It will be important to a great many avid travelers to learn that Club Med (tel. 800/258-2633; www.clubmed.us) is operating two dramatic sales at its trendy resorts.

The first one? Seven-night, all-inclusive vacations starting at $849 per person for couples. Book now through April 30 for travel between April 18 and December 19.
Participating properties include: Cancún, Mexico; Ixtapa, Mexico; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Turkoise, Turks & Caicos; Columbus Isle, Bahamas; Caravelle, Guadeloupe, and Buccaneer's Creek, Martinique. Click here for more details about these Club Med deals.

How deep a discount does that $849 price represent? I placed a phone call to Club Med's public relations personnel asking that they advise me of the normal starting rates at these resorts. Amazingly, they responded with the following:

Cancún, Mexico: $1,260; Ixtapa Pacific, Mexico: $1,260; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic: $1,260; Turkoise, Turks & Caicos, $1,260; Columbus Isle, Bahamas: $1,260; Caravelle, Guadeloupe: $1,400; Buccaneer's Creek, Martinique: $1,400.

The second sale? Simultaneously, Club Med is selling Family Plan trips for a week's all-inclusive vacation. These are markedly less expensive if you choose the Sandpiper resort in Florida, which costs $499 for seven nights for either an adult or a child. In Punta Cana, the rate is at $687, and in Cancún or Ixtapa Pacific, it's from $749.

What a comedown this action represents for Club Med! Just one year ago, the elegant, aristocratic son of a former president of France, Henri Giscard d'Estaing, announced upon becoming the new president of the resort chain that Club Med was going upscale, touting its luxurious amenities and exclusive atmosphere. No bargaining for them; no haggling over price. Everything, from now on, was going to be select and sophisticated. 

And then the economic crisis hit. And now, this privileged young heir is cutting a normal $1,400 per week charge down to $849. How the mighty have fallen.