Vacation Rentals from $285 for a Week

If you're planning a vacation, check out these great deals on vacation rentals. You can get 7 nights as low as $285!

There are resorts all over the US, Canada, & the Caribbean. Obviously, the price will depend on where & when you book, but it's worth checking out. The sale prices are valid through 3/18/11 at 4pm CDT, so don't delay!

Getting Married? Get a Free Airline Ticket!

Are you getting married soon, or do you know someone who is? If so, stop what you are doing & read this post now!

JCPenney is giving you a great incentive to use their gift registry services: a free airline ticket! Create a new wedding registry, enter a minimum of 15 items to your wish list, & you will receive a free companion airline ticket. Of course there is some fine print, so read all the details before you create your registry.

Weddings & honeymoons are expensive, so take advantage of this offer & save on your airfare!

Thanks, Coupon Savvy in Cowlitz Co.!

Hawaiian Vacations Starting at $439

If you want to get away to Hawaii, check out these vacation deals. Currently you can get airfare & 3 nights accommodations on Oahu starting at $439! Of course, the rates go up depending on the hotel, how many nights you stay, & where you fly out from.

Photo courtesy of Premier Oahu.

Spring Break Hotel Sale in Myrtle Beach

I have been wanting to vacation in Myrtle Beach for a long time now. My parents went there 2 years ago & fell in love with it. So if you want to get a little sun for spring break & hit the beach, check out this list of condos, hotels, & resorts that have specials going on. The rates start at just $44 per night!

If you do book a vacation, check out this list of area coupons for golfing, restaurants, entertainment, & more.

Photo courtesy of Myrtle Beach Kid's Stuff.

1 Free Night at HRH Suites via Jetsetter

If you still have your $75 credit from Jetsetter, you can get a free night at the HRH Suites at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas! The rooms are on sale at Jetsetter starting at $75. These aren't your average rooms, either. These are 700 sq. ft. suites that opened in December 2009.

My husband stayed at the HRH Suites last year while at a convention & he loved it. They are much nicer than the rest of the Hard Rock Hotel (it's like a hotel within a hotel), so don't worry about the rooms being dated or worn out.

Even if you don't have any credit remaining, these rooms are a bargain starting at $75! To compare, the prices start at $109 on the HRH Suites website. If you want to get a little sunshine, check out this sale (& other travel destinations) out over at Jetsetter.

The Inn at Langley as Low as $110/Night

NW readers, check this out! Jetsetter is featuring rooms at The Inn at Langley at highly discounted prices. Right now you can book a night for as low as $185. However, if you have that $75 credit I talked about last month, you could get a romantic night on Whidbey Island for just $110. These rooms normally go for $290!

Even if you don't have the $75 credit, this is a great rate for The Inn at Langley. Everyone I know who has stayed there just raves about it. Go on....have a grown up night away & rekindle the flame a bit (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)!

Beachfront Kauai Hotel as Low as $79

If getting out of the cold sounds good to you right now, check out this deal! You can get a room at the Courtyard by Marriott Kauai at Coconut Beach for as low as $79 per night! That's crazy cheap for a hotel on Kauai.

I realize this isn't a 5 star hotel (3.5 stars) but if you're going to Kauai, do you really want to spend a ton of time in your room? The reviews say this is a fine option, & heck....at this price it's worth a shot!

Great Wolf Lodge: 48 Hour Sale

Tomorrow at 10 am, Great Wolf Lodge's 48 Hour Sale will go live. You can search for dates & available rates, then use code: 48HOURto get 20% off. The sale is good on stays January through April.

4 Nights in Puerto Vallarta as Low as $219

If the idea of escaping to Puerto Vallarta sounds good to you, check out this deal. Right now through Costco Travel, you can get a 4 night package at the CasaMagna Marriott in Puerto Vallarta for as low as $219 per person! Included in that price is a daily buffet breakfast, ground transportation to & from the airport, 4 nights in an ocean view room, bellmen & housekeeping gratuities, & hotel taxes.

Other dates are available at slightly higher rates. However, at just under $55 per person per night, this is a steal! If you go, have a margarita for me.

$75 in Free Credit for Jetsetter!

This is a great deal! Jetsetter is a travel site that offers member only deals to exclusive hotels & resorts. Right now you can get $75 in credit! Here's how:

First, create an account with Jetsetter. You will instantly get $25 credited to your account (new members only).

Then, log out & log back in using this link. You will then get another $50 credited to your account! (Note: It's being reported that you may need to log in using another browser to get the $50 referral credit. I used 2 browsers & it worked for me with no problems.)

You could get a night at the Wild Dunes Resort in Charleston, SC for only $64 (after credit). For Puget Sound readers, you could get a night at The Wooldmark Yacht Club in Kirkland, WA for only $35 (after credit)!

Thanks, Steals + Deals!

The Willows Inn: 1 Night/2 Meals Just $175

NW readers, this is a great deal if you want to escape for a little grown up time. The Willows Inn on Lummi Island is offering up a deal through Rue La La & it's a fantastic bargain.

Today only you can get a voucher for a 1 night stay, 5 course tasting meal for 2 utilizing organic ingredients, & breakfast for 2 for just $175 (normally $295). There are a few blackout dates, however, Valentine's Day isn't one of them. The voucher is good through 6/30/11.

I love B&B's; staying at one is such a great experience. Additionally, I don't think there are many places prettier than the San Juan Islands. If you haven't been, you should snag this deal & get away for a little rest & relaxation!

20% off at Great Wolf Lodge

If you are considering a visit to Great Wolf Lodge after the New Year, then pay attention! Great Wolf Lodge at Grand Mound just released a 20% off discount code for stays of 2 or more nights January 2nd -April 9th, 2011. You must book your stay by January 17th, however. Use code: EARLY when making your reservation.

It's unclear as to whether this code is specific to the Grand Mound, WA location, or if it's valid at all Great Wolf Lodge resorts. It's worth trying, though!

Virgin Atlantic Airfare Sale $49 & Up

Virgin Atlantic is having a huge airfare sale. You must purchase your tickets by 12/6/10 but you have through 5/11/11 to travel. One way flights start at $49! Take a look & see what kind of deals you can find.

Weekend Special in Cannon Beach

NW readers: If you want to get away this weekend, consider heading to Cannon Beach (I love, love, love Cannon Beach & the beach is awesome when it's chilly). The Surfsand Resort has a last minute special: Reserve a guest room on Saturday, November 27 at 20% off & receive the second night free!

5 Night Mexico/Cayman Island Cruise $299

Holy cow! Costa Cruises has some great deals right now. You can get a 5 night cruise to the Cayman Islands & Florida for just $299 (inside cabin). That's insane! If you want to book a cruise, go check out all the specials.

Seattle Shoppers: Black Friday Hotel Deal

NW readers: Are you going to hit downtown Seattle on Black Friday? If so, consider making a weekend out of it & get a hotel room. You won't have to fight the freeway (oh, how I hate you I-5) & you can head back to your room & relax.

If that sounds heavenly, check out the deal at The Maxwell Hotel. They are offering a promo for Black Friday where you will save 15% on your room rate & get 2 free Monorail tickets. Genius! You won't even have to fight one way streets & pay for parking!

Thanks for the tip, Linda!

Win a Trip to Canada

Lands' End is giving away 1 of 3 trips winter to Canada. The winner will be able to choose from a Yukon dog sledding adventure, an Alberta skiing adventure, or a Montreal & Quebec City adventure. To enter, head over to Lands' End on Facebook, "like" them, & click on the "Enter to Win" tab.

Just for entering, you'll get a discount for 25% off Flightwise luggage with free shipping. If you'd prefer something more tropical for your vacation, at least you can get new luggage at a discount!

I'd pick the Montreal & Quebec City trip. Which one would you pick if you won?

Southwest Air Fare Sale: Starting at $30

Southwest has a huge air fare sale going on through 10/28/10. Rates start as low as $30 each way! The travel dates are 12/1/10 - 12/15/10 & 1/4/11 - 2/16/11.

If you book a trip, leave a comment letting us know about the deal you found!

Great Wolf Lodge Recap

Now that I've caught up on laundry, gone grocery shopping, & we have gotten back to our normal routine, I wanted to share my thoughts about our weekend at Great Wolf Lodge. As you know, last weekend I participated in the Pacific NW Blogger conference at Great Wolf Lodge. I got to meet & spend time with some amazing NW bloggers, including:

• Angela from Frugal Living NW
• Jen from Thrifty NW Mom
• Heather from Queen Bee Coupons
• Abby from Steals & Deals
• Amber from Coupon Connections NW
• Sia from Centisble in Seattle
• Maryann from Coupon Savvy in Cowlitz Co.
• Kim from Shop with Me Mama
• Angela from The Coupon Project

If you're considering a trip to Great Wolf Lodge, I wanted to share a few thoughts after our 2 nights there.

The accommodations are great! We stayed in a Family Suite, which was more than enough for us. It had 2 queen beds, mini fridge, microwave, & a sitting area with a pull out couch & table & chairs. The beds weren't too hard (I hate that) & there were several types of pillows (soft & firm) so everyone was happy.

The lodge is amazing. There are animals all over that move & talk to you, there is a massive stone fireplace in the main foyer area, arcades, a spa, Cub Club, numerous dining options, you name it, they likely have it. Of course, the real attraction is the water park.

My daughter's favorite was the wave pool. She absolutely loved jumping in the waves! There are several different water slides, a kiddie pool, hot tub, & more. The lifeguards are nationally certified, & it's amazing to watch how they keep track of what's going on in the water. As you can see by the photo above, my husband certainly had a blast!

Dining isn't an inexpensive option at Great Wolf, but I honestly expected it to cost more than it did. We had dinner on Saturday evening at the Camp Critter restaurant. The food was okay; not great, but not bad, either. I was a little annoyed at how long a wait we had when we went down around 5:15. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I didn't expect to wait approximately 30 minutes. Maybe they needed more servers, or maybe we should have picked another dining option. My daughter did fall in love with the wolf ear headband she received with her kids meal, though!

Here are a few tips if you are going to stay at Great Wolf:

• Spend some time eating meals in your room. You can order pizza for lunch or dinner & with the mini fridge & microwave you could easily make oatmeal, soup, mac & cheese, etc. Or just have muffins & juice for breakfast. This will cut down on your expenses, but more importantly, it will give you a little down time. The lodge is very stimulating & it was nice to just chill out in our room for breakfast on Sunday.
• Get there early. Check in is at 4pm, but you can arrive early & get your water park wristbands. We got there around 5:15 & check in took far too long. There were 3 clerks working check in, however 1 left (to go on break, I assume), then 1 went to deal with a customer's question, so that left 1 clerk checking in an insanely long line. I think check in took us about 25 minutes, which seems like too long. Check in early to avoid some of the wait & get in the water park early (there are locker rooms to change into your suits since you can't get into your rooms until 4).
• Stay late! Check out is at 11am, but again, you can use the water park & the locker rooms to change when you are done. Get the most out of your time there!
• Consider eating outside the resort. There are numerous options within a 10 minute drive. We ate at Burgerville on Friday night (yum!). There's even a restaurant called Burger Claim just across the parking lot from the lodge that I heard good things about. We got the menu & the prices are very affordable. I wish we had tried it!
• Go mid week. The room rates tend to be lower & I'm guessing it would be less crowded.

One thing that surprised me is that there is 30,000 square feet of conference rooms at Great Wolf Lodge. I asked if they ever do weddings, & was told they do. Recently at another Great Wolf Lodge, a couple got married at the top of a water slide. Right after they kissed, they hopped on, & started their marriage off with a real splash! (Yes, I realize that was a corny pun, but I couldn't resist!) I think a wedding, in particular a second wedding where there will likely be lots of kids, at Great Wolf would be incredible. Fun for everyone!

We loved it there & my daughter told us she wanted to stay "for 100 years." She's already asked me twice when we can go back. If you are wondering whether or not you will enjoy it, the answer is yes. There is enough to do to keep everyone occupied. I highly recommend you check out Great Wolf Lodge; you won't regret it!

(Note: Great Wolf Lodge provided me with a discounted room rate. However, all opinions are my own. I was not compensated in any way for this post.)

European Air Fare as Low as $206!

If getting away for the holidays sounds good to you, check out Lufthansa's air fare sale. Prices to European destinations start at just $206 each way. You must book your trip by 10/26/10, but the travel dates for these deals are 11/7/10-4/30/11.

Wouldn't Christmas in Europe be amazing? With these deals & the discounted hotel rates you're likely to see due to the off season, a European vacation might be more affordable than you think!