August 15, 2003 -- It seems like summer is over before you know it; students are already heading back to the classroom across the country. As summer winds down it shouldn't have to mean putting a stop to relaxation and fun. We can't think of a better way than captaining your own houseboat on stunning Lake Powell straddling Utah and Arizona.
Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas is offering a 25% discounts on certain rentals from August 25 through October 31 -- if you want to forego the discount, you can take them up instead on the use of a powerboat or other personal watercraft (read: jet ski) for the duration of your trip free of charge. You must book four houseboat days and one nights' lodging with them, at prices starting from $2,999.
Right now you're probably scratching your head thinking, "Three grand for five measly days! What a rip-off!" But take a look at the math: your vessel -- a 54-foot Sport Class houseboat -- sleeps 12 people easily, and that works out to just under $63 per day per person if you fill to capacity. Now lop off 25%, and your grand total is just $2,2,50 -- or $47 a day person! Plus, the offers are valid over the Labor Day and Columbus Day weekends, slots that are typically blacked-out across the tourism industry board.
Aramark, the company that manages Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas, says you'll save as much as $1,700 when taking them up on this offer. You get the 54-foot houseboat (fully loaded with amenities, even a swim slide) for four days, one night free in the lodge (to be used the night before departure on the boat), free gas (houseboat return fueling), and a choice of either an 18-foot powerboat or the jet ski. Taxes and fuel for the powerboat and jet ski are not included. The free room offer is valid for one standard room sleeping up to four persons. You can get an additional standard room at $59 plus tax. All this is subject to availability, and inventory is limited. The deal is good only at the Wahweap Marina/Wahweap Lodge in Arizona and at the Bullfrog Marina/Defiance House Lodge, in Bullfrog, Utah.
You could also book for just three houseboat days and one Lodge night, from just $1,999, but you get only free gas refueling on return of the boat. With this, the management says, you save up to $1,000 off the regular price.
Lake Powell is located on the border of Utah and Arizona in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which lies between the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks to the west, and the Arches and Canyonlands national parks to the east. It's the second largest manmade lake in the US, with more than 2,000 miles of shoreline and 90 major red rock canyons. The fantastic scenery served as the background to such recent Hollywood sagas as The Incredible Hulk and Charlie's' Angels 2: Full Throttle.
For more information or to book, go to www.lakepowell.com or phone 888/486-4665.