As the summer slowly fades away and the weather turns colder, it's only natural for travelers to start thinking about fall and winter vacations. Now that the 2006-2007 Farmer's Almanac has just come out with predictions that this winter will be increasingly more severe than last and one of the coldest in years, it may be time to start acting on those travel instincts and begin booking those getaways. With that in mind, here are the cheapest deals to Florida, a place where couples can bask in the Miami sun, families can take Disney World by storm, and golfers can hit the links just about anywhere.
The least expensive way to get to Florida this fall may be on discount airliner Jet Blue (tel. 800/538-2583; www.jetblue.com). If you book by September 1, 2006, flyers can take advantage of "Florida Specials" including $59 one way fares from Washington. D.C. to West Palm Beach (service begins October 3, 2006) and Ft. Lauderdale; $79 from Boston or New York City area airports to Ft. Lauderdale; $84 from Boston to Tampa or Ft. Myers; $84 from New York into Jacksonville, Ft. Meyers, Sarasota or Orlando; and $129 from Oakland into Ft. Lauderdale. Travel is good on these fares through either November 14 or December 30, 2006. A seven or fourteen-day advanced ticket purchase is required for most of these fares. In some cases, the August 31, 2006 purchase deadline is not required.
For inexpensive lodging in select Florida cities, we found various hotel deals. In Ft. Lauderdale, the four-star Hyatt Regency Pier 66 (tel. 800-233-1234; www.pier66.hyatt.com) is offering $99 room rates on stays through October 9 including weekends. This represents a savings of more than 40 percent off regular prices. Extras include a 2 for 1 coupon good at hotel restaurants and bars, as well as complimentary shuttle buses to and from the nearby beach. The hotel has three pools and an aquatic center for water activities. Mention TVL66 as the code to book this special offer.
Looking to escape this weekend and for future specials, Expedia (tel. 800/397-3342; www.expedia.com) has rooms in the Miami area starting below $80. Labor Day specials still available include a room at the South Beach boutique property Haddon Hall for an average price of $77 per night over the three day weekend and $79 per night at the San Juan Hotel, one block from the water also in South Beach. In the Orlando area, Expedia has hotel options starting at $59 at the Ramada Resort, just a short drive from Universal Studios and Disney World. There are plenty of other specials available in conjunction with the site's celebration of its 10th Birthday.
For air/land packages to various Florida cities, Travelocity's (tel. 888/872-8356; www.travelocity.com) always reliable "Last Minute Packages" section and the site's normally reliable regular deals have plenty of flight, hotel and rental car combination packages available all over the Sunshine State. In the regular deals department, Travelocity has three night packages to Orlando starting at $291 which include airfare and hotel accommodations at the Red Roof Inn. Other deals include three nights in Tampa at the Belleville Biltmore starting at $379 per night. If you have a little flexibility in your travel schedule and can do a Saturday to Monday trip, a Last Minute Package from Chicago to Naples on Florida's West Coast with airfare and hotel starts at $271 per person for people traveling in twosomes. Long considered calmer, Florida's mellow West Coast is full of upscale restaurants, fashionable boutiques and art galleries. Using Chicago as an example, other Florida destinations and prices include Orlando starting at $236, Jacksonville at $254, Boca Raton at $306, and Tampa at $258. With Travelocity Last Minute Packages you just have to plug in your departure city and a destination to start searching for low-cost trips. Florida alone has 17 different destination areas to choose from including Miami, Miami Beach, Port St. Lucie, the Keys, Pensacola on the Panhandle and Tallahassee.
For other incredibly low-priced deals to Florida, Southwest Vacations (tel. 800/243-8372; www.southwestvacations.com) has deals all over the state, including a special "Wishes Come True for Less" package to Disney World. Departing from several U.S. gateways, the Disney package must be booked by September 29, 2006 for travel good from October 1 to December 19, 2006. In all, the package includes round-trip airfare to Orlando, four nights in a hotel, a three-day ticket with a Park Hopper option allowing you to switch from amusement park to amusement park, airport transfers in Florida, and 24-hour travel assistance if necessary. Starting prices for this trip include $479 from Nashville, $624 from Providence, and $579 from Raleigh/Durham. Disney World aside, the Florida
sale continues with two-night deals to Orlando including airfare and hotel that start at just $239 per night from Baltimore, $269 from Cleveland, and go as low as $239 from frigid Buffalo.
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