September 19, 2003 -- It's coming soon, the fall and winter travel discount season for Spain, where British old age pensioners instigated the first "cheaper there than at home" extended vacations. You needn't be interested in staying for three months, or even one month, in order to enjoy the quiet plazas, half-empty restaurants and deserted churches these seasons provide, however. We've rounded up plenty of shorter- term packages at jolly good prices.
Starting from $599, you can get eight days and six nights in Madrid, including roundtrip airfare out of NYC from Iberian specialist, Petrabax Tours. Travel is valid from November 1 through December 14, 2003. Prices are higher before and after those dates, and are based on per person occupancy in a double room. Hotel taxes and breakfast are extra, and the deal is subject to availability. Airport taxes are additional, certain restrictions apply, and prices are subject to change. But you get six nights in the first class Hotel Praga or similar, with private bath.
Other Petrabax deals of note include an eight-day/six-night package to the Costa del Sol, from $599, a Costa del Sol/Madrid combo (same number of nights) from $649, or an equal amount of time in Barcelona, again from $599. Contact Petrabax at www.petrabaxusa.com or at 888/427-7246.
Gate 1, another favorite of ours, has a six-day/four-night "Madrid Super Saver" starting as low as $499 per person for departures on selected Thursdays (December 4, 2003, January 14 and February 12, 2004). This price tag includes roundtrip air out of New York City and four nights' accommodations in the Prime Cliper Hotel -- a three-star, tourist class hotel on the Puerto del Sol. Other Thursday departures fluctuate in price from $539 up to $799 for the stays in the same property. One other hotel, the El Coloso, is an option, but prices jump up $100 per person on similar dates.
To see other packages to Spain (you can mix and match some of these with multi-destination combos including jaunts to nearby Portugal and Morocco) go to www.gate1travel.com/Destinations/Spain. The company can be reached on the phone by dialing 800/682-3333.
Tourcrafters, who specialize in travels to Italy and Spain, can organize your winter break in Madrid for just $539. Their deal includes roundtrip airfare on Lufthansa from New York, five nights' lodging, daily breakfast with hotels service charges and taxes included. You would stay in the three-star, centrally located Gran Avenida, whose modern rooms have internet access, satellite TV, phone, safe and mini bar, in case you need to cool off after long excursions around still sunny Madrid.
If Barcelona is your dream, a base price of $549 will cover four nights there with loggings at the brand new four-star Hotel Vincci Maritimo located near the beach. Diehard beach lovers can still soak in a lot of sun during Costa del Sol trip. Prices start at $610 and include seven nights at the three-star resort Hotel El Puerto on the beachfront of Fuengirola. If the waters are too choppy, you may take a dip in hotel's pool.
The packages are available from November 14 to December 15, 2003, and again from January 3 to March 31, 2004 (but not every day, as some blackouts apply). All prices are pre person, double occupancy, and airport/security fees are extra. Contact TourCrafters at their website, www.tourcrafters.com or by calling 800/621-2259.
Once you're on the Iberian Peninsula, why not go for the full experience and head over to Portugal as well? If you saved enough of vacation time and prefer beaches clear of crowds, so you can actually see the sand and hear the sound of waves, Grand Circle Travel tours can accommodate your wishes at excellent prices. Take for example their GCT tour, which will cost you just $81 a day! This 21 days /19 nights journey will take you first to Portugal and then to Costa del Sol in Spain. The prices start from $1,695, which includes roundtrip airfare from New York City.
You will spend seven nights in Portugal's Cascais followed by five nights in Tavira. Having experienced Portuguese culture and hospitality, you can then compare it with that of its neighbor, as you cross the border to Spain and settle for seven nights in Torremolinos. Sightseeing tours of Lisbon, Cape Roca and Sintra, Obidos and Nazare, Tavira and St. Luzia, Malaga and Mijas accompany by tile-painting class, fado entertainment and even fisherman's knot-making, will provide you with enough information and fun that you just may contemplate writing your own book on the region! Two home-hosted events on the other hand, are sure to turn you into a "real" Peninsula's denizen, as stripped shirt and espadrilles will simply become your second skin. All in all the tour provides 37 meals (19 breakfasts, six lunches, 12 dinners) and baggage handling as well as airport/hotel transfers will also be taken care of by the organizers. Whew!
If your hunger for Iberia is above average, you can start your trip by an additional five nights on the island of Madeira (starting price: $495), or extend it with a five days excursion to Seville and Madrid, costing just $595. Quite unusual, but very welcomed addition is offered -- free single supplements on all departures are possible, but subject to availability.
There are three departures each month from October 2003 through April 2004. Prices are at their lowest ($1,695) in December and January, rising $100 for November and February, another $100 for October and March, to $1,995 for October 17, 2003, and to $2,095 for April 2004.
For more information or to book, contact Grand Circle Tours at 800/221-2610 or at www.gct.com.
Insight Vacations, based on New York's Long Island, has a first-class "Amazing Spain & Portugal" package, which operates between November 1, 2003 and March 26, 2004. Air-inclusive prices from New York start at $1,270 for this ten-day (eight-night) sojourn, covering Madrid, Granada, Seville, Lisbon, Salamanca and back to Madrid. In Lisbon, there is a day of sightseeing, with an optional tour to Sintra. En route to Salamanca, you can stop at the Basilica of Fatima, where the famous appearance of the Virgin Mary occurred to young peasant girls in 1917. Contact Insight at www.insightvacations.com.