March 3, 2004 -- As winter's doldrums drag into their final month, the lure of the South Seas still beckons. There are some great bargains coming along with very early deadlines, and one that you can take your time thinking about. Sure, you can go there anytime, thanks to perfect weather nearly year round, but now is the moment if you want a real deal worth writing home about.
Go-Today has several current offers worth reporting. If you book by today, you can have a six nights in Tahiti, Moorea or a combination of the two from just $799, including roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles, accommodations, daily breakfast and VAT and government taxes included. In Papeete, you'll stay at Sofitel Maeva beach, a big resort right on the water; in Moorea, it's the Sofitel la Ora. As with all Go-Today packages, the price is per person based on double occupancy and does not include airline departure taxes or surcharges. Space is limited and subject to availability, and certain restrictions apply. [We'd also like to remind you of two other deals to Tahiti we recently reported on February 25.]
Also enticing is an offer starting from $899 for a vacation in Bali, if you can book by tomorrow, March 4. This combo bundles roundtrip airfare, roundtrip airport/hotel transfers, five nights at the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel, daily continental breakfast, hotel taxes and service charges. Departure dates are between March 6 through March 31; from April 1 through June 5, the price goes up to $999 per person. Flights are out of San Francisco, add $50 for LA departures in March only. From other cities, the add-on airfare ranges from $150 to $375. Government/airport taxes and fees not included. Nusa Dua is where it's all happening on Bali, especially if you like nightlife.
If it's Fiji you're fond of, consider this final Go-Today offer, good for through March 25 starting from $1,049. You get roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles, five nights in the Club Fiji Beach Resort, airport lei welcome, roundtrip airport/hotel transfers, hotel taxes and service charges. If you want to spend $150 more and stay at the Hideaway Resort, your plan also includes a free introductory scuba diving lesson, a 30-minutes massage per room, a village tour and a cabaret/cultural show (but not one with fire walking). The deadline for reserving for Fiji at these prices is March 19, 2004. Add-on airfares range from $160 to $500, and airport taxes and charges are not included.
Contact Go Today at www.gotoday.com or phone them at 425/487-9632; remember, it's $20 to book over the phone.
Hawaii, A Little Closer to Home
Going domestic appeal more to your tastes? Pleasant Holidays, another of our favorite tour operators, has a land-only holiday for five nights there that starts at just $746 per person. You'll stay at the Embassy Vacation Resort at Poipu Point on the garden island of Kauai. In addition to the lodging, you will get a fresh flower lei greeting, a daily Dollar rental car, and all hotel and car rental taxes, for starters.
The resort is on a bluff at the southern tip of Kauai, with five-times-weekly free mai tai parties, an adults-only whirlpool spa, and plenty of activities. If you wish, you can buy in advance activity vouchers that include a sunset champagne helicopter flight over Bali Hai on Kauai where the movie South Pacific was filmed, a Wailua River/Waimea Canyon tour, or a half-day Napali raft tour. If you fly on Pleasant Holidays' scheduled nonstop service from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Hawaii, you will enjoy free movies, free cocktail, hot meals, and up to 50% off if you travel first class.
Contact Pleasant Holidays at www.pleasantholidays.com or phone 800/448-3333.