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12 luxury vacations for less
Make your Champagne travel dreams come true — even on a beer budget
 | Stay in an Overwater Bungalow at Intercontinental Le Moana Bora Bora. From November to March it's rainy season, but it rarely rains for more than half an hour each afternoon, so it's highly unlikely your vacation will be a washout — and, of course, you'll find deals this month. |
Courtesy of Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts |
Face it, the staycation is not for you. You want to explore the world, not your backyard. Dine on foie gras and sleep on feather beds overlooking the Rhine rather than slurping cold cereal on your couch overlooking the TV. But with the economy as it is, that spare-no-expense holiday seems pretty out-of-bounds, right? Not so. There are ways to make your Champagne dreams come off even on a beer budget. We've got the secret strategies for making it happen, allowing you to live it up in locales as near at hand as Montana or Mexico or as exotic as Thailand or South Africa. Use this as a month-to-month guide: French Polynesia in March, the Greek islands in May, St. Barths in August. Besides, with all the bad economic news, who doesn't need an escape plan?
For a complete slideshow of Luxury Trips for Less, click here.
Note: All airfares quoted are approximate and subject to change.
JANUARY: South Africa
Lesson to travel by: If you don't mind a little heat, summer can mean good deals.
The deal: Who isn't ready for a shot of sun after the post-holiday doldrums? Since summertime positively sizzles in South Africa, safari rates and airfares are slashed by up to 40 percent.
The luxury essentials: Head to CC Africa's Phinda Private Game Reserve, in the KwaZulu–Natal region, where you can glimpse the Big Five (yes, they're all visible this time of year) by foot, canoe, and vehicle. During January, games drives start earlier so that guests can sit out the midday heat. Though it can be a bit more difficult to see wildlife in the lush summer vegetation, this is your best chance of seeing the cute babies. Round out your trip with a few days in Cape Town, where the Atlantic coast is refreshingly cool, thanks to currents from Antarctica.
Artful advice: Avoid Cape Town in the first half of the month, when schoolkids are still on break and families crowd the beaches. It's high season in the city this month, so choose your accommodation wisely: Rates at the famous Mount Nelson Hotel start at $745, but you can find a room just around the corner at the Georgian-era Cape Cadogan for about a third of that.
A fair fare: You can fly Delta Airlines from Chicago to Johannesburg for $1,500; the same flight would cost you $2,100 in July.
Phinda Private Game Reserve
Tel: 888 882 3742 (toll-free)
Tel: 27 11 809 4314
From $325 per person, including meals, alcohol, and excursions
Cape Cadogan Boutique Hotel
Tel: 27 21 480 8080
Doubles from $225
FEBRUARY: Wyoming
Lesson to travel by: Our favorite summer playgrounds are open year-round.
The deal: When Grand Teton National Park is covered in snow, you'll have an easier time spotting wildlife and a far harder time running into other visitors.
The luxury essentials: Think winter is far too expensive around Jackson? Think again. While the ski resorts are running at full capacity—and full price—the hotels that cater to summer visitors are running specials. At the Spring Creek Ranch, for instance, where the rooms have a breathtaking view of the saw-toothed Tetons, a two-bedroom suite with a balcony costs $260 with breakfast; in summer, when the resort is packed with Grand Teton–trippers, that same setup goes for $360 without meals. The ranch arranges sleigh rides, snowshoe trips, cross-country skiing, and even dog sledding, and it's just 30 minutes to the Teton Village ski area. Hungry? Order a wood-fired prosciutto pizza or succulent half chicken at Trio in Jackson.
Artful advice: Though the park is open year-round, only some roads are plowed in the winter. Elsewhere, you'll need to travel by snowmobile or the far more eco-friendly snow coaches—vans or buses with large skis and treads. The white landscape makes it easy to see bison, moose, and even wolves, and there are typically 10,000 elk wintering at the National Elk Refuge, which borders Jackson.
A fair fare: From Washington, D.C., to Jackson, look for fares under $300 in February; in summer, you could pay almost $400.
Spring Creek Ranch
Tel: 800 443 6139 (toll-free)
Tel: 307 733 8833
Doubles from $179
Trio
Tel: 307 734 8038
MARCH: French Polynesia
Lesson to travel by: The rainy season isn't necessarily a soaker.
The deal: French Polynesia's rainy season is a bit of a misnomer—from November to March it rarely rains for more than half an hour each afternoon, so it's highly unlikely your vacation will be a washout. And, of course, you'll find deals this month.
The luxury essentials: Here's a quick geography lesson that will explain this month's advice: Since there are no mountain ranges in the South Pacific to stall a storm, the precipitation that falls during the rainy season is usually brief. Nor does French Polynesia get as many hurricanes as Papua New Guinea and Fiji do. In fact, February 2008 saw far more beautiful weather over Tahiti than did the August high season. We can't guarantee a repeat performance, but here's hoping. And since the islands are less crowded, you'll find the locals even easier-going and excursions open to last-minute bookings. Best of all, many resorts run specials: a fifth night free at the new Four Seasons Bora Bora or four nights for the price of three—including breakfast—at the InterContinental Le Moana Bora Bora.
Artful advice: The low-key restaurant Bloody Mary's is a Bora Bora institution—and sees guests like Meg Ryan and Harrison Ford, who come for the barbecued fish and barefoot dining. Choose your entree from the day's catch, arrayed on ice by the entrance.
A fair fare: Book a flight on Air Tahiti Nui from Los Angeles to Papeete for under $1,100, instead of $1,400 or so in June.
Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora
Tel: 689 603 170
Doubles from $950
InterContinental Le Moana Bora Bora
Tel: 689 604 900
Doubles from $575
Bloody Mary's
Tel: 689 677 286
APRIL: British Columbia, Canada
Lesson to travel by: Look for deals at the beginning or tail end of a season.
The Deal: This one's for the high-flying, adventuresome types. Let a helicopter deliver you to the top of back-country ski runs in the Canadian Rockies and Columbia Mountains, then return you to your luxury lodge for a soak in the hot tub before dinner.
The luxury essentials: Thought heli-skiing was out of reach? Not in April, when a week at Canadian Mountain Holidays' Adamant Lodge, some 200 miles west of Banff, costs $5,820 per person, not the $9,790 it would have cost five weeks earlier. Plus, conditions are still good and CMH guarantees that you'll ski at least 100,000 vertical feet (not counting helicopter rides)—and will refund part of your trip cost if you don't. You'll average about eight runs a day, with plenty of time back at the lodge to recall the agony and the ecstasy over hot toddies.
Artful advice: Skiers can borrow specially designed heli-skis, but snowboarders should bring their own equipment. This trip isn't for amateurs: You should be comfortable on black diamond runs and fit enough to ski for several consecutive days.
A fair fare: In the last two years, fares from Salt Lake City to Calgary have been around $350–$400 in April—and as much as $700 in July.
Canadian Mountain Holidays
Tel: 800 661 0252 (toll-free)
Tel: 403 762 7100
Seven-day trips from $5,820 per person, including meals
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