April 26, 2004 -- As the number of travelers to the Caribbean drop off over the course of the next several months, tourism officials begin kicking discount promotional schemes into high gear. Recently, we reported on programs for Barbados and Jamaica, plus a scattering of specials across the region. Today, it's all about Puerto Rico, with its lively and steamy rainforest, luminescent bay and Bacardi rum.
For several years now, the Puerto Rican tourist people have been running a "Puerto Rico is Fun" program for their off season, affording visitors a big bunch of savings. Participating hotels and resorts offer a fourth or fifth night free, Caribbean breakfast, room upgrades subject to availability, a folkloric show and a kids stay for free program. If you stay at a small inn, you get a fourth night free, continental breakfast, a surprise gift, discount on car rentals, and again, kids stay for free.
Ten different tour operators are affiliated with the program, each offering variations on a theme with their packages priced from budget-friendly to budget-busters. The outifitters include:
- American Airlines Vacations (800/321-2121; https://aav6.aavacations.com/specials/pr_fun2.asp?ADID=BB1)
- Continental Airlines Vacations (800/301-3800; www.covacations.com/destination.aspx?code=PUERTORICO)
- Delta Airline Vacations (800/872-7786; www.deltavacations.com/promotionDetail.aspx?code=523)
- Funjet Vacations (800/558-3050; www.funjet.com/specials/pr_fun.asp?OAC=)
- Future Vacations (888/788-2545; www.futurevacations.com/promotiondetail.asp?id=97)
- Inter Island Tours (800/245-3434; https://interis.dreamhost.com/email2.html)
- Liberty Travel (888/271-1584; www.libertytravel.com/partners/general/puertorico/fun.asp?leadsourceid=18)
- Northwest Airlines Vacations (800/800-1504; www.nwavacations.com)
- Pleasant Holidays (800/742-9244; www.pleasantholidays.com/puertorico)
- United Airlines Vacations (888/854-3899; https://unitedvacations.trisepttech.com/spec/caribbean/prisfun.asp)
- US Airways Vacations (800/352-8747; www.usairwaysvacations.com)
Starting May 1, you can book US Airways Vacations packages for travel from May 4 through December 20. In addition to the roundtrip air travel, lodging, roundtrip airport/hotel transfers, hotel taxes and service charges, you get the following from the "PR is Fun" package: the fourth night free, daily American breakfast for two (not counting tax and tip), the upgraded room (if available), a LeLoLai Discount card (discounts on admission to local tours and attractions), 10% off food and beverage in hotels with restaurants, kids under 12 stay free program, 30% off Hertz Rental Car, and a 20-minute phone calling card.
A typical US Airways Vacation package from Boston for five nights starts at $699, from Charlotte $829, from New York $669, from Washington, D.C. $689 for stays at the Park Plaza Normandie San Juan, a renovated Art Deco style hotel. You could also stay for added price at nine other hotels in the commonwealth. Rates are available for departures from more than 100 other cities, too.
Delta Vacation's combo includes stays at the swanky Caribe Hilton. Flying from LaGuardia, you get a five-night stay at that mammoth resort for $784.40 (sample departure date April 29, 2004), with the airfare and the promo extras (calling card, fourth night free, room upgrade, free daily breakfast, and more). The booking deadline is December 13 and travel is good through December 20 except for the following blackout dates: May 27-30, July 1-4 and November 25-28.
If you want to make your own way to Puerto Rico, consider a land-only offer from American Airlines Vacations, starting from $207 per person for four nights. You get your fourth night free on this deal, or the fourth and eighth night free when staying for eight nights minimum. The kids stay free, and there's a free daily buffet breakfast for up to two adults and two children sharing the same room. You can have an upgraded room (from superior to ocean view, when available), the LeLoLai program noted above and the same calling card. There are 20 hotels to choose from, including those in the Hilton, Embassy Suites, Hyatt, Inter-Continental, Radisson, Westin and Wyndham chains, as well as at the Normandie and other independent hotels. The $207 price is for the Normandie between May 1 and June 30. The fine print here says that breakfast in the PR is Fun promotion could be anything from a full American breakfast to a Continental breakfast, and that the PR is Fun Special may end by November 30, 2004. American will sell you an air-inclusive vacation, too, if you ask nicely.
For more information on the Puerto Rico is Fun program, visit www.puertoricoisfun.com.
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