Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by TimSJ

From Twitter a little while ago

ACwebSaver 3:01pm via TweetDeck
Sweet deals to Belgium till Jan 13: http://tinyurl.com/4cq87ta

Decent from here (YSJ) $650 plus taxes round trip. I paid more than that ot go to Montreal from Saint John Last Week.

Unfortunately Air Canada's 'taxes' on this flight are $450, which brings it up to $1127, pretty much the same as all other airlines. KLM is actually a bit cheaper at $1066.

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

You and about a million others are looking for the same thing. That's reading week.

If you find anything, let me know.

Last year (a couple weeks in advance) I booked the Barcelo Costa in Cancun with some crazy runaround flights over reading week for $1,070. That was the cheapest by a lot.

I always thought Reading Break was in April to coincide with Easter/Victoria day. Good to know its Family day now.

[cmyden]

Calgary to Frankfurt, Germany in May - $740 roundtrip after tax

It's nice to see Air Transat offering a cheap price to somewhere in Europe that isn't named London or Manchester .

It might be because of another charter airline honing in on their territory. And that would be Condor, with their direct flights to/from Frankfurt, starting in late spring.



Try May 7 to 15 on http://www.AirTransat.ca

Screenshot:



It's also nice to see an Air Transat fare drop that's 5 months ahead of departure rather than 1.

cM

[Kavvy]

Hey cmyden,

Sorry, you sorta already went over this with me, but for the dates I would like to travel

o Sunday March 20th to Sunday March 27th
or
o Monday March 21st to Monday March 28th

according to some random website, they are on spring break for some schools in the USA. You implied before it may be better to wait for deals based on my dates, but based on the spring break info, would you wait or boo now?

Thank you for the tips!

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Kavy

Hey cmyden,

Sorry, you sorta already went over this with me, but for the dates I would like to travel

o Sunday March 20th to Sunday March 27th
or
o Monday March 21st to Monday March 28th

according to some random website, they are on spring break for some schools in the USA. You implied before it may be better to wait for deals based on my dates, but based on the spring break info, would you wait or boo now?

Thank you for the tips!

Hi Kavy,

I really try to avoid telling people when to book, because it's impossible to predict. I do find that with the Canadian tour operators if they're going to drop their price on all inclusive packages, you'll generally start to see price movement about a month ahead.

And then with a week or two to go, some crazy sell-offs occur, but that's taking the gamble that there will be something you like, and on the dates you want. And the overall prices for everything else are likely to be higher than you could have had previously.

It seems like there's two periods that have so much demand that they're not overly likely to have any deals. The first is Christmas, and the second is Canada's spring break/reading week. Everything else is basically a crap-shoot.

The US spring break likely wouldn't affect the cost of flights going down from Canada, but it could very well affect the demand for hotels, especially ones that cater to a spring break crowd.

What's the best deal you've seen so far? Looks like Gran Bahia Coba is $1453/person after leaving on the 20th. $1327 leaving on March 18th. $1178 leaving on January 30th (2 weeks from now) for comparison.

cM

[cmyden]

Bookit.com: 'All inclusive sale' - [expires: January 17]

Travelzoo just sent this out...

CANADAWIDE--JANUARY 14, 2011-- BookIt.com has released a
sale reducing the cost of warm-weather all-inclusive
resorts by at least 50%. This sale ends Monday, January 17.

Upscale resorts in destinations such as the Caribbean and
Mexico are as low as US$89-$99 per person, per night
through April in this Book It Out of the Blizzard sale.

- CANCUN: Crown Paradise Club ... US$89-$99 through March
- PUNTA CANA: Be Live ... US$99 Feb. 1 - April 22
- LOS CABOS: Villa del Palmar ... US$99 through April 28
- RIVIERA MAYA: Ocean Turquesa H10 ... US$99 through March
- JAMAICA: Sunset Jamaica Grand ... US$99 Feb. 1 - April 24
- COSTA RICA: Barcelo Tambor ... US$99 through April 29
- RIVIERA MAYA: Gran Bahia Principe Sian Kaan ... US$99 into
April

Now before you get too excited, a few things:

1. Make sure you get the final price on Bookit.com before deciding if it's a good deal or not. They're pretty good at making deals look better than they are.

2. Remember that when you book through Bookit.com you're basically booking flight + hotel, and then they'll try to sneak in the cost of transfers on you as well (looks like it's $70/person between Cancun and the Mayan Riviera).

3. Most of the hotels in the deal they just sent out are mediocre at best. The exception seems to be the Gran Bahia Principe Sian Kaan, which is a nice resort, as all the Gran Bahia properties seem to be. And when you stay at any of the Gran Bahia properties, you can use the facilities of the others, and in the Mayan, that means you get access to the Tulum, Coba, and Akumal.

The Gran Bahia Sian deal that Bookit.com is offering seems to work out to around $750/person after taxes/fees for a week which is an ok price for a 1 week all inclusive stay, especially since they're offering it through April. But then you also have to add in your flight cost, and that can vary greatly depending on when you're going, and that will affect your bottom line the most.


If you see anything that you think works out to be a great deal, feel free to share. There is definitely the potential to save some $$$ compared to what the Canadian tour operators are offering in February/March at the moment for similar quality. Although I haven't seen anything that blows me away. Seems like you can get certain dates in February/March down to $1200-$1300/person after tax for the Sian.

cM

[Eagle Eye]

Thinking about going to Hawaii with the family (not sure if I want to stay at a hotel or rent a place yet), but where are the best areas to go with less crowds but still a good selection of restaurants and such?

Would like a nice beach as well as some other things to do in the area as well.

Thanks

PS I know nothing about Hawaii

[anyonebutedmonton]

Anyone done Mazatlan around March before?

I found a pretty decent deal on travelocity.ca (~1125pp., AI, 5*) but just want to make sure it will be warm enough for our needs. I have heard the Pacific side gets better weather, but isn't quite as hot as the Caribbean. Any thoughts?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by anyonebutedmonton

Anyone done Mazatlan around March before?

I found a pretty decent deal on travelocity.ca (~1125pp., AI, 5*) but just want to make sure it will be warm enough for our needs. I have heard the Pacific side gets better weather, but isn't quite as hot as the Caribbean. Any thoughts?

It's not Riu Emerald Bay is it? If it is, they seem to somehow have been able to list themselves as a 5* in a few travel databases , despite being of average resort quality.

[cmyden]

Calgary to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic - $269 roundtrip after tax

Another super cheap price from Air Canada Vacations, this time to the Dominican Republic.



Try January 25 to February 1 on http://www.AirCanadaVacations.com (search for Flights only)

This is what you'll see:



Yep, direct each way, and less than it costs to fly to Vancouver these days, despite the fact that Punta Cana is nearly 8 times as far!

So, if I were wanting to take advantage of this incredibly cheap flight, where would I stay? Well first I would probably head over to TripAdvisor - Punta Cana

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g1...ic-Hotels.html

Then I would click on B&Bs/Inns under 'Property Type'

Then I would look at the highest reviewed place, which is Guesthouse Las Piedras.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Republic.html

I would see that it has 19 amazing reviews, and quickly scanning through the reviews I would read that it's close to an excellent beach, the owners are friendly and pick people up at the airport, and that by staying here I would have a much more authentic experience than staying on a secluded resort somewhere.

I would click on the Hotel Website link, which takes me to a simple page with some contact info.

http://www.guesthousepuntacana.com/

From what the reviews suggest, it's pretty cheap, around $30-40/night.

cM

[anyonebutedmonton]

Originally Posted by cmyden

It's not Riu Emerald Bay is it? If it is, they seem to somehow have been able to list themselves as a 5* in a few travel databases , despite being of average resort quality.

Haha, you hit the nail on the head. I fully understand it isn't the 5* place it claims to be. That said, it seems to get pretty good reviews on tripadvisor.

Can you find any other sun vacations in that March 5 - 13th window that are around the same price?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by anyonebutedmonton

Haha, you hit the nail on the head. I fully understand it isn't the 5* place it claims to be. That said, it seems to get pretty good reviews on tripadvisor.

Can you find any other sun vacations in that March 5 - 13th window that are around the same price?

This is how I would rank the Mazatlan ones that you typically see from the Canadian tour operators:

Extremely nice
-------------------
El Cid Marina Beach Hotel


Very nice
-----------
Playa Mazatlan
Royal Villas Resort
El Cid Granada

Average
-----------
El Cid El Moro Beach
El Cid Resort Castilla
Riu Emerald Bay
Costa De Oro

The quality of the Riu Emerald Bay is closer to what most people expect when they think 3.5*.

There doesn't seem to be any real dumps in Mazatlan, at least not offered as packages through the Canadian tour companies.

There doesn't seem to be a whole lot else in the $1100ish and under range, but the Grand Sirenis on the Mayan side is at $1237/person after tax if you can leave on March 6th. I would rate it as very nice.

reviews: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...Peninsula.html


If you were to stick with Mazatlan, I would say the El Cid Marina, at $1359/person after tax is probably a much better deal than Riu Emerald at $1125.

It has a pretty awesome pool




Did you take a look at that Bookit.com sale I posted? It might be possible to get one of the Gran Bahia properties for $1200 something depending on what the flights cost on those dates. Those are all pretty amazing resorts.

cM

[Kavvy]

Originally Posted by cmyden

Hi Kavy,

I really try to avoid telling people when to book, because it's impossible to predict. I do find that with the Canadian tour operators if they're going to drop their price on all inclusive packages, you'll generally start to see price movement about a month ahead.

And then with a week or two to go, some crazy sell-offs occur, but that's taking the gamble that there will be something you like, and on the dates you want. And the overall prices for everything else are likely to be higher than you could have had previously.

It seems like there's two periods that have so much demand that they're not overly likely to have any deals. The first is Christmas, and the second is Canada's spring break/reading week. Everything else is basically a crap-shoot.

The US spring break likely wouldn't affect the cost of flights going down from Canada, but it could very well affect the demand for hotels, especially ones that cater to a spring break crowd.

What's the best deal you've seen so far? Looks like Gran Bahia Coba is $1453/person after leaving on the 20th. $1327 leaving on March 18th. $1178 leaving on January 30th (2 weeks from now) for comparison.

cM

cmydne,

Thanks for the info, I haven't found anything much besides whats listed on the west jet and air Canada websites, I have to start digging more when I have time!

[Berger]

cmydne,

Looking to go to Vancouver for the game on the 12th. I'm hoping on leaving the 10th and returning the 14th. Just wondering what usual fares are around that time. Right now its around $310. Any seats sales or promos coming soon that u heard of.

Thanks!

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Berger

cmydne,

Looking to go to Vancouver for the game on the 12th. I'm hoping on leaving the 10th and returning the 14th. Just wondering what usual fares are around that time. Right now its around $310. Any seats sales or promos coming soon that u heard of.

Thanks!

Hi Berger,

For Vancouver, and flights to most other cities in Canada, it doesn't really matter what flights have cost in the past, they tend to remain pretty stable with our WestJet/Air Canada duopoly. To Vancouver, around $300ish roundtrip after tax does seem to be about the bottom these days for the most part.

True seat sales to Canadian cities have been almost non-existent. Just look at how many deals I've posted to Canadian destinations in the last year from Calgary. Zero!

Westjet *did* have that one 'Blue Tag Thursday' deal where they had flights to/from Vancouver for a really good price, but even then it was just Tue/Wed to Tue/Wed flights.

The only thing AC or Westjet has offered up lately has been the occasional 'promo code' and even then you have to hope they haven't jacked the price 25% and then offered a 20% off promo code.

Air Canada and Westjet did have promo codes out in December, and I would say around once a month is about how often they come out with one (but it can't be predicted if/when another will come out.). Promo codes for cities out west are more rare, because in the east they have Porter airlines, and when they release a code, AC and Westjet match it.

So in short, I wouldn't get my hopes up too high for a great deal to Vancouver these days unfortunately.

cM

[yyjvisitor]

hi cmyden

my girlfriend and i want to do a +2 week trip to europe starting from yyj to cdg in may. we are flying on ba points. we want to spend a few days in paris then a few days in rome and then onto turkey. What bike tours can your recommend in turkey and any must stops to see in turkey? we want to concentrate the majority of the time in turkey and can skip rome for another time if it get too cramped for time. we will have to fly back to cdg to depart back to yyj.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by yyjvisitor

hi cmyden

my girlfriend and i want to do a +2 week trip to europe starting from yyj to cdg in may. we are flying on ba points. we want to spend a few days in paris then a few days in rome and then onto turkey. What bike tours can your recommend in turkey and any must stops to see in turkey? we want to concentrate the majority of the time in turkey and can skip rome for another time if it get too cramped for time. we will have to fly back to cdg to depart back to yyj.

Bike tours in Turkey eh? Do you mean like a bike tour around Istanbul or a multi-day bike tour across the country?

Whenever I go somewhere, I usually start by checking out TripAdvisor's 'Things to Do' for that location. Here's Turkey for example:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...es-Turkey.html

Then click on an area, let's say Istanbul.

That brings up a list of 194 things to do in Istanbul, sorted by rating.

I usually glance over the ones that are just tour companies or shops and focus on the rest.

For example, ranked #11 is the Istanbul Archeology Archaelogy Museum. I'm not really all that into museums, but if I were, this is probably the best one in the city, at least according to 28 reviews.

Next we come to #13, the Blue Mosque, a historical site.

A simple Google image search reveals this:

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q...w=1280&bih=807



Looks cool, I'd want to go there, added to the list.


#18 is Basilica Cistern



So just do that, going down the list, until you get to 3.5 circles or so.

Go through each of the areas, making a note of the sites that look the best to you in each area. Everyone has their own travel style or idea of what's interesting.

I've never been to Turkey so I can't give any personal recommendations. It's pretty much at the top of my list for countries I want to visit though. Hopefully someone reading this thread can give you some ideas as well!

cM

[3thirty]

It is a ways away, but my fiancé and I are looking to go somewhere next Nov/early December 2011 for a week or so and were hoping to do an all inclusive somewhere tropical. Nice beaches, good food and of course nice weather are a must.

One condition is it needs to be somewhere Westjet flies due to buddy passes being used. We are looking at Jamaica (although she is worried about safety) or the Bahamas or anything like that.

Anyone have any recommendations? Price isn't a huge issue since the flights will be next to nothing. I would say all inclusive resort alone for around 3000/couple give or take? Obviously cheaper is better but just starting to look into it and get some CP help/suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

[cmyden]

Valentine's flight to Montego Bay, Jamaica - $296 roundtrip after tax

It's not quite as cheap as the last time they dropped it, but Air Canada Vacations has dropped the price of their February 14-21 flight to Montego Bay, Jamaica down to $296 roundtrip after tax.



February 7 to 14 has also dropped to the same price.

Just search for flight only on http://www.AirCanadaVacations.com (not AirCanada.com, that's different)

Screenshot:



Direct each way.

It's also available for the same price from Lethbridge and Fort McMurray, if you don't mind spending the night in Calgary on the way back.

cM

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by cmyden

I've never been to Turkey so I can't give any personal recommendations. It's pretty much at the top of my list for countries I want to visit though. Hopefully someone reading this thread can give you some ideas as well!

cM

My wife and I went to Istanbul last spring, and I highly recommend it. I can't speak to bike tours or the rest of Turkey, since I didn't do either of those things. I would definitely recommend the Basilica cistern, and I found the markets in Istanbul extremely cool. I would also take the time to do the Dolhambace palace. It's an experience very similar to the Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna if you've ever done that.

I also found it interesting to take the ferry across the Bosporus to the Asia side, as that's more residential and gives you an "authentic" feel for the city. Also, it gives you a potentially cool Facebook status. "Breakfast in Europe, Lunch in Asia, Supper in Africa" (We flew to Cairo that evening)
Watch for Dolphins in the Bosporus when you take the Ferry across, we saw quite a few.

I would definitely recommend the public transit in Istanbul as well. We took the train from the airport to the streetcar terminus, and then took the streetcar to our hotel (The W Istanbul, which was good, although a bit outside the central tourist area of Sultanahmet). No problems at all, simple and cheaper than a taxi.

As for the picture in CM's post above, I agree that Blue Mosque was cool, but it was not as interesting as the Hagia Sophia, which is located right next to it. If I only had time for one, I'd do the (much older and more ornate) Hagia Sophia.

Any other questions I might be able to help you with feel free to post.