September 15, 2003 -- It just wouldn't be fall without journeying off to take in the brilliant vistas of an autumnal landscape painted in bright swaths of reds, oranges and yellows. We've dug up some great deals to get out to the countryside without breaking the bank.
Destinations Canada is our first offer for great fall getaway. A mere $575 will take you for a four-night holiday in northeastern Ontario, including roundtrip airfare from New York to Toronto. The package puts you up for four nights in the famous Canadian Ecology Centre, just north of Algonquin Park, and besides the airfare, gives you a seven-day Budget rental car (based on four persons per full-size car), and all taxes. You pay just $60 per person for an extra night. The 32 cabins at the Centre can sleep up to five persons and are equipped with refrigerator, coffee maker, linens and towels, and computer with Internet access. Better yet, if you depart after October 7, the price is reduced to $475 per person, with extra nights for only $45. This package is good through April 30, 2004. There are comparably priced departures available from any Air Canada or United Airlines US gateway city. For more information or to book, contact www.destinationscanada.com or phone 888/475-4226. For more deals on Ontario, check out www.ontariotravel.net or phone 800/ONTARIO.
If you are planning on staying in USA -- family gatherings are after all a part of fall rituals --consider the Otesaga Resort, a 1909 Grand Dame of place on the shore of Lake Otsego in Cooperstown NY. The resort is offering a special "Family Thanksgiving Weekend Celebration" package. This two-night extravaganza is available from November 26 to November30, 2003, and starts at $440, based on double occupancy, (service charges and taxes not included). There's an additional charge of $80 per child ages 7-18, but children six and under stay free.
The two-night package includes your room, two dinners and two breakfasts per guest, a cocktail reception on November 26, tickets to the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, holiday wine tasting, family movies, bingo, hay ride, historic tour of Cooperstown, live entertainment and dancing nightly. For information or reservations, phone 800/348-6222 or visit www.otesaga.com.
Vermont is as perfect of a place as it gets for autumnal joys. We have deals here too! The Mountain Top Inn & Resort in Chittenden VT (11 miles from Killington) has a summer package good through September 25, 2003, with three nights for the price of two. A "Family Fun" package starts at $825 double occupancy for three nights, which includes breakfast and a tavern dinner. Frolicking in the leaves may occur on the one-hour guided trail ride, at the resort's scenic trails and thousands of acres of national forest -- access to all included in the package. If you still have energy for sporting activities, you will enjoy a free access to hiking, kayaking and canoeing, tennis, croquet, and swimming for the die-heart athletes. Taxes, gratuities and service fees are included as well. Phone them at 800/445-2100, e-mail info@mountaintopinn.com, website www.mountaintopinn.com.