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Learn to cook Thai at Tower Club in Bangkok

Posted by Paul Kandarian June 4, 2012 07:15 AM
There's nothing like genuine Thai cuisine, which can be hard to find in the United States. Learning to make it is the best way, and learning to make Thai in Thailand is even better.

The Bangkok luxury hotel, the five-star Tower Club at lebua on the Praya River, is now offering guests an authentic Thai cooking-class package that includesa stay in a luxury Tower Club suite and learning how to cook a five-course Thai meal at the hotel's Cafe Mozu. The package, with rates starting at $769, includes two nights lodging, a five-percent discount card for Bangkok's Emporium and Paragon shopping centers, and a three-hour cooking class at the poolside Mozu. The cooking class is available for up to four guests when a two-bedroom suite is booked, and up to six when a three-bedroom suite is booked. The package is available through Nov. 30.

I stayed at the hotel last spring, and advise anyone going there to not miss the Sky Bar on the 63rd floor, reportedly the highest outdoor bar in the world. It's located just below Sirocco, a super-luxurious restaurant and the world's highest al fresco eatery. Both have jaw-dropping views of the city, especially at night. Try the signature "Hangovertini;" much of the movie "The Hangover Part II" was shot at the hotel, including at the Sky Bar.DSC_5996 (Medium).JPG

Cafe Mozu is glorious as well, by the pool and serving one of the most comprehensively ethnic breakfast buffets I've ever seen. Sure, they cater to American tastes (think fried bacon, omelets, home fries and other tedious, caloric items) but on a small scale. Much more prevalent is food you may not recognize, but simply have to try, the things the Thai people eat for breakfast - which is what they eat for dinner or lunch, and can include many rice dishes, soups, chicken or fish. There is also a wide range of other international foods to satisfy the hotel's worldwide clientele, and it's all worth trying yourself.

For information on the culinary program, visit www.lebua.com, email towerclubresvn@lebua.com or call +66 2624 9999


JetBlue 2-day summer sale

Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe Assistant Sunday Editor May 29, 2012 10:29 AM

This sale appears to be pretty targeted -- many routes from Boston are excluded. Here are the basic rules: You must book before May 31 for Travel June 5-Sept. 26, with blackout dates June 28-July 7. From Boston it appears that all the fares are only good for Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and there is a seven-day purchase required. Here are some one-way fares from Logan International Airport: $54 to Newark; $55 to Buffalo; $60 to New York (JFK); $60 to Washington, DC (Dulles); $66 to Nantucket; $110 to Denver; $115 to Fort Lauderdale; $140 to Phoenix; $150 to Austin; and $223 to Aruba.

Feel the love with 20% savings on France rail passes

Posted by Hilary Nangle May 29, 2012 07:34 AM

Rail Europe is offering an ohh-la-love special that provides a 20 percent discount off select France Rail passes, including the France Rail Pass Premium, through June 14, 2012. Travelers who take advantage of the offer receive five days of first-class rail travel for the price of three, a savings of $85 per person. This offer is only valid on the Adult and Saver France Rail Pass and the Adult and Saver France Rail Pass Premium; it is not valid on the Youth, Child and Senior France Rail Passes.

Boston's Fairmont Copley Plaza offers family entertainment deals

Posted by Paul Kandarian May 18, 2012 07:37 AM
The Fairmont Copley Plaza, fresh off a $20 million renovation and restoration project as part of its centennial celebration, is offering some family packages for those looking to spend summer close to home. One is the Museum of Science Family Package, with rates starting at $239, and include accommodations for four and four tickets to the museum (two adults, two children).

The hotel's Call of the Wild Package, with rates kicking off at $339, partners with the Franklin Park Zoo, and includes two tickets to the zoo, accommodations in a newly renovated guest room and one Zookeeper Level Zoodoption, which awards a certificate of "adoption" of an animal in the zoo. And speaking of animals, but not in the literal sense, the Just Ducky Package revolves around Boston's famous Duck Tour, a package that starts at $319 and includes overnight stay at the hotel and four Duck Tour tickets. The Children's Museum package, starting at $219, includes accommodations and passes to the Boston Children's Museum for two adults and one child.

For information and specific pricing on all Fairmont Copley deals, visit www.fairmont.com/copleyplaza or call 800-441-1414.

JetBlue one-day June sale

Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe Assistant Sunday Editor May 15, 2012 11:00 AM

Prices are pretty good, but the window for travel dates is not wide, and sale fares don't appear to be available on all routes. You must book by midnight on the JetBlue site for flights May 22-June 21. There are blackout dates and flights are not available for every day of the week. Here are some sample one-way fares from Boston: $49 to Buffalo; $55 to Newark, NJ; $60 to New York; $120 to Dallas / Fort Worth, Fort Lauderdale; $130 to Denver; $140 to Phoenix, Austin, Texas, New Orleans; $147 to Bermuda; $150 to Tampa; $154 to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; $160 to Seattle; $166 to Cancun, Mexico; and $223 to Aruba.

Wine festival coming to Nantucket

Posted by Paul Kandarian May 15, 2012 07:44 AM
A variety of unusual and familiar events await wine and food lovers at the 16th annual Nantucket Wine Festival May 16-20. Former CBS newsman Bill Kurtis is scheduled to be on hand touting the virtues of Tallgrass Beef, why it's healthier than regular beef and more environmentally responsible and more humanely raised than other grass-fed beef. Verve Clicquot will be back this year offering champagne during the festival, and winemakers from that champagne house will conduct special seminars throughout.

The festival's signature event, "The Grand Tasting," will be held at the historic Nantucket Yacht Club, and back for that this year, after a one-year hiatus, will be fare from Duxbury's Island Creek Oysters.

In all, more than 200 wineries from the world over will attend the event, each represented by the winemaker or vineyard owner. Celeb chefs from Boston, Nantucket, Providence, Newport, New Jersey and New York. The festival's popular symposia, which organizers say is the equivalent of a graduate course in advanced wine philosophy, features hour-long tastings and discussions followed by lunch, paired with wines produced by participating vignerons.

The White Elephant hotel serves as the festival's home base and hosts many of the events, including the Harbor Gala and celebrity chef and winemaker auction dinners, along with most of the wine and food seminars.

For a complete description of events, prices, lodging and more, check out www.nantucketwinefestival.com, or call 508-228-1128.

Nantucket's not an inexpensive place to be, but getting there is a little cheaper by ferry. the Steamship Authority's high-speed ferry from Hyannis to Nantucket has a discounted fare this year: $50, round-trip, for same-day travel, Monday through Thursday ($25 for kids five to 12). Wayne Lamson, general manager of the Steamship Authority, said the special midweek fare is for those travelers with the flexibility to travel at less-busy times. The fare is $17 less than usual, and will be in place through the rest of the year. If you do go and bring your car, plan ahead: Lamson said this year, car reservations are about six percent higher than last year and he expects that to continue all summer.

for information, visit www.steamshipauthority.com or call 508-477-8600.

Buy 2 round-trip Nantucket flights, get one free

Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe Assistant Sunday Editor May 9, 2012 01:01 PM

BOS to ACK. The new JetBlue promotion works just the way it sounds:Buy two round-trips or 4 one-way flights between Boston and Nantucket for travel between May 17 and July 9, and complete your travel between May 17-July 9. Around July 13, the carrier will e-mail you two travel certificates, good for a round-trip or two one-way flights between Boston and Nantucket. you must book and travel July 16-Aug. 30 -- Friday or Sunday travel excluded.

Here are all the details.


Southwest launches 1st real summer sale of season

Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe Assistant Sunday Editor May 1, 2012 12:20 PM

This marks the first in what we expect to be a pretty lean season for sales. To get these prices you must purchase before May 4 for travel from May 11-Oct. 31 on primarily Tuesdays and Wednesdays (discounts many be available on other days on a limited bases). And there is a 10-day purchase required. Here are all the details.

As I wrote last week , deals will likely be few this summer and sale prices not as good as in the past. In the past couple of years Southwest has been first out of the gate with summer discounts so if you are making travel plans and this one doesn't work for you (Southwest doesn't offer as many destinations as, say, JetBlue out of Boston) start being vigilant.

Here are some sample one-way fares from Boston:

Chicago $138; Orlando $163; St. Louis $205; Detroit $206; Cleveland $208; Panama City Beach, Fla., $210; Houston $212; Jacksonville, Fla., $216; Columbus, Ohio, $217; Indianapolis $221.


NH inns team up for hiking package

Posted by Paul Kandarian April 30, 2012 07:51 AM
Two inns in Bradford, N.H., are teaming up to offer a "Hiking N.H." deal this summer. The package from the Rosewood Country Inn and Candelite Inn, offers four nights lodging (two nights in each inn), two dinners (one at each), four breakfasts, two backpack lunches, a gourmet picnic, a Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge-Greenway trailguide, admission to the Fells Historic Estate in Gardens in Newbury, and a yoga session, for $409 per person, not including tax and tips.

The package runs four times: June 10-14, July 8-12, Aug. 19-23 and Sept. 16-20. To reserve, call the Candlelite Inn at 603-938-5571 or email candleite@mcttelecom.com

Free admission to national parks

Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe Assistant Sunday Editor April 20, 2012 07:37 AM

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National Park Service will offer free admission to all its facilities and programs from Saturday April 21 to Sunday April 29 in celebration of National Parks Week. There are more than two dozen facilities in New England, with the bulk of them being in Massachusetts. If you happen to be traveling that week, the NPS maps out locations by state on its website.


Photo of Adams Mansion in Quincy by Mary Schiess

Promotion offers savings on Scottish rail pass

Posted by Paul Kandarian April 18, 2012 07:49 AM

In case you missed National Tartan Day, which was April 6, and Scotland Week, which runs through April 14, you can save some coin on traveling by rail through Scotland, with a deal, Freedom Scotland Travelpass. You can save 20 percent with an extra free travel day for those buying a pass through May 10. The extra-day promotion extends passes by an additional day of rail travel valid in standard class for either four days (within eight days) or eight days (within 15 days). With the offer, guests can get creative with their destination stops while en route to popular spots like Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Stirling. To book, call 866-938-7245 or visit www.britrail.com/passes/britrail-freedom-of-scotland

National Tartan Day was created by Congress in 2005 to honor the contributions of Americas of Scottish descent who played a key role in the development of the United States, which includes Patrick Henry of “Give me liberty or give me death” fame; Andrew Carnegie, steel magnate; Thomas Alva Edison, inventor; and a variety of U.S. presidents, including Ulysses S. Grant, Lyndon Baines Johnson and Woodrow Wilson.

Vegas bus offers curbside hangover cure

Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe Assistant Sunday Editor April 17, 2012 11:40 AM

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Tourism officials would have us believe that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. But one anesthesiologist wants to make sure that your hangover doesn't stay for your entire trip.
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Last weekend marked the maiden run of a new curbside service called Hangover Heaven, dedicated to offering relatively quick relief to those suffering the residual effects of overindulgence.

For an introductory fee of $90 or $150, patients receive IV therapy (choose either Redemption or the higher-priced Salvation) to rehydrate as well as as regimen of anti-nausea medicine and vitamins. The whole shooting match is done in a half hour to 45 minutes.
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The business is the brainchild of Jason Burke, who is, according to his website, a Duke-educated, board-certified anesthesiologist. Burke has a fleet of specially-equipped tour buses that make stops at the Hard Rock Hotel, Paris, Bellagio, and The Cosmopolitan. According to reports he is also talking to hotels about offering room service to the less ambulatory.

Planning a trip to Vegas? There is more information on the company's website and Burke is hoping that soon there will be an app for that.

Photos of bus and Dr. Jason Burke courtesy of Hangoverheaven.com

2-day JetBlue sale on flights through mid-June

Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe Assistant Sunday Editor April 17, 2012 10:34 AM

This is not for summer prime-time travel but the prices are pretty good if you have plans. You must book before April 19 for travel April 24-June 20. Blackout days and other restrictions vary by route. You can find the details here.

And here are some sample one-way prices from Logan International Airport:
$46 to Nantucket; $49 to Newark, NJ; $60 to Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Washington, DC (Dulles and Reagan), New York (JFK); $90 to Raleigh-Durham; $95 to Chicago; $105 to Jacksonville, Fla.; $120 to Denver and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; $130 to Orlando, Fla, San Francisco, and Phoenix; $140 to San Jose, Calif., and Austin; $147 to Bermuda; $170 to Portland, Ore., and Los Angeles; $179 to Santo Domingo and Santiago in the Dominican Republic.

JetBlue offers discount bulk-rate DC flights

Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe Assistant Sunday Editor April 9, 2012 03:40 PM

They call them Go Packs, and this is the way they work: Boston travelers can buy 10 one-way flights between Logan International Airport and all Washington, D.C.-area airports — Washington-Reagan, Washington-Dulles, Baltimore — for $699 plus $7 in taxes and fees per flight, or about $77 per trip. You can buy the Go Packs through April 17 for travel from April 23 through June 27. One useful feature: The Go Pack can be shared. When you buy one, you get 10 separate codes, one for each flight you've prepaid. If you want to share with a friend, you can just let him or her use one of your codes for a one-way flight. If you do share, though, be aware that you must set up your tickets on separate reservations. Here are all the details.

Florida festival explores the complexities of rum

Posted by Paul Kandarian April 9, 2012 07:19 AM

Got rum? Robert A. Burr does – lots and lots of lots.

Burr, along with his wife and son, created and run the Rum Renaissance Festival, now in its fourth year and being held at the Deauville Beach Resort in Miami Beach, April 16-22.

When it first began, it drew about 150 people sampling 45 rums, Burr said. Last year’s festival had 3,200 people tasting more than 120 rums from far and near.BigCrowd440.jpg

“This event attracts aficionados and mixologists from all over the world,” said Burr, a seventh-generation Miamian and creator of the Gifted Rums Guide. “The rum explosion is now, the rum business grew through the recession, and there’s real growth in luxury rums, which are cheaper than luxury scotches for example.”

FULL ENTRY

Bahama Beach Club has spring/summer savings

Posted by Paul Kandarian April 5, 2012 07:22 AM

Yes, it's hot in the Bahamas in the summer -- but it's also cheaper.

The Bahama Beach Club, a resort overlooking Treasure Cay Beach on Great Abaco Island, a beach Caribbean Travel & Life dubbed the best in the Caribbean, is offering a trio of limited-time offers to save money.

The first is an instant savings air credit, which gets you $400 in instant savings on stays of six or more nights, per villa, or a $250 instant savings on stays of four or five nights, when booking by May 14, and staying between April 15 and Oct. 31. The offer must be booked for a minimum double occupancy and in conjunction with an air-inclusive package when flying from any city in the United States or Canada.

The resort also offers two free plane tickets from Nassau to Abaco when booking a four-night or more stay, with air travel from Nassau. Three nights gets one free ticket. Offer must be booked by June 30 and is valid on double-occupancy stays through Oct. 31.

Lastly, the resort is giving private pilots a $300 fuel credit when they fly to the island. You must book a minimum four-night stay at the club, and it must be booked in conjunction with an all-inclusive package at the resort by June 26, and is valid through June 30.

Rates at the resort, for a two-bedroom, two-bath villa start at $300, and include Internet and free phone calls to the United States and Canada. For more info, visit www.bahamabeachclub.com, or call 800-284-0382.

Multi-generational and group travel an emerging trend

Posted by Paul Kandarian March 26, 2012 07:54 AM
More and more, it's one big happy -- and multigenerational -- family when it comes to travel. Preferred Hotel Group recently conducted a study of the leisure traveler, analyzing more than 400 variables, including the travel-related attitudes, behaviors, preferences, social values, lifestyles and media habits of people who identified themselves as "multigenerational travelers." The study found that 40 percent of US leisure travelers -- about 21 million of them -- had taken a multigenerational trip in the previous 12 months, that defined as a trip of three generations.

Traveling in groups isn't limited to families, either. Luxury travel operator Abercrombie & Kent also reported that 11 percent of its reservations in 2011 were for groups of five more, compared to eight percent the year before.

As might be expected, resorts are focusing on the large-group angle, creating programs and specialties for families and those traveling with a crowd. The all-inclusive Curtain Bluff Resort in Antigua is running a multi-gen package valid from May 15-July 28, based on two interconnecting junior suites for seven nights, and includes private sunset sail on a 49-foot sail boat; private family cocktail party at The Bluff House; and photographer for family portrait, to include CD of the shots, for a cost of $8,950. Additional junior suites are available at $4,325 for the week. Check it out at www.curtainbluff.com

Villas are ideal for family travelers and on the 1,400-acre private island of Mustique in the Grenadines, there are 74 rentable villas, from two to nine bedrooms, fetching anywhere from $6,000 to $150,000 a week. Mustique's only resort, the Cotton House, has 17 suites and babysitting services. Anyone staying on the island has access to nine beaches and a downtown market, and kid activities including pony camp, tennis camp, sailing classes and movie nights. Check it all out at www.mustique-island.com and www.cottonhouse.net

In Turks and Caicos, the upscale The Somerset on Grace Bay has 53 villas and estates and new this year is the "Caicos Kids Club," a free program for kids ages five to 12 and run by certified teachers from a local school, a day program that offers a variety of changing, kid-friendly activities. They also have a group kids' dinner on select evenings to give their parents some alone time. Rates at the resort, with accommodations ranging from 1,400 to 5,000 square feet, start at $900 a night. For more info, visit www.thesomerset.com

N.Y. chefs head to Maine's White Barn Inn

Posted by Paul Kandarian March 20, 2012 08:06 AM
The White Barn Inn in Kennebunk, Maine, hosts some of New York's hottest chefs during its sixth annual Guest Chef Series this spring. White Barn's Grand Chef Relais and Chateaux Jonathan Cartwright joins culinary forces with Little owl's Joey Campanaro March 23-25, Recette's Jesse Schenker April 20-22 and Gramercy Tavern's Howard Kalachnikoff May 4-6. In addition to hosting the chefs, the White Barn Inn Restaurant, one of three restaurants in the country maintaining an AAA Five Diamond rating for 20 or more straight years, offers a package starting at $649 a night, in which guests can learn from the chefs during a hands-on cooking class and private culinary demonstration. Guests mingle with chefs at a welcome reception and get rooms for the duration of the weekend, which also includes daily breakfast, afternoon tea, and a nine-course tasting menu dinner for two at the restaurant. For more information, visit www.whitebarninn.com/kennebunkport-maine-restaurants/package04/

San Sebastian puts gastronomy on sale

Posted by David Lyon March 19, 2012 01:41 PM

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In case our coverage of the pintxos scene in Spain's San Sebastian in Sunday's Travel section piqued your appetite for visiting the best eating city of its size in Europe (our not-so unbiased opinion), we just learned that San Sebastian will be holding its first San Sebastian Restaurant Week on April 10-22. More than 20 city restaurants are offering a set menu costing 25 euros (about $33), and reservations can be made online after April 1 at the San Sebastian Tourism Booking Center (www.sansebastianreservas.com). That same web site will also start offering a series of six Gastro Breaks after Easter. The mini-vacations include two nights' accommodation, a gastronomic activity, a guided tour, and San Sebastian welcome pack. They will cover six different gastronomic themes: txakoli (the tangy Basque white wine), pintxos, traditional Basque gastronomy, New Basque cooking, secrets of culinary techniques, and cider houses. Prices vary. Book them all for a gastronomic feast.

--Patricia Harris & David Lyon

Photo by Patricia Harris for the Boston Globe

Sofitel opens luxury hotel in Bangkok

Posted by Paul Kandarian March 19, 2012 07:48 AM
The Sofitel So Bangkok recently opened in Thailand, and is offering "80 Dollars, 80 Days," now through May 18, which gives guests an $80 credit per room, per night for the first 80 days of its opening. The credit can be spent at any of the new 30-story hotel's restaurants, bars or So Spa. The credit extends to room upgrades as well, and can be accumulated during the same stay.

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The new hotel overlooks the city's Lumpini Park and has 238 rooms with themed decor centered around five elements: Water, earth, wood, metal and fire. The water-themed rooms, for example, feature bathtubs offering front-on scenic views of the city. The hotel also has a chocolate boutique, infinity swimming pool overlooking the city, and So Spa, which resembles a mythological forest. The hotel is also said to be the first one in Asia to offer a fully connected lifestyle, with all rooms and suites equipped with fully integrated Apple Mac mini Solution technology and free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. Other in-room benefits are free private bar, his-and-hers amenities and Illy espresso machine in So Comfy or higher room categories.

Rates at the hotel start at $165 a night. For information visit http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-6835-sofitel-so-bangkok/index.shtml

JetBlue launches sale to mark new Boston-Dallas route

Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe Assistant Sunday Editor March 14, 2012 10:45 AM

JetBlue Airways is marking the May 1 start of its new service to Dallas/Fort Worth from Logan International Airport with a three-day sale on Texas destinations. One-way fares to Dallas begin at $99; to Austin at $149; and to Houston (through New York JFK) at $185.

To get in on this promotion, you must purchase tickets must be purchased for March 16 for travel only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between May 1 and June 27. Here are all the details.


Entertainment, dining deals in New Haven

Posted by Paul Kandarian March 6, 2012 07:15 AM
Connecticut's second-largest city has a pretty big culinary and theater scene, and this month is offering "Make a Night of It in New Haven," with deals combining both.

At the Long Wharf Theatre, from March 7-13, $70 per person gets you tickets to "Bell, Book & Candle," and a three-course prix fixe at Thali, L'Orcio or Sage American Grill & Oyster Bar. For show tickets and dinner reservations, call the box office at 203-787-4282. For show info, visit http://www.longwharf.org/

Buy a ticket to "South Pacific" at the Shubert Theater from March 8-12 (ticket prices from $15-$78), and for another $32 per person, you get a prix-fixe dinner at Pacifico, Zinc or Oaxaca Kitchen. Diners must show their "South Pacific" ticket stubs for the deal, which is only valid for the same night of the show you attend, and dinner reservations must be made prior to the show. The Shubert box office can be reached at 203-562-5666 or http://www.shubert.com/.

A prix-fixe dinner at Union League Cafe or Ibiza, is available for $32 per person with ticket purchase ($20) to Yale Repertory Theatre's "The Winter Tale," March 19-21. As in the Shubert offer, diners must show their Yale Rep ticket stubs and the deal is only valid for the same night you attend the show. Also part of the deal: A coupon to park for $5 at the York and Chapel Street garage. Call Yale Rep at 203-432-1234 or visit http://www.yalerep.org

All dinner deals are for appetizer, entree and dessert. Beverages, taxes and tip are not included. For more info on New Haven by night, visit www.infonewhaven.com/makeanightofitNH

Beer and baseball in the great Southwest

Posted by Paul Kandarian March 2, 2012 07:52 AM

Kimpton's Firesky Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz. -- an area that's home to the Cactus League's 15 Major League Baseball spring-training camps -- is offering a "Play Ball" package for the whole month of March. The package includes a welcome basket of baseball snacks, a welcome bucket of beer and free shuttle service for travel within three miles of the resort, which is 10 minutes from the home stadiums of the San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks.

The other 12 stadiums are within freeway access. Rooms are priced from $199 a night, and packages can be reserved at www.kimptonhotels.com by entering PBAS in the rate code box, or by calling 1-800-546-7866 and asking for the "Play Ball Spring Training" package.

Last year, the Cactus League hosted 233 pro ball games, attracting 1.5 million fans to the Valley of the Sun, as the area is known. The organization now known as the Cactus League started up in 1946, when its first two teams, the Cleveland Indians and New York Giants, headed west for spring training. Check out the league at www.cactusleague.com

Airlines offer spring deals - summer sales in offing

Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe Assistant Sunday Editor February 22, 2012 08:27 AM

It looks like we're starting to inch through spring and toward summer. The new Southwest and AirTran promotion will last until midnight Thursday for travel from March 6 through June 6 and only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for domestic routes. A 10-day advance purchase is required. Here are the terms at Southwest and at AirTran.

Last week JetBlue launched a one-day promotion for Tuesday-Wednesday flights through April 3. Southwest tends to be first out of the gate in terms of promotions to fill seats for new seasons and this new one, with its Tuesday-Wednesday sale-seat terms and early June endpoint, likely marks the start of a few more such short-term offers in the industry to wrap up spring -- a generally slack period (with spring break exceptions) for leisure travel.

UPDATE 10:38 A.M.: JetBlue has just announced a one-day spring sale for 20 percent off fares on flights from May 1-June 12. Here's the website with the other restrictions. To get the fares you will need to use the promo code: SPRING12
If you are planning summer travel, early forecasts suggest that seats will be tight and expensive, given that oil is once again on the rise and airlines have really tightened down schedules. It's a bit early now to shop -- carriers start aggressively managing seats about 10 to 12 weeks out. But it is time to start casually looking around. We should start to see summer deals in March.


Hotel Commonwealth hosts pajama party, storytelling nights

Posted by Paul Makishima, Globe Assistant Sunday Editor February 15, 2012 07:07 AM

Looking for a getaway with the kids close to home during the February school vacation? The Hotel Commonwealth will be hosting its third annual Bedtime Stories storytelling and pajama party for families from 7-8:30 PM on the evenings of Feb. 24 and Feb. 25.
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Kids are encouraged to wear their PJs while listening to professional performers and storytellers from ReadBoston. After hearing some of their favorite tales, kids can head to the make-your-own hot chocolate bar that features various types of hot cocoa and toppings. The suggested donation for the event is $10 per family. The hotel will match each donation, with all proceeds going to ReadBoston.

If you want to make a night of it, the Hotel Commonwealth is offering a “Hotel for Kids” overnight package on either Feb. 24, 2012, or Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012, at a special rate of $219. Included in the package is a special morning kids’ pancake-making class with Executive Chef Jeremy Sewall of Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks and Island Creek Oyster Bar.

The Hotel for Kids package includes:
• Deluxe family accommodations (up to two adults and two children; additional children can be accommodated for $49/child) in a Commonwealth Suite (more than 500-square feet of space, including a separate area with pull-out sofa bed that can be closed off with drapes)
• Welcome backpack for kids stuffed with slippers from LL Bean, a custom bedtime story featuring the hotel’s signature Terry bear and a flashlight
• Board game and family-friendly DVD selection (delivered to each room with complimentary popcorn)
• Homemade cookies and milk upon arrival
• Complimentary valet parking
• Access to the hotel’s Family Concierge to help with planning family-friendly activities around Boston
• Families can extend through the weekend at a special rate of $169/each additional night.
After February 25, 2012, the Hotel for Kids package starts at $289 per night and is available through March 31, 2012. For more information, visit www.hotelcommonwealth.com or call 617-532-5019.

About globe-trotting Travel news, tips, deals and dispatches.
contributors
  • Kari Bodnarchuk writes about outdoor adventures, offbeat places, and New England.
  • Patricia Borns, a frequent contributor to Globe Travel, writes and photographs travel, maritime, and historical narratives as well as blogs and books.
  • Patricia Harris, a regular contributor to Globe Travel, is author or co-author of more than 20 books on travel, food, and popular culture.
  • Paul E. Kandarian, a frequent contributor to Globe Travel, writes and photographs New England and Caribbean stories.
  • Chris Klein is a regular contributor to Globe Travel. His latest book is ‘‘The Die-Hard Sports Fan’s Guide to Boston.’’
  • David Lyon, a regular contributor to Globe Travel, is author or co-author of more than 20 books on travel, food, and popular culture.
  • Hilary Nangle is a regular contributor to Globe Travel. Her latest guidebook is Moon Maine (Avalon Travel, 2008)
  • Joe Ray, a frequent contributor to Globe Travel, writes and photographs food and travel stories from Europe.
  • Kimberly Sherman writes about unique happenings throughout New England.
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