Beyond Ridiculous Round Trip Air $150

For those willing and able to fly out of Minot, North Dakota you can take advantage of a price war going on between Frontier Airlines and United.

United is the established airline, Frontier the relative upstart. United's main hub is Denver Colorado. Frontier is trying to carve a piece of the pie here for themselves.

So, the bargain is only Minot to Denver.  Last week prices were down to $172 for flights. That INCLUDES TAXES and everything for a round trip flight.  I thought we'd be lucky to see a day, or two of those prices.

Now, it's $157. ($150 US funds. $157 with our stumbling Canadian dollar.) There are tons of dates this spring to choose from. A range of stays from 1 night to 7 or more.

I'm blown away. Most return airfares anywhere in Canada are $450. This IMHO is like getting a three for one deal.

If you're thinking of a weekend getaway, your budget should love this one.

San Juan - $507 return

Accidentally stumbled upon a deal from Westjet to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Leave Fridays in June or July and return 8 days later on Saturdays for $507. That's tax in, from Winnipeg, return.

Sweet deal.

Will be even nicer next year when Disney Cruise Line does a Caribbean cruise from that port.

Interesting. $507 return anywhere Caribbean is great!!

Unbelievable bargain. Spring Break $324

I've spent more time researching travel and writing, in the last 2 days, than I should. But, I hit the jackpot. I can't go, but you might.

Go to expedia.com (not .ca)

Search march 25-29 from Minot to Denver.
Then you will have a selection of hotels from $250-600.  This is for a ROUND TRIP PACKAGE WHICH INCLUDES A DIRECT FLIGHT, 4 NIGHTS HOTEL AND TAXES.

If you choose the hotel as above, you will also have free airport transportation, free breakfast, free wifi and if you look into the hotel further, they have free cocktails and snacks for happy hour during the week.

This is during spring break!!!! Can you stay for 2 nights in Minot for 2 nights for $324. No. Not at a 4 star rated hotel you can't.  Now, the hotel choice is yours, there are tons to choose from. Whether you want shopping or hiking or whatever, Denver has lots of fun.

No, there are no Avalanche games during these dates, I checked.

Hyatt, Hampton, Hilton, Ramada, Marriott, La Quinta, all the brands are represented. Even boutique hotels.

United Airlines direct flights.

An unbelievable bargain like this will be gone before sunrise tomorrow.

Now that's a 1-day sale.

If you need a spring break getaway. If you just need to escape the 204 for a few days.... seriously amazing.

Air Canada: 1 Day Fail

Air Canada advertised and flaunted an exciting one day sale, to take place February 20th.

Then Feb 20th came and their grand surprise was: a $25 gift card to Hudson Bay Company. Pardon?

I thought they were kidding. I thought this was some sort of teaser? Nope. That was it. $25 to an aging, shrinking retailer.  GRRRRRRR. I wasted my time and yours "reporting" on an upcoming sale.

You'd get better swag from listening to a 20 minute time share presentation in Idaho.

Hudson Bay. Hudson Bay?  Once was a Canadian icon...once had stores in communities across the country. Now, its Zellers brand has disappeared. This "special" reeks of something popular in the 70s. It might have worked then. But now?? No.

Dear Air Canada: There's this thing called the Internet. Travel is a multi, multi BILLION dollar industry. Do not cry wolf again. The 2012 Olympic specials you ran were disappointing at best. This is worse. For a minute I had to check my calendar....nope, it's not April 1st.

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Ok, that all sounds uncharacteristically bitter of me. But when other suppliers regularly offer hundreds of dollars in savings.... For example, a quick check of today's Expedia.ca packages nets a 4 day stay in a 4 star hotel in downtown Vancouver for Under $700 with return Westjet airfare included.  (Infact, flight and hotel included for 4 nights was as low as $493 for a budget hotel.) The dates shown here are March 19-23rd. It's even a direct flight from Winnipeg, to Vancouver on departure. (The return flight has a connection.)

I even found the hotel at the Lonsdale Quay Market for $576. In my opinion, that's like paying regular price for the flight and getting the hotel for free.

This is the amazing market that I visited in November. I can only imagine how great the market would be in the spring sunshine. It's very much like the Forks. It's near a harbour, great downtown shopping and nightlife.  I think this would be a superb getaway.

Anyways, packages like this can be found regularly at expedia.ca . Just scroll down to the bottom right corner and look for package deals.

Thank you expedia and westjet, for saving the day.

Palm Trees & Me

My favourite vacations have one thing in common:  Palm Trees

As a Canadian girl, I'm far more familiar with pine trees, spruce trees and those kind of hardy plants that can survive harsh conditions. But, for as long as I can remember I've had an affection for palm trees.  Anytime I am in their presence, I find my happy self. 

So, this is why I love tropical vacations and desert vacations. Offer me a trip to Florida, California, Arizona, Hawaii, or the Caribbean and I'm in.  Las Vegas has palm trees too. Yes, and slot machines with palm tree icons too!

My screensaver is a palm tree. If I could live in a beach hut surrounded by palm trees, the ocean and soft white sand, I'd jump at that chance. 

This blissful moment, brought to you by a California palm tree, and the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach. 

The take-out food, the beer and the magazine are the perfect accompaniments. The palm tree and the patio are the stars. 

Up Close with Teemu in Anaheim

Following the 2012/13 NHL hockey strike/lockout, some teams made special efforts to get fans back in the rink. The Anaheim Ducks were one of those teams.

For their home opener, the Ducks planned a fan event where folks could interact with the team pre-game. Even though there was a light rain, the event went forward.

We found out about the event through Twitter. Right winger, Bobby Ryan (@b_ryan9) tweeted an invitation to the event that morning. (Thank you Bobby Ryan!)

Matt Belesky #39

It sounded like fun and we had game tickets already, so we made our way to the Honda Centre for 4PM.

Players were meeting a VIP group of sponsors in the event tent, then they made their way across a red carpet to the arena. There were about 75-100 fans gathered for the red carpet autograph session.

Players and fans were cheerful and both sides seemed to really enjoy the interactions. This was a first for this type of thing for my son & I. Since we were simply visiting California and had not anticipated this type of thing, we did not have an autograph book or anything. Players each had sharpies for signing, so that was a non-issue.

I thought we were clever and resourceful in asking the players to sign my son's hockey jacket.

It was really a highlight to see Teemu Selanne, a former resident of the 204. Though he was being rushed by security and was the most sought after autograph, he was amazing and took time with everyone. We chatted briefly about Winnipeg and told him we were thrilled to see him play as it had been impossible to get a ticket to last year's Ducks vs. Jets game in Winnipeg.  He thanked us for coming, asked if my son played hockey and signed CJ's hockey card. (I cleverly packed 5 Ducks hockey cards in my wallet that I had found in CJ's room before we left.)

Teemu Selanne #8

Other players who made an impression on us were Matt Belesky, Bobby Ryan, Cam Fowler, Luca Sbisa, Ryan Getzlaf and of course, Sheldon Souray. The two goalies, Hiller and Fasth were there too. Fasth is a pretty serious guy (see photo) but after seeing him in net and knowing that he's 8-0 for the season so far... wow. Seriously good!!!

Ryan Getzlaf signs a fan's jersey

Lastly I want to note that at the start of the game Ryan Getzlaf called upon his team mates and the Canucks (the opponent that evening) to centre ice and he spoke on their collective behalf. He simply thanked the fans for returning and believing in hockey and he vowed that they would do their best to earn the fan support this season and in the future.

Yep.... you had me at "Thank you." So, though I'm a huge Jets' fan, I'm ALSO a huge Ducks fan now. I love what they did for the fans that day and I love how my son's eyes sparkled when meeting his hockey heroes.

Goalie Viktor Fasth

Sharp dressed defenseman, Sheldon Souray

Air Canada 1-Day Sale

In my regular perusal of the travel sites, I noticed links to a fabulous one-day sale at Air Canada. The one day is February 20th.  Interesting!  Now, I have no idea what their deal might be, but I'm curious.

If you're looking for a Spring trip, I'd say don't book tonight... stay tuned.

Coconut anything for me

I'm big on coconuts. I love it. Put it in lotion, candles, cakes, beverages, anything... and I'm in. So, naturally when I saw this hotel/resort on-line, I thought.... "yep, that's going on the list."

Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort, Naples Florida

Then, there is this one, the Coconut Bay Resort and Spa in St Lucia. Trip Advisor ranked it number one for families.  Travellers' Choice® 2012 Winner 
So, that's enough to put it on my list too.

It's a long list, and I'm always on the hunt for new destinations. I largely rely on the recommendations of Trip Advisor and travel bloggers with similar interests and family situations.  I think sharing info is a fabulous resource. That's why I write this.

Cheers! Somebody grab me a pina colada.... I'm starting to crave coconut again.

When you can't escape

5 fun and fabulous things to do in Manitoba in the winter:

1. Skate the Forks river trail

2. Visit the Festival du Voyager  (Feb 15-24)

3. Explore the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair (March 23-29)

4. Meet the new polar bear, Hudson, at the Assiniboine Park Zoo

5. Take in a concert

Admission to each of these events/activities is $30 or less.

Bahamas - April - All Inclusive

I love the Bahamas. There's no secret there.

It's pretty rare to find a bargain going to the Bahamas. And even more rare with an All Inclusive resort. There are maybe 3 of 30 popular resorts in Nassau that are all inclusive. Breezes, Sandals and Paradise Island Harbour (2star) are about the only ones. Places like Atlantis are "European" meaning your room is the only thing in your resort fee. Food, beverages, entertainment and activities are extra.

Nassau/Paradise Island is the main island. But there are many other smaller Bahamian Islands to visit, including Freeport, Grand Bahama and Abaco.

This bargain is in Freeport. Considering a Nassau vacation at this time of year would cost you about $2500 per person "European", you can see why I am calling $1250 all inclusive, a bargain.

Same great Caribbean. Same great sand. Same great people. It's just not the big island and it's not Atlantis.  But definitely worth consideration.

Bargain found at redtag.ca  The package is Westjet.

Club Seats

When we went to the Anaheim Ducks game in January, the cost of club seats, purchased off Stubhub.com were $78. That's the same cost of a cheap seat at a Winnipeg Jets game.

Sure, you could grab a ticket to the Ducks game for $29, but why? If I am travelling to attend a game, I would prefer to sit in good seats. This is just how I like to travel. And the view is always good, great even!

There are some very practical advantages to sitting in the Club Seats. First off, they generally allow you access to the arena or stadium an hour before general admission. This was great when we were going to an NFL football game. We got to see the teams warm up on the field, plus we got to watch the other televised games from the lounge and "pre-game" a bit.

Washroom ratio is way better too. This is great if you are travelling with kids. It's a 2 minute wait for the washroom instead of the typical 15 minute lineup downstairs.  This is also great if you plan to indulge in a number of over-priced beverages.

Club seats are also great for acquiring those over-priced beverages. The waitstaff will bring them right to your seats. So that's good. You won't miss the game in the beer line.

Food is better in club level too. You could have a prime rib sandwich rather than a salty concession hot dog. I actually enjoy a Jack & Coke with that sandwich.  In fact, the Honda Centre (Anaheim Ducks' arena) has a whole Jack Daniels lounge on the Club Level.  Nice eh?

So, if you are planning to watch hockey in the sunshine states like Florida, California or Arizona, I say "go for the good seats." They're a bargain. Great bang for your Canadian buck!

Time to book for April

Both Air Canada and Westjet have sales on now. Decent prices (approx 20% discount) on most everywhere they fly. Booking dates and prices vary, but you just might be able to grab a great spring getaway bargain if you act now.

Book on line before February 10th.

Examples:  Air Canada will take you to Bermuda $471 all taxes in, return. April 12-19

Westjet will take you (2 adults) and the (2) kids to Anaheim and put you up in a Holiday INN for 5 nights for under $2700

Vegas in April

There haven't been too many outstanding Vegas deals lately. Allegiant Air out of Minot (MOT) and Grand Forks (GFK) have raised their prices 20% or more in the last year, in my opinion.

Plus, they have this crazy idea that they can charge for carry on bags. NO, not CHECKED suitcases, you read right, 20" small wheely-bags that are carry-ons. That bugs me. But not enough to eliminate them from consideration when I need a Vegas holiday.

I think anytime you can get a couple days in Vegas for under $400 (taxes and hotel in) is a decent deal. It has to be a good hotel. I'm not staying at the Quad (renamed Imperial Palace)

Here's a deal I saw today.  It includes 2 free tickets to a show as an added bonus. Most of the MGM hotels are offering that deal this spring.  Allegiantair.com if you are interested.