October 29, 2003 -- The days dwindle down to a precious few, and suddenly, it's nearly November. If you haven't made any plans for late fall or this winter, now is the time, as bargains continue to pour in over the transom. After sifting and sorting, here are some current offers for seeing England, Scotland and Wales.
Through December 14, 2003, CIE Tours International present a Go-As-You-Please Britain package, a self-drive vacation priced from $58 per person a day if you're a couple, as low as $55 per person per day when four people go together. This is land-only, and covers the use of a Hertz standard shift car with third party insurance, unlimited mileage, 24-hour emergency road service, government tax, plus lodging with full breakfast daily at a choice of over 1,200 B&B homes throughout England, Scotland and Wales. You have vouchers for total flexibility here, though the first night's lodging can be pre-booked at no extra charge. If you prefer first class hotel rooms with private bath, there's a Hotelpass package, with 750 hotels throughout Britain, starting at $74 per person (when four travel together), or $77 per person for couples. Minimum stay of six nights required. You can start in London, Edinburgh or Glasgow, or other locations if need be. Phone CIE at 800/CIE-TOUR or visit www.cietours.com. (Note that if you phone, they won't guarantee a price until you give them a date on which you want to travel -- they work backwards from the date you want, not forward from the price you ask for.)
Lynott Tours is also offering similar go as you please tours of Scottish, English and Welsh towns, but these are complete packages including airfare to boot. The best-priced combos start from $830 for departures out of Boston, Newark or New York into London from December 26 through March 2004. Included is your roundtrip airfare, transfers, a rental car and vouchers good for 6 nights' accommodations in B&B's scattered across Great Britain; pick your routes, pick your towns and pick your B&B. For more information, go to www.lynotttours.com.
If you're looking for a really nice B&B in London, consider Uptown Reservations, which says it has prices starting at about £95 (about $150) for a double or twin, and £125 (about $198) for a family room sleeping three, in a variety of B&Bs they have inspected and approved. The homes, said to be "owned by lords and ladies, diplomats, interior decorators and businessmen" temporarily out of their digs, are located in central London's best and safest neighborhoods, namely, Chelsea, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Belgravia, Holland Park and Pimlico, with Notting Hill and the West End thrown in for good measure. A colleague reports she saw draperies in one house that "must have cost $3,000," and visited a duplex apartment "with roof garden overlooking the V&A," as well as a "1706 house with lovely garden and original paneling throughout." For more information, go to www.uptownres.co.uk, e-mail inquiries@uptownres.co.uk, or phone 011/44-20-7351-3445.
The airline now known as bmi (formerly British Midlands International) offers you a free vacation package in London if you pay the regular roundtrip economy fare of $1,499 to get there, and they throw in a $330 shopping voucher at Harrods. This is no bargain compared with some packages we've written about before, but you do get to stay your three nights in a four-star hotel, enjoy a daily continental breakfast, roundtrip airport/hotel transfers, full day Hop-On/Hop-Off sightseeing tour on double-decker buses, a River Thames cruise, and the voucher. The package is per person, double occupancy, and includes local taxes but not airport taxes, which are approx. $160. And you get to fly in the "new economy" 48-seat middle cabin, with such extras as ergonomic seats with 38 inches of comfortable legroom (five to seven inches more than average), phone, data ports and laptop power. This offer is good through March 31, 2004 on bmi's daily flights from Chicago to Manchester, and daily (except Tuesdays) from Washington, D.C.. For more information, call the tour operators Discover British Isles and Europe Travel at 888/669-8205 or check the website at www.discoverbritishislestravel.com/bmi-special.htm.
The same airline has another package, called Wale of a Deal, referring to Wales and the Welsh Rarebits hotel group. You pay the same $1,499, and get a weeklong Avis rental with unlimited mileage and seven nights' lodging at one of the 16 Rarebits hotels. This promotion has been extended to March 31, 2004. For more details or to book, call Undiscovered Britain & Ireland Ltd. (UBI) at 866/508-8804 or visit the Wales Tourist Board website at www.travelwales.us/bmi.
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