary and Los Angeles to twice daily from once a day. Beginning April 29, it is also introducing daily service between Calgary and Dallas-Fort Worth, which is a hub for WestJet’s code-share partner American Airlines, Lu reported.

A lot of that sounds like warning shots across Air Canada's bow to me. And let's hope it means an air fare war of some kind, as prices these days are crazy high.

The Financial Post is reporting that Encore will serve Fort St. John, Saskatoon, and Nanaimo, from Calgary starting June 24. The Post also said they'll provide Encore service between Vancouver and Victoria with a 78-seat Bombardier Q400 turboprop.

The airline has plans to expand the Encore service to several other routes including flights between Calgary and Edmonton, Regina, and Grande Prairie as of Aug. 13, the paper said.

Last week, WestJet reported strong profits for 2012 of $242.4 million, or $1.78 a share, up from $148.7 million in 2011. Still the airline is embarking on a $100 million cost-cutting initiative over the next three years.

CHAOS AT PEARSON

It’s not bad enough that ordinary Torontonians don’t know how to drive in the snow. It’s worse when folks at Pearson Airport can’t handle a dump of the white stuff.

It was chaos at Pearson on the weekend. Every time I turned on the news there was some poor schlep standing in front of a camera explaining how he’s been at the airport since 1998, or something like that, and was still waiting to take his trip to Florida.

“The bad news is I’ve had to wait 15 years for the de-icing equipment to work and for a new flight crew to arrive,” I thought I heard one man say. “The good news is I’m now 75 and I won’t have to take off my shoes when I go through security.”

It was not only crazy inside the airport, but a story in today’s Star outlines how folks had to wait hours and hours just to get their cars out of the lot at the Park'N Fly, which seems crazy.

A report on travelmole.com this morning says more than 7,000 flights were cancelled because of the winter storm that hit eastern Canada and the northeast U.S.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for spring and summer. Because all we’ve have to worry about then is flooding and thunderstorms and hurricanes.

CRUISE SHIP TRAGEDY

It was about a year ago that the Costa ship ran aground in Italy. Now comes word of another tragedy, this one, bizarrely, during a drill lifeboat usage.

The incident took place during a safety drill on the cruise ship Thomson Majesty while it was docked in Santa Cruz on La Palma in the Canary Islands.

The lifeboat fell into the water killing five members of crew and injuring three.

Nautilus International, the union for seafarers and maritime professionals, argues that more people get killed and injured during lifeboat drills than rescued by lifeboats.

Andrew Linington, head of communications, said: "This is just ridiculous. There have been dozens of fatalities in the last few years alone due to these drills.”

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has an offering for a trip to fabulous Turkey.

Jaunt Highlights

• 16-day/14-night Ottoman Discoveries Turkey Tour with visits to ancient cities, mosques, Turkish markets and more!
• Optional return air from Toronto to Istanbul via Air Transat. Land-only option also available.
• Includes all transfers in Turkey via air-conditioned motorcoach, services of a professional English speaking tour guide, and all sightseeing and entrance fees as per itinerary
• 14 nights' accommodation based on double occupancy. See below for hotels included (or similar).
• Includes 40 meals throughout the tour

• Your small tour and boutique-style accommodations ensure a unique, personalized experience
• You'll visit famous sites of antiquity like Ephesus and Troy
• You'll experience the energy of Istanbul and the healing powers of Turkey's countryside

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on May 19, 2013
• Pricing (based on double occupancy):
  
  Land Only:
  Double: $2029 per person, tax included
  Single: $2679 per person, tax included
  
  Including Toronto Air:
  Double: $2609 + tax
  Single: $3259 + tax
  Tax: $457.60 per person
  
  
• Accommodations included (or similar): Aziyade (Istanbul), Iris (Canakkale), Kalehan (Selcuk), Pam (Pamukkale), Dogan (Antalya), Anamas Konukevi (Beysehir), Upper Greek House (Cappadocia), The Apple Palace (Amasya) & Kadioglu Sehzade Konagi (Safranbolu)
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is refundable until Feb 13 at 5PM EST. After this time, this offer is 100% non-refundable

Florida launches tourism campaign as storm hits the north/Deal of Day: Paris

Miserable out today, ain't it? Flights cancelled over the place, roads a mess, biting winds and cascading snow all around.

Not to make it hurt too much, but the forecast for Dunedin and Clearwater Beach, Florida is sunny and 22 degrees Celsius, with only a 20 per cent chance of rain. Which makes the announcement of a new Florida tourism campaign all the more perfect.

On Thursday, VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation, announced a new brand campaign that captures all the feelings of a Florida vacation experience in just four words: Must Be the Sunshine. It includes a great commercial that shows a penguin wandering into a hotel room filled with toys, such as golf clubs and a pink flamingo and a flying shark and a couple of famous mouse characters, plus a boy dressed as a pirate and a girl as a princess and tons more. I saw it a couple weeks ago at a Florida tourism conference and I think it's absolutely fabulous; touching all the buttons and more.

No plans to show it in Canada just yet, I'm told. Quite frankly, I think they're missing an opportunity. But we'll see. If you want to see it in the meantime, you can click here.

“There is nothing more powerful than a personal story being shared directly with others, and so at its core ‘Must Be the Sunshine’ is a storytelling campaign,” said Will Seccombe, President and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA.

The first television commercial, which will air in Detroit during Sunday’s Grammy Awards show, lands the viewer in the afterglow of an epic Florida family vacation.  In the months ahead – via TV, cinema, radio and print, as well as jumbotrons, subway station takeovers, commuter train wraps and even an interactive online game – “Must Be the Sunshine” will remind people why Florida vacations make great stories. 

“Unlike other destinations, we don’t have to invent the narratives,” said Susannah Costello, VISIT FLORIDA Vice President of Brand. “People are telling great Florida vacation stories all the time. This campaign capitalizes on that insight.”

The message has inspired some major participants.  Several of Florida’s heavyweights – Disney, Universal, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, along with the Viva Florida 500 initiative, Florida State Parks and many other key tourism businesses – are all partnering together for the first time in the same TV ad.  Besides Sunday in Detroit, the commercial will play in Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Dallas on such programs as the Today Show, Good Morning America, American Idol and The Big Bang Theory.

AIR CANADA PREMIUM ECONOMY

As much as it makes sense for Air Canada (and WestJet) to introduce premium economy seating, it's going to make things a tad less pleasant in regular economy.

There's only so much room in an airplane, and by adding more seating with more space it means a crunch for the people at the back of the plane. Air Canada insists it's a minor change, but we'll have to wait and see. I bet it'll be noticeable for most folks. Toss in the added fees and lack of amenities on flights these days and we know why flying ain't so fun any more.

STAY TUNED FOR WESTJET ENCORE

WestJet on Monday will reveal some of the destinations it'll serve with its new regional carrier, Encore. They're not saying if they'll do the western part of the country first or the east, but you'd have to think they'll be adding flights out west versus the already crowded eastern market.

Communities all over western Canada have been clamouring for service, as they understand the benefits of planes full of tourists, business people and just plain visitors coming to their towns. The lobbying has been intense, and the announcement will be quite interesting.

VEGAS GOES TO SPAIN

This report from Associated Press: Las Vegas Sands casinos and Madrid officials have chosen the town of Alcorcon on the outskirts of the Spanish capital as the site for the multibillion-dollar "EuroVegas" casino project, which authorities hope will bring much-needed jobs and investment to the recession-wracked country.

Madrid regional government president Ignacio Gonzalez said Friday that work on the first of three phases would begin at the end of 2013 and would be completed by 2017. The entire project, initially comprising 12 hotels and six casinos, is to be finished by 2023 at an estimated cost of €22 billion.

Las Vegas Sands is to fund 35 per cent of the project. It is not clear where the remaining 65 per cent will come from.

Spain has a swollen deficit and 26 per cent unemployment

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, is offering a nine-day tour of some of the finest sights in France, including Paris and beautiful chateaux in the Loire Valley. The deal goes for $1,998 plus $510 in taxes for a total of $2,508 and is offered by Transat. Here are the details:

• SAVINGS: Save up to $674 per couple, compared to the cost of booking your air, accommodations, touring and meals separately!
• BONUS: $150 Future Travel Voucher per person
• BONUS: Extend your flight for up to 30 days at no additional cost (accommodations extra) and return from anywhere Transat flies in Europe
• 9-Day, 7-Night Royal Week in Paris Semi-Escorted Tour including visits to the Chateaux of the Loire Valley and Vaux-le-Vicomte, Palace of Versailles, a cruise along the Seine, and more 
• Includes return airfare from Toronto to Paris on board Air Transat, and airport/hotel transfers in France
• 7 nights' accommodation in 4-Star hotels (double occupancy). Hotels include the following or similar: Mercure Gobelins Place d'Italie or Mercure Montmartre Sacre-Coeur
• Includes transportation via deluxe motorcoach, services of an English-speaking licensed tour guide, and all sightseeing and entrance fees as per itinerary
• Meals include 7 hot buffet breakfasts, 2 lunches (1 including wine) and a farewell dinner with wine 
• The tour is a mixture of guided sightseeing and independent time
• You'll tour famous sites like the Palace of Versailles
• Explore the amazing castles that dot the French countryside

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on August 23, 2013
• Pricing (Rates are per person):
  
  Single: $2269
  Double: $1998
  Tax: $509.67
  
  
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is refundable until February 13 at 5PM EST. After this time, this offer is 100% non-refundable

Romance blooms in Ontario (of all places!) - a look at Canada's romantic hotels

Well, what do you know. I'm often on the case of the poor folks at Trip Advisor, gently (sometimes) ribbing them about reader polls they do that seem to favour those lucky saps out in Vancouver who probably are already looking at crocuses and daisies popping out of their (wet) gardens.

Time after time, it seems, I get reader polls or what have you that give all the kudos to hotels in British Columbia and all but ignore Ontario and even Quebec. Let alone the poor Maritimes and Newfoundland. But now, just in time for Valentine's Day, comes a Trip Advisor Readers' Choice awards with more geographical balance, Canada-wise.

Their latest offering lines up the 10 most romantic hotels in Canada, and Ontario takes the top prize. I frankly don't know how they get such rewards on Trip Advisor, but Harbour House Hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake got top spot for romance in Canada, followed by the Brentwood Bay Resort and Spa in B.C. The next four spots in a row, which I find unrealistic as well, went to Ontario: Woodland Echoes Resort in Magnetewan, Sterling Inn and Spa in Niagara Falls, The Charles Inn in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Riverbend Inn and Vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

In seventh spot came Hotel Kutuma in Montreal, followed by Le Relais Lyonnais in Montreal, Mercer Hall Inn in Stratford, Ontaro and Smugglers Cove Inn in lovely Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

This means Ontario grabbed six of the top ten spots, Quebec two, British Columbia a paltry one (heh, heh) and good old Nova Scotia one.

I put very little faith in these things, to be honest. They're fun to write about but I haven't a clue how people judge these things. Niagara is a romantic place that deserves some spots in the top ten, but 40 per cent?

It's fun to see Ontario beat out those romantics in Quebec, but I simply can't believe there's no place in beautiful Banff that doesn't deserve the top 10. Let alone places I've visited that are absolutely stunning: The Wickaninnish in Tofino, B.C. and Auberge Saint-Antoine in Quebec (see photo at left of Panache restaurant), which might be the top property in the country. Not to mention Toronto's Ritz-Carlton, Hazelton, Four Seasons, Trump and Shangri-La, or the lovely St. Germain on Mercer Street; still my favourite hotel in the city.

For what it's worth, Trip Advisor also listed the ten most romantic hotels in the U.S. and in the world. Here they are:

U.S. ROMANCE SPOTS

1. Bardessono, Yountville, California, 2. Koa Kea Hotel and Resort, Poipu, Kauai, Hawaii, 3. Inn of the Five Graces, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 4. Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur, California, 5. Honor Mansion, a Wine Country Resort, Healdsburg, California, 6. Ocean Lodge, Saint Simons Island, Georgia, 7. Casa Laguna Inn and Spa, Laguna Beach, California, 8. Mountain Home Lodge, Leavenworth, Washington, 9. Tickle Pink Inn, Carmel, California, 10. Henderson Park Inn, Destin, Florida.

Lots of California content, for sure. And, once again, North Dakota gets robbed.

WORLD ROMANCE SPOTS

1. Anastasis Apartments, Imerovigli, Greece, 2. La Minerva, Capri, Italy, 3. Cranleigh Boutique, Bowness-on-Windermere, United Kingdom, 4. Cedar Manor Hotel and Restaurant, Windermere, UK, 5. Baros Maldives, North Male Atoll, Maldive Islands, 6. Casa del Mar, Langkawi, Malaysia, 7, Bardessono, Yountville, California, 8. Al Maha Desert Resort, Dubai, 9. Layana Resort and Spa, Ko Lanta, Thailand, 10. Veligandu Island Resort, North Ari Atoll, Maldives Islands.

Nice, but no mention of Tahiti's overwater bungalows? For shame! On the other hand, I've actually been to one of these, Al Maha Desert Resort in Dubai. It's stunning and I had an outdoor spa/tub overlooking the desert and a watering hole with, I think, a type of gazelle hanging about. Alas, I was alone...

TROUBLES IN MEXICO

Associated Press reports that six Spanish tourists were raped by a gang of armed, masked men in the Mexican resort of Acapulco, the latest chapter of violence that has tarnished the once-glamorous Pacific coast resort.

The attackers burst into a house the Spaniards had rented on the outskirts of Acapulco, in a low-key beachside area, and held 12 Spanish men and women and one Mexican woman at gunpoint before dawn on Monday. They tied up the six men with phone cords and bathing suit straps and then raped the six Spanish women, said Acapulco Mayor Luis Walton at a press conference later Monday.

"This is a regrettable situation, and of course it is going to damage Acapulco," said Walton. The once-glittering resort that attracted movie stars and celebrities in the 1950s and 60s has already been battered by years of drug gang killings and extortions, but except for a very few incidents, the violence largely has not touched tourists.

Walton said he believed, but wasn't sure, that the assailants in Monday's attack didn't belong to a drug gang.

"From what the attorney general has told me, I don't think this was organized crime, but that will have to be investigated, we don't know," Walton said.

Mexico's Foreign Relations Department issued a statement saying it regretted the attack, and suggesting it was not drug-cartel related.

That's nice. But it doesn't help their tourism situation.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY - JAMAICA

Snow's on the way, folks, so it's a good time to think about a sunny getaway. Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, is offering a deal for the lovely island of Jamaica, at the Grand Bahia Principe in Runaway Bay.

Jaunt Highlights

• BONUS: ACV Privileges offer exclusive check in/late check out (subject to availability), 4 guaranteed à la carte reservations per week, 20% spa discount, nightly turn down service and more!
• All-inclusive 7-night stay at the 4-Star Grand Bahia Principe Jamaica, located in Runaway Bay, Jamaica
• Includes return airfare from Toronto to Montego Bay, and round-trip airport/hotel transfers in Jamaica
• Accommodations in a Junior Suite, featuring 1 king or 2 double beds and private balcony or terrace. Max. occupancy: 3 adults and 1 child, or 2 adults and 2 children
• Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner, and unlimited domestic alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks

Why We Love It:

• Continue the relaxation in your Junior Suite with your own hydro massage tub
• The experience of swimming in a 3-lake style interconnected pool
• The sleek and unique Victorian-style accomodations

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on the following departures:
  Toronto: March 12, 16, 17, 18, 20 & 23, 2013
• Pricing (Rates are per person):
  
  Single: $1449
  Double: $999
  Triple: $979
  1st Child (2-12): $879
  2nd Child (2-12): $399
  Tax: $377
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is 100% non-refundable at time of bookin

 

Where to save money in Europe this year & where to spend ... Jaunt Deal of Day

Nothing like a good list to bite into on a Monday morning. And today there are some excellent ones to look at.

A website called priceoftravel.com puts out a series of lists each year to outline what places in the world are the most affordable to visit. I spotted their backpackers' list for Europe last year, but just this morning I found a vast amount more; not only backpacking places in Europe but also 3-star places in Europe and a backpacking daily cost index for North America and for the entire world; very cool.

I can't vouch for the results, but their rules seem fair. For backpackers, they choose the cheapest bed in a good, central hostel with good reviews for one night, then add in two public transit rides, one paid famous attraction, three budget meals and three cheap, local beers or glasses of wine. It's a similar deal for 3-star hotels but they change transit to two short cab rides and aim for better restaurants (but still in the budget category).

For North America, here are 12 cities they reviewed in order of cheapest to most expensive: Las Vegas ($57.90/day U.S.), New Orleans, Washington D.C., Montreal ($63.59), San Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Miami Beach, Toronto ($78.59), Chicago, Vancouver ($82.02) and New York City ($89.30). The most expensive in the world was Zurich at $115.96, good for 116th and last place. Close behind were Oslo, Venice, Stockholm, Helsinki, Amsterdam and Sydney.

For Toronto, they cited the high cost of public transit but also said the city is one of the nicest and cleanest (not so much any more, I'd say, personally) around and that transit isn't too much of an issue given the compact downtown. They said the nightlife district is one of the best in the world, which is good to hear.

For Europe 3-star travelers, the cheapest was Sofia Bulgaria (see photo below right) at $48.55 per day. Then came Bucharest, Budapest, Krakow, Riga Latvia, Sarajevo, Belgrade, Bratislava Czech Republic, Kiev and Tenerife, Spain (in the Canary Islands). Most expensive were Helsinki, Copenhagen, Rome, Brussels, Stockholm, Oslo, London, Venice, Paris and Zurich, at a whopping $201.88 per day. Which means you could spend almost FOUR DAYS in Sofia for the price of one day in Zurich. I like Zurich a lot and have never been to Sofia, but I imagine the Bulgarian city would be pretty decent at a quarter the cost of Switzerland.

The website also rated the most and least affordable spots in the Caribbean, using a 3-star hotel room for a week and a return flight from New York City. Which isn't so useful for Canadians as we don't fly south out of New York very often. Most affordable was Cancun, then Negril, San Juan Puerto Rico, Puerto Plata and Barbados. Most expensive in their survey were Grenada, La Romana in the Dominican, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla and, no surprise, exclusive St. Bart's.

For all-inclusive places (again, not flying out of Canada, so potentially misleading for us) the list was as follows: Cancun, Puerto Plata, Ocho Rios, Punta Cana, Montego Bay, Negril, La Romana, Samana in the D.R., St. Lucia, Nassau, Antigua/Barbuda, Barbados and, lastly, Aruba.

Looking to really save money as a backpacker? The cheapest spots in the world survey were Pokhara, Nepal ($14.75; see photo at left), Hanoi, Kathmandu, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Phnom Penh, Chiang Mai in Thailand, Delhi, Goa in India, Quito Ecuador and Hoi An, Vietnam. That's three spots for Vietnam in the top 10.

I could go on and on but that provides a pretty good overview of a fun site. Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia continue to provide excellent value for students. And adults, too. You spend more to get there, perhaps, at least to Southeast Asia. But the daily savings can be huge compared to Rome or Paris or Scandinavia. Let alone poor Zurich.

JAUNT.CA DEAL OF THE DAY

Jaunt.ca, a division of Torstar, has a seven-night deal on tap for a lovely looking getaway in Venezuela (see photo below right) for $944, including $345 in taxes.

• 7-night All-inclusive stay at the 3.5-Star Dunes Hotel Beach & Resort, located in Margarita, Venezuela
• Includes return airfare from Toronto to Margarita, and round-trip airport/resort transfers in Venezuela
• Accommodations in a Room featuring 1 king, queen or 2 twin beds. Max. Occupancy: 3 adults (max 1 child per room)
• Daily breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks

• The resort is in the heart of Venezuela's vacation hub
• Enjoy world class diving on off of shores that rival the best in the world
• Choose from a variety of activities on the resort

Offer Details

• Valid for travel on the following departure dates: February 20, 27 & March 6, 2013
• Pricing (rates are per person, plus tax):
  
  Single: $699
  Double: $599
  Triple: $549
  Child (2 yrs): $299
  Child (3-6 yrs): $349
  Child (7-12 yrs): $499
  Tax: $345.04
• Valid passport required for travel from Canada
• This offer is refundable until 5PM EST on February 4, 2013. After that time, this offer is 100% non-refundable.