Skittish about planning a trip overseas this spring and summer? Then consider serene Canada's Atlantic provinces, where Anne of the Green Gables lived. And there are few worthier competitors for the most stress-free spot than the Iles de la Madeleine, a tiny archipelago in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 135 miles off the Quebec coast. What's more, the basic program that takes you there could cost less than $140 a night, including airfare and a rental car making a trip there even more enjoyable.
Maxxim Vacations currently is offering a 10-night trip from $1,349 a person, which includes roundtrip airfare on Air Canada from New York, though similar costs are available for departures from other U.S. gateways served by the same airline
"Great Sights & Highlights" is the name of this fly-drive vacation, which visits three of Canada's prettiest provinces--Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. The price is per person, based on double occupancy for ten nights, and includes a mid-size car rental with unlimited mileage. The 14-night vacation is priced from $1,599 out of New York. Daily departures are scheduled from May 1 through October 31, 2003.
Extras include a traditional P.E.I. lobster supper and a city tour of Halifax. On the basic tour, you can enjoy visiting such ethnic enclaves as the Lunenburg for its Germanic influences, L'Acadie in the heart of Atlantic Canada's French-Canadian community, or Cape Breton, where bagpipers welcome you to the Gaelic College of Celtic Folk Arts.
In New Brunswick, you can witness the world's highest tides in the Bay of Fundy, where you may also walk on the ocean floor at low tide, and return just six hours later to kayak over that same spot. Other highlights include the world's longest covered bridge in Fredericton, the Algonquin Hotel in St. Andrews-by-the-Sea (bagpipers again), the Reversing Falls in Saint John, and more.
There's also an escorted program if you don't want to drive yourself. A nine-night bus tour (June through October) covers much of these three provinces, but is considerably more with prices of $1,789 from New York, $1,849 from Boston, $1,989 from Chicago, $2,039 from Atlanta and $2,149 from Los Angeles.
For more information or to book, contact your travel agent or Maxxim Vacations directly at 800/567-6666 or 709/754-6666, Web site www.maxximvacations.com.
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