Quotes of the Day
Travel news, deals and updates for the week of May 11, 2009
AIRLINES & AIRPORTS
Aloha, by Alaska. Starting Nov. 9, Alaska Airlines will fly four times a week between Oakland, Calif., and Kahului, Maui; starting Nov. 10, it will fly three times per week between Oakland and Kona, Hawaii. If you buy a ticket on one of these new routes before May 21, you'll score a one-way fare of just $169.
Business Class Twofer. Get free companion tickets in business class on Openskies from New York City's Kennedy Airport or Newark to Paris or Amsterdam. So, you and your traveling partner can get access to the private lounge before boarding and, once on board, luxury service and lie-flat beds. A round-trip flight to Amsterdam costs $3,400, and to Paris $3,900.
HOTELS & PACKAGES
If the recent flu scare had you longing for isolation, try getting out into the clean, open air — minus the crowds — at these 10 hotels. Whether your preference is in the mountains, on islands, in the desert or by the ocean, we've got you covered.
Snaefellsnes, Iceland. On a mountainous peninsula about three hours northwest of Reykjavik, the Hotel Budir sits on the edge of a lava field overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Time.com's deputy photo editor, who visited in May, says it feels like the end of the Earth (in a good way). It may be desolate, but there's no shortage of stuff to do: fishing, hiking to a nearby waterfall, climbing a volcano, horseback riding and touring the sea aboard the hotel's boat. The rooms may be on the small side, but the well-appointed lounge, with contemporary art, a fireplace and views of the bay more than make up for it. The restaurant has a gourmet tasting meal that, given the favorable exchange rate, isn't out of reach. Room rates start at $188 per night; the tasting menu starts at $64. IS-365 Snaefellsnes, Iceland; +354-435-6700 (See pictures of luxury private islands.)
Lake Louise, Canada. Overlooking Alberta's Bow Lake and the glaciers beyond it, is Num-Ti-Jah Lodge, a rustic 26-room retreat with stone fireplaces and deer heads mounted on the log-cabin walls. The lodge, which is a two-and-half hour drive from Calgary, is my favorite cozy get-away-from-it-all hotel. No TVs here, just lots of hiking, board games by the fire, good food and fluffy beds to sink into after a long day. There's also a sauna hut out in the woods. Rates start at $215 per night including breakfast, or $392 per night including all meals, until June 11. After that, rates start at $354 per night. Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada; 403-522-2167
Jura, Scotland. The Jura Hotel is the only hotel in the only village on the remote Scottish island of Jura — a cozy refuge, where you can tuck into drams of whiskey (the famous Jura distillery is nearby) and roast venison or locally caught lobster. (The island is also where George Orwell wrote the novel 1984.) You can go deer stalking here — the deer outnumber the residents — and fish or go on pony treks along the moor. Rates start at $55 per night, including breakfast. Isle of Jura, Argyll, Scotland; +496-820243
Galway, Ireland. If you want to feel like a luxuriating Lord, try the four-star Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, the former residence of a co-founder of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The 40-room hotel, which is located on a 450-acre estate in Galway, is most famous as a fly fishing destination, with its salmon and sea trout fishery. If you prefer food with feathers, there's woodcock shooting, and for more peace loving folks, there are plenty of walking and riding trails and wildlife to see. Rates start at $320 per night. Connemara, County Galway, Ireland; +353-95-31006
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Sandys, Bermuda. With 84 individual cabins built on stilts over the ocean, you can't get air any fresher than at this laid-back, independent Bermuda hotel. But the water is the focal point at 9 Beaches — so named for the number of pink-sand enclaves on the hotel's 18 acres — and you can kayak, snorkel, scuba, sail or use one of the hotel's pedal boats. Through May 23, the resort is offering Friday nights free with a five-night stay. And to commemorate Bermuda's 400th anniversary this year, guests can also get $400 off a minimum four-night stay. Rates start at $280 per night. Sandys, Bermuda; 866-841-9009
Greenough, Montana. This is the way camping was meant to be: big canvas tents, with proper beds and tables and chairs, and fireside glasses of wine with pan-roasted trout. The Resort at Paws Up calls it "glamping." Still, if you prefer sleeping within four solid walls, the resort also has 28 houses, all set on 37,000 acres of Montana wilderness. Through May 22, rates start at $465 per night for two guests, including all meals; from May 23 to June 16, rates start at $565 per night, with meals. Greenough, MT; 800-473-0601
Adirondacks, New York. The historic Sagamore Hotel located on Lake George in New York's Adirondack State Park isn't exactly a get-away-from-it-all kind of place. It's a full-service resort, with golfing, sailing and fishing. But it's located on it's own 70-acre island. Should you get lucky and snag a fish in that lake, the hotel's chef will filet it and put it on ice for you to take home at the end of your trip. Rates start at $159 per night, with your third night free (that offer is good through June 30). Stay in the main lodge, with its newly renovated rooms, and spring for a lake view. 110 Sagamore Road, Bolton Landing, NY; 800-358-3585 (See 10 things to do in New York City.)
Tucson, Arizona. In Arizona's Sonoran desert, at the foot of the Santa Catalina mountains, is the 80-acre Westward Look Resort. It was a working dude ranch in the 1940s and 50s, and is now an adobe-style hotel offering biking, hiking, horseback riding, tennis and a full-service spa. Through May, rates start at $199 per night, including breakfast. But if you can stand the blistering heat, check out the resort in summer, when rates dip to $89, including breakfast. 245 East Ina Road, Tucson, AZ; 800-722-2500
Chetek, Wisconsin. Canoe Bay, two hours from Minneapolis and six hours from Chicago, is set on 280 wooded Wisconsin acres with three spring-fed lakes. It's a Relais & Châteaux property, so it's guaranteed to be luxurious — with breakfast delivered to your room, gourmet set menus ($75 per person) in the lakeside dining room, a full spa, and use of canoes, kayaks and hiking trails — and not cheap. But there's currently a 25% off package, which offers rooms at $500 per night for two, including a complimentary cottage upgrade, breakfast in bed, dinner for two in the lakeside dining room and floral bouquet. Chetek, WI; 800-568-1995 ext. 4
TECHNOLOGY
ETA On the Go. FlightStats, the Web service that tracks flight status, as well as airport weather and delays, has a new air-travel app for Google Android smartphones (like the HTC G1 from T‑Mobile and the HTC Magic from Vodaphone). Download the $5.99 app — FlightStats for Android — at Android Market to see view your flight's progress on a map, or see flight status by route or by airport. Need to make last-minute changes? There are also links to airline phone numbers.
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- Deirdre Van Dyk