Looking for CHEAPer Beach Destination
Jan 5, 2009, 8:40 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 11
Looking for CHEAPer Beach Destination
Alright guys, so I'm in SF and for my 21st birthday I want to do something out of the ordinary and go somehwere beautiful with the girlfriend. We've found Puerto Vallarta deals for hotel and package for 500 a person from SFO January 21-26, but I realized before I booked the package that I havent done much research to see if theres any other better deals......So what I'm asking for here is some help in showing me where to find deals as I want to get the best bang for my buck!!! Beach destinations, Puerto Vallerta, relaxation-thanks guys!!
Jan 5, 2009, 9:00 pm
#2
Moderator: Delta SkyMiles, Luxury Hotels, TravelBuzz! and Italy
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 26,583
Congratulations on your 21st Birthday, NePlusUltra
As you are looking for really good deals, I am moving your thread to the FT Budget Travel Forum for discussion.
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator
As you are looking for really good deals, I am moving your thread to the FT Budget Travel Forum for discussion.
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator
Jan 5, 2009, 11:03 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
Programs: Frontier Gold, DL estranged 1MMer, Spirit VIP, CO/NW/UA/AA once gold/plat/comped gold now dust.
Posts: 38,412
How's this for cheap: On Wednesday am heading to Ft. Lauderdale for just the day on an RT fare of $37 all-in from Spirit (ATL-FLL-ATL). Arrive there 9 a.m., depart 8:20 p.m.
Am paying an outrageous $7.50 for airport parking in ATL because there's a chance the return flight could arrive late and the transit system won't be running.
Car rents in FLL are pricing at $55 or so per day and even Priceline wants $32++ (low $40s a-i), possibly because the national football championship game in Miami the next day is messing things up. Pay more for the car than the airfare? No way!
So I'm one failed Priceline bid away from doing the whole shebang in FLL on public transit. Schedules are printed and researched...a day pass is $3 but it takes 2 buses to get airport-beach and back. A good lazy day might be do-able in the Las Olas-A1A area.
Almost needless to say, no S.O. is in tow. Would be hard to get one to go for a plan like that.
Further up the scale and possibly more helpfully, earlier in the year I did a PVR trip on a $336 a-i sale fare from ATL, reduced $300 with a credit card award. The lodging was a good spot in the marina area (near 8 Tostados restaurant) reduced to $45 a-i thru an Orbitz deal and still a take-the-S.O. quality (about 3*). Walked from the airport to the lodging and took public buses into and out of town, which worked well.
Also did past budget trips to MZT and ACA ($96++ RT CO fare and $0++ AA fare; am just an opportunist there). Both places require longer airport transfers and I didn't like the sub-$40 lodgings quite as much, but the sidetrips or activities like the daylong boat trips were great.
Alo a lot of good food if you do your online research. Don't just get pulled in on the tractor beam to Senor Frog's.
Am paying an outrageous $7.50 for airport parking in ATL because there's a chance the return flight could arrive late and the transit system won't be running.
Car rents in FLL are pricing at $55 or so per day and even Priceline wants $32++ (low $40s a-i), possibly because the national football championship game in Miami the next day is messing things up. Pay more for the car than the airfare? No way!
So I'm one failed Priceline bid away from doing the whole shebang in FLL on public transit. Schedules are printed and researched...a day pass is $3 but it takes 2 buses to get airport-beach and back. A good lazy day might be do-able in the Las Olas-A1A area.
Almost needless to say, no S.O. is in tow. Would be hard to get one to go for a plan like that.
Further up the scale and possibly more helpfully, earlier in the year I did a PVR trip on a $336 a-i sale fare from ATL, reduced $300 with a credit card award. The lodging was a good spot in the marina area (near 8 Tostados restaurant) reduced to $45 a-i thru an Orbitz deal and still a take-the-S.O. quality (about 3*). Walked from the airport to the lodging and took public buses into and out of town, which worked well.
Also did past budget trips to MZT and ACA ($96++ RT CO fare and $0++ AA fare; am just an opportunist there). Both places require longer airport transfers and I didn't like the sub-$40 lodgings quite as much, but the sidetrips or activities like the daylong boat trips were great.
Alo a lot of good food if you do your online research. Don't just get pulled in on the tractor beam to Senor Frog's.
Jan 5, 2009, 11:45 pm
#5
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: LAX
Programs: UA/AA
Posts: 1,741
Airfares between SFO and Cancun are real cheap right now....about $225 rt on Mexicana.
A two minute search on Kayak for vacation packages showed packages as low as $350/person. For around $500, you can get yourself situated in a real nice 5-star hotel (InterContinental Presidente), or a number of all-inclusives.
Check out package deals for on properties on Isle Mujeres via Kayak, Orbitz, Expedia etc, for a much more laid-back scene.
A two minute search on Kayak for vacation packages showed packages as low as $350/person. For around $500, you can get yourself situated in a real nice 5-star hotel (InterContinental Presidente), or a number of all-inclusives.
Check out package deals for on properties on Isle Mujeres via Kayak, Orbitz, Expedia etc, for a much more laid-back scene.
Jan 6, 2009, 12:30 am
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 11
"For around $500, you can get yourself situated in a real nice 5-star hotel (InterContinental Presidente), or a number of all-inclusives."
Whered you find that?
I'm thinkign of booking a flight for 250 from SFO to PVR and just getting a hotel for 70ish a night...you guys think thats the best option right now?
Whered you find that?
I'm thinkign of booking a flight for 250 from SFO to PVR and just getting a hotel for 70ish a night...you guys think thats the best option right now?
Jan 6, 2009, 1:13 am
#8
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: LAX
Programs: UA/AA
Posts: 1,741
"For around $500, you can get yourself situated in a real nice 5-star hotel (InterContinental Presidente), or a number of all-inclusives."
Whered you find that?
I'm thinkign of booking a flight for 250 from SFO to PVR and just getting a hotel for 70ish a night...you guys think thats the best option right now?
Whered you find that?
I'm thinkign of booking a flight for 250 from SFO to PVR and just getting a hotel for 70ish a night...you guys think thats the best option right now?
http://www.kayak.com/vacations
My biggest concern is weather in January. Hawaii can get rain. For Mexico, the best options are Cabo and further south (i.e. Acapulco). Look at weatherunderground.com The site allows you to look at any specific date or a full month of January weather over the most recent ten years.
Best of luck
Jan 6, 2009, 1:19 am
#9
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: LAX
Programs: UA/AA
Posts: 1,741
As I mentioned...do the "vacation" searches on the big travel engines like Orbitz and Expedia. They will frequently get the hotels to discount for their vacation package searches.
If you can combine a hotel discount, along with the Mexicana airfare to Cancun......that is how you can find a great five-star hotel package price.
Cheers
If you can combine a hotel discount, along with the Mexicana airfare to Cancun......that is how you can find a great five-star hotel package price.
Cheers
Jan 6, 2009, 4:20 am
#10
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Milwaukee, Wi. USA
Posts: 675
Minimize car rental costs
Rusty C: Congrats on the $38 round trip Spirit fare; I just arrived back from FLL and while I scored a $38 fare down on New Year's Eve, I had to pay $78 to come back on Airtran.
As to the hefty car rental fees at the airport: the way to avoid them is to rent from an off-airport Enterprise location. They pick you up. But they can't pick you up at the airport. So take one of the shuttle busses to a nearby hotel (most appropriately, the one you stay at) and have Enterprise pick you up there. Or you can take a cab to an Enterprise location. The nearest one to FLL is on S. Andrews Avenue. Finally, you can always take one of the city busses to either Aventura Mall and rent from one of the rental car agencies near the mall, or take the city bus to the TriRail station and have Enterprise pick you up there.
The off-airport rates are between a half and a third what they are charging at the airport itself (Mine was $178 vs over $600)
As to the hefty car rental fees at the airport: the way to avoid them is to rent from an off-airport Enterprise location. They pick you up. But they can't pick you up at the airport. So take one of the shuttle busses to a nearby hotel (most appropriately, the one you stay at) and have Enterprise pick you up there. Or you can take a cab to an Enterprise location. The nearest one to FLL is on S. Andrews Avenue. Finally, you can always take one of the city busses to either Aventura Mall and rent from one of the rental car agencies near the mall, or take the city bus to the TriRail station and have Enterprise pick you up there.
The off-airport rates are between a half and a third what they are charging at the airport itself (Mine was $178 vs over $600)
Jan 9, 2009, 4:31 pm
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
Programs: Frontier Gold, DL estranged 1MMer, Spirit VIP, CO/NW/UA/AA once gold/plat/comped gold now dust.
Posts: 38,412
Finished the $37 RT trip to FLL and it worked out well (and thanks to LegalEagle for tips). Posted a report about it in Trip Reports. The public transit worked well: the route connecting the airport with downtown Ft. Lauderdale runs every 15-20 minutes, and the one out to Las Olas and the beach also runs out of the transit hub roughly half-hourly (would be nice to do it in a straight shot, but that's probably too much to ask). The $3 unlimited-ride day pass is a big help, and other routes go to other useful spots. Doesn't seem to be too difficult to make a day of it at Las Olas and the beach.
Will be doing trips later in the month on the Spirit year-end $1 sale ($23 RT all-in) that cross a Saturday night and can use the Alamo $10/day weekend special for something a bit more luxe. I think the national championship game in Miami affected some of the pricing this time, and I did see a few Gator and Sooner fans out and about.
Will be doing trips later in the month on the Spirit year-end $1 sale ($23 RT all-in) that cross a Saturday night and can use the Alamo $10/day weekend special for something a bit more luxe. I think the national championship game in Miami affected some of the pricing this time, and I did see a few Gator and Sooner fans out and about.