Monday, November 30, 2009

Delta Winter Deals


Delta Hotels across Canada are ushering out the year with competitive pricing just in time for ski season in many areas. Delta Winter Getaways campaign is on now and can also be accessed through http://www.travelalerts.ca
Prices start at $99 a night in some areas and are for travel between now and March 31, 2010. Vacation getaways include Kelowna hotels, Whister and Banff, seen at left. Delta hotels are great family resorts and several in Toronto area have excellent amenities for family. Delta Meadowvale Mississauga, while I have not been personally, looks amazing. It boasts the longest indoor hotel waterslide in the GTA (165 feet) and bills itself as a family fun destination in Mississauga. Children up to 6 years old eat free and those aged 7 to 12 are half price. Many Toronto destinations are just as exciting this time of year as they are in the summer. Ontario Science Centre is a great and affordable location to visit and incredibly educational as well. Also visit any of the area's museums for a weekend. The Delta Chelsea in Toronto has long been known as an amazing family resort. So this year if planning to take a winter trip or even a short break from the every day why not stay at a Delta resort? For more information and a chance to win one free Friday night stay at a Delta resort follow @DeltaHotelsLtd. For more on Meadowvale see www.deltameadowvale.com

Friday, November 27, 2009

12 nights in Cuba


Is one week not enough of a vacation, but two weeks a bit too much? Well, good news Signature Vacations has the answer for you -  the 12 night Cuba vacation. Designed for travel before the end of this year, the new 12 night vacay is intended for people who don't feel one week is quite enough and two weeks a bit too much. Thriftymomma was last in Cuba almost a decade ago and is longing to take the family. This is a vacation I would consider depending on the accommodations and family activities. Cuba is a lovely island to visit. Temperatures are always hot. Prices are very affordable. My  only caveat with Cuba is the food. It was not much to write home about when I was last there over a decade ago now. We travelled last minute and got a great deal for a one week all inclusive, but the Cuban food was the least appealing of all the marvelous things that we enjoyed that week. Well, back then as a poor newly married individual travelling with a good friend of mine, we skimped on the frills to go and stayed at a three star resort near Varadero. To be clear a Cuban three star property is no place that I would wish to stay with my children or husband. There are several appealing spots, not just Varadero, the hottest tourist area and what I recall most of the time we spent there was touring about in little mopeds and having a great time exploring the island area near Varadero. Varadero has exploded into a very highly developed tourist spot with magnificent sprawling four and five star all inclusive resorts since then. Other areas of Cuba have also grown in popularity. Santa Clara, Holguin and the Cuban capital are also popular these days. For more info on the 12-night deals check out http://www.signature.ca/

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Travel Deals and WestJet


I had the chance to try WestJet out for the first time last year on the way to a conference out in Alberta and I was not disappointed. Service is, as the ads point out, a key component of their success. While there are no frills on this airline, the prices are extremely competitive. Flight attendants are friendly and humourous - although I've heard they learn their tricks from a script, for the average traveller who flies maybe once or twice a year I am sure the jokes aren't that redundant. Frankly I can be a nervous traveller on take off and landing and so having a flight attendant handy to crack jokes and ease the tension is a lovely treat. That's why thriftymommastips is pointing out the merits of choosing WestJet. From London International Airport right now there are some amazing deals running direct to Orlando. Periodically this airline offers a one way to Orlando from London only $79 - unbeatable. Also at certain times during the year WestJet has been known to offer amazing fly free deals like Halloween 2008 if your last name was Sweet or Candy they had a deal where you could fly free anywhere that WestJet flies. But you have to move quick to catch the deal and you have to fly within like two days or less usually. Last year when I was flying to Edmonton I left on Valentine's Day, I think it was and a person beside me checking in at the airport said her boss had told her about the deal that morning that anyone with the last name of Heart or Rose could fly free. Sure enough her last name won her a free flight to Mexico. Wow! It pays to subscribe to their news alerts. This week until Nov. 26th if you book to fly before Dec. 20th you can save upto 65 % off regular prices. It's the WestJet seat sale for a limited time. WestJet is an excellent way to fly if you are on a budget like thriftymomma.