Deals

Israel’s national airline, El Al, just announced a great deal this winter. Depart New York, Boston, Miami or LA from November 25-February 21 and they’ll offer a direct flight to Tel Aviv and 6 nights at any Dan Panorama property for as low as $1329 per person. ActiveTravels works with great ground operators in Israel who can help arrange transfers and guides to any part of the country, from a day trip to two of my favorite cities, Safed and Akko, to hiking Masada and floating in the Dead Sea. Jerusalem reaches an average high of 60 degrees in December, while Tel Aviv can often top 70 degrees. So it’s a still comfortable time of year to visit Israel. 

If you want to book a last-minute flight to the UK, Ireland, and Norway this summer, consider Norwegian Air. The low-cost carrier recently announced that they will offer new flights from Providence’s T. F. Green Airport to Belfast, Cork, Shannon, and Dublin, Edinburgh, and Bergen, Norway. Direct flights from Hartford’s Bradley Airport will head to Edinburgh. Norwegian will also be offering flights from Stewart Airport in New Windsor, New York, about 60 miles north of Manhattan to Belfast, Dublin, Shannon, Edinburgh, and Bergen. Service will begin in June or early July. The best part is the price. I just went on Norwegian Air’s website and looked at pricing for a Providence to Dublin round-trip flight, leaving July 4th and returning July 10th. Cost was only $315 round-trip including taxes! Don’t hesitate to book now because pricing will increase once word quickly spreads. 

Need to get away? If you live on the East Coast corridor and just endured another snowstorm last week, I would say you’re due. Bermuda’s shoulder season is March to late May. The Fairmount Southampton is offering rooms at a 40% discount while rooms at my favorite lodging on-island, The Reefs, starts at $275 a night this time of year. I just checked the 10-day forecast and highs reach the upper 60s, heading to the mid-70s in April. Flights are direct and only 2 hours from New York, Boston, and DC. If you need suggestions on what to do while you’re there, check out my Boston Globe story. 

Members of ActiveTravels know we’re big fans of the Salt House Inn in Provincetown. I’ve written about the property for The Boston Globe and Conde Nast Traveller UK and they’ve graciously participated in our hotel giveaway raffle. The 15-room property, originally cottages for salt mine workers in the 1850s, is on a quiet road, a stone’s throw from the hustle and bustle of Commercial Street. A rarity in Provincetown, the inn comes with parking lot and also offers a second floor sun terrace to relax in one of the rocking chairs. Breakfast is a high point, featuring scones, an egg dish like frittata or quiche, ham and cheese croissants, and a Vermont yogurt station with toppings like granola and jam. The inn is now offering a deal where you book two or more nights through May 25 and receive a 50% discount on your nightly room rate. Use promo code 2For1 when making your reservations online. Whale watching resumes in mid-April and the crowds don’t start pouring in until mid-June, so spring is a great time of year to walk the beaches or stroll the shops and art galleries. 

With February vacation week just around the corner, Boston’s Hotel Commonwealth is offering a special staycation "Sale" in honor of the new Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale (#41). From 2/18 through 2/26, families staying at the hotel will receive the first night at a discounted rate of $199 and the second night (or second room) at an extra special "Sale" price of $41. It’s the perfect time to get out of the house and spend a few days exploring everything Boston has to offer, from the MFA’s new "Make Way for Ducklings" exhibition to ice skating at Frog Pond. Also included in the promotion is valet parking for one vehicle ($53 value), a special welcome gift for each child, and for those that stay 2/24 & 2/25, a double-feature movie night in the hotel’s new ballroom. 

Celebrate Valentine’s Day on the Maine coast, where Kennebunkport is painting the town red for romance. Throughout the month of February, all businesses at Dock Square in downtown Kennebunkport will be decked out in red lights. Better yet, hotels, restaurants, galleries, and shops will welcome travelers with savings, from Red Plate dining specials to Five Shades of Red hotel packages, and Red Tag sales from retailers. The “Love KPT” lodging package includes a two-night stay for two people at The Boathouse Waterfront Hotel (starting at $373) or the Kennebunkport Inn (starting at $405), arrival goodies of red wine and chocolate-covered strawberries, a three course dinner for two, and a late check-out at noon. To help curate the perfect romantic getaway, couples can call upon Kennebunkport Resort Collection’s Cupid Concierge, Tasha Harper. Her job is to enhance the romance and take care of all details, from planning a surprise engagement to placing a love note with rose petals on the pillow at turndown. The Cupid Concierge can be reached at cupid@lovekpt.com. 

This is the time of year that many publications like The New York Times and Travel & Leisure come out with their top travel destinations in the upcoming year. Lonely Planet has just published their top value picks in 2017 and we really like their choices. Having just returned from South Africa, we know first hand its affordability thanks to the currency exchange, currently 14 rand to the dollar. So if Namibia is linked to the rand, this is the ideal time to go on safari and visit Cape Town afterwards. Porto and nearby Lisbon are becoming more and more popular thanks to affordable airfare from the States. Nepal desperately needs your business to help rebuild their country. The interior of Belize is just as impressive as the beaches and reefs. We deal with a great ground operator in Morocco who can easily package together hotels, guides, activities, and transfers around the country. Lastly, we’ve been singing the praises of Mackinac Island and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for decades, ever since we attended the University of Michigan. It’s one of the finest family retreats in the country. Have a look and tell us what you think.

Three of the Berkshires’ top hotels have teamed up with local ski areas to offer ski packages as low as $205 per room, including lodging, two lift tickets, and complimentary breakfast. Stockbridge’s historic Red Lion Inn has teamed up with Butternut Ski Resort, while the new Hotel on the North in Pittsfield and the Porches Inn in North Adams have partnered with Jiminy Peak Ski Resort. Porches is across the street from Mass MoCA, which is staging a yearlong exhibition on artist Nick Cave. The massive installation consists of thousands of found objects and millions of beads, definitely worth checking out on your day off from skiing. 

This might be the summer to return to Europe, especially with the announcement last week that a number of low-cost airlines will soon start to offer flights from Boston’s Logan Airport. Thomas Cook Airlines will fly to Manchester, England, for as low as $312 one-way. AirBerlin will also begin offering flights to Dusseldorf, Germany. They join no-frills carriers like Norwegian Air and WOW, which started offering cheaper flights to Europe last summer. Adding to the fun is news that WestJet, the low-cost Canadian airline will soon offer flights to Halifax and Toronto. Time to take advantage of that favorable Canadian exchange rate?