The Wall Street Journal-20080122-Travel Watch
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Travel Watch
Specials for You
And Your Valentine
With Valentine's Day approaching, hotels and resorts are trying to seduce travelers with deals and romantic offerings.
St. Regis hotels in New York and San Francisco are offering a "bath butler" through the end of February. Guests can choose from a menu of options, including the "Krug Champagne and Chocolat Extravagance," which features Krug Grande Cuvee and La Maison du Chocolat Champagne truffles. Prices range from $525 to $1,650.
Omni Hotels Corp. will help couples re-create first dates, engagements and other big occasions through its "Deja Vu" package. Omni will coordinate details to mimic memorable moments, like designing a custom menu from the couple's first date. The offer is available brandwide from Feb. 1 through Dec. 30; prices start at $150 to $350 and vary depending on the request.
The Westin Aruba Resort is offering a $599 per night "Romance Is in the Air" package, which includes champagne, a 2 1/2-hour couple massage and dinner for two at any of the resort's restaurants. The deal is available Feb. 1-29.
Sandals Resorts International Ltd., with locations in Antigua, Jamaica, St. Lucia and the Bahamas, is offering a seventh night free. Couples who book a weeklong stay in select categories get the seventh night free. The deal must be booked by Feb. 14 for travel between now and Dec. 26.
Air Sales to Europe
Vayama.com, an international air-travel Web site, has a yearlong sale on business-class fares from Newark, N.J., to Paris. The deal, which has no blackout dates, offers fares of $1,030 plus tax to Orly Airport on L'Avion Airlines. A July 15-22 trip, for example, costs $1,435 including taxes as of yesterday, while a business-class seat on Air France for those same dates (between John F. Kennedy International Airport and Charles de Gaulle, booked yesterday on Air France's site) cost $3,287, taxes included.
Virgin Atlantic Airways is running a sale this week on flights from New York to London. Through Jan. 26, round-trip fares start at $529 and are valid for travel through March 23.
Pre-Olympics Trips
Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts is offering a "Pre-Olympic Vacation" package at its four Beijing hotels until June 30. Each of the five-day themed packages includes a visit to Olympic sites such as the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube -- nicknames for two of Beijing's more eye- catching athletic venues. From there, visitors may choose from among four themes: "Art and Sport," "History and Architecture," "Wine and Dine," and "Sight and Shop." "Art and Sport" includes a tour of the Peking Opera School, the Beijing Sport School and the 798 Art District, while "Wine and Dine" includes cooking lessons and a tour of the Lotus Market. Packages range from 18,500 yuan ($2,554) to 25,500 yuan, depending on the hotel.
Downhill Deals
Ski.com is offering $12 lift tickets at certain resorts during periods of heavy snowfall. When any of four resorts -- Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Vail -- receives at least 12 inches of snow, skiers and snowboarders have 12 hours (from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time the following day) to book a vacation package from ski.com that includes $12 lift tickets. Blackout dates include Feb. 15-24 and March 19-25.
New Routes
JetBlue Airways Corp. has new nonstop, year-round service from New York-JFK to St. Maarten, and is offering introductory sale fares of $99 each way. Travel must be booked by Thursday. Regular one-way fares for the route start at $154.
Northwest Airlines Inc. will start daily nonstop service between Detroit and Monterrey, Mexico, on May 2.
AMR Corp.'s American Airlines will begin new service between Dallas and San Salvador, El Salvador, beginning April 7.
Sun Country Airlines is starting twice-daily service from New York- JFK to West Palm Beach, Fla.
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Jonathan Cheng contributed to this article.
