Best Western Stovall's Inn Anaheim

All of America is taking cookie-cutter Anaheim vacations in cookie-cutter chain hotels. Bad as it might sound, there must be something to it if so many people are doing 'it'. And the 'it' is the Best Western Stovall's Inn - Cheap rooms spacious enough to pack in the entire family, decent facilities and perfect location slam-bang directly across the street from Disneyland Resort and the Anaheim Convention Center.

The guest rooms are equipped with mini-fridges, microwaves, coffee makers, iron & ironing boards, hairdryers, high-speed wireless internet and the hotel offers a complimentary deluxe continental breakfast. Amenities for guests include a business center and fully equipped fitness center.

And what's it got for the family? Well, other than the free breakfast, children under 17 stay free, you get free parking, there's 2 swimming pools, 2 spas & a children's wading pool, a coin-operated laundry and laundry and valet service. And a restaurant next door serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then there's the Disneyland shuttle, sighseeing tours and park hopper tickets (ask at the front desk).

Last, but most important, you get an extra-large room with two double beds, seperate vanity area and bathroom (and all the stuff mentioned above) at rates starting from $85 per night (for a family of four, with two adults and two children). Plus, stay 3 consecutive nights, and you get a $25 gas card (offer valid until Sept 30 2008). Factor in the gas card and your hotel bill gets slashed to $230 for 3 nights.

Info: 1110 W Katella Avenue Anaheim CA 92802; (714) 778-1880; www.stovallsinn.com/

Got BART? 20% Off at Kimpton Hotels San Francisco

Riding the BART used to be the fun part of San Francisco vacations. Now its also a good way to shave 20% off your hotel bill. Show your ticket stub from BART, Amtrak or Caltrain, and you're entitled to 20% off on the best available rate at any one of the Kimpton Hotels in San Francisco.

Valid until December 31 2008. Participating hotels include Argonaut Hotel, Harbor Court Hotel, Hotel Monaco San Francisco, Hotel Triton, Hotel Palomar San Francisco, Prescott Hotel, Serrano Hotel and the Sir Francis Drake. Call (800) 546-7866 or visit the Kimpton website for more details about the offer and online booking. Use promo code RTR.

Not to make too big a deal about it, but the Triton is the greenest (green as in eco-friendly green) of the lot, while the Drake is the oldest and kindof an institution if you're looking for more than just a hotel room.

And the Argonaut is the most kid-friendly of the lot - Which is saying a lot since they're all Kimptons, which are all extremely good family hotels, with the Kimpton Kids program and other stuff meant to breed loyalty among family travelers. In addition to the usual stuff that Kimpton hotels have, the Argonaut has a great location on Fisherman's Wharf.

Spa Treatment Package At Beacon Hotel Miami

Miami vacations mean squat unless you enjoy the guilty pleasures of one of the high-end South Beach spas which proliferate on the oceanfront like weeds in an unkept garden. Thankfully, almost all the oceanfront Miami hotels have an in-house spa or offer discounted referrrals to one of the nearby spas. Point is, I was just looking through the spa offerings in Miami, and a couple of good spa packages from the Beacon Hotel on Ocean Drive caught my eye.

The first, a spa treatment pacakge, includes room accommodation, 15% off all spa treatments at Miami City Massage. Minimum 2 nights booking required. Rates starting from $159 ($199 for weekends). The second package, called 'Calma ', is a bit more comprehensive and offers two nights and three days in an ocean front room with two certificates for a 45 minute Swedish massage at Le Spa, and valet parking. $284 per night ($344 per night if you book for a weekend). More details about these and other specials from the Beacon Hotel here.

The room that comes with the Calma package has a King bed with a sweeping view of the Atlantic, and is furnished with in-room safe, mini-bar, flat panel LCD TV, cable TV, complimentary wireless high speed Internet, and complimentary breakfast from 9-11 am. The rooms are pristine white, with glistening marble flooring and luxurious haeavy furnishings. Large windows with light drapes cover nearly half the wall and offer a sweeping view of the Ocean.

The Rendezvous restaurant and 'The Bar' make up the dining and drinking options, with both in-door and out-door seating. Other than this, the Beacon offers all the usual amenities like room service, concierge services, valet laundry and turn-down. All said and done, not a bad way to spend a weekend exploring the things to do in Miami, with a couple of relaxing spa treatments at Le Spa, valet parking and a free breakfast thrown in. Sounds like an ideal getaway.

Info: 720 Ocean Drive Miami Beach FL 33139; (305) 674-8200; www.beacon-hotel.com/

Labor Day Hotel Sale & Specials

The clock's ticking out the summer, and Labor Day is almost here. Made plans for the Labor Day weekend? If you haven't had time yet, here's a listing of Labor Day specials and packages for hotels nationwide.

Expedia has a nice listing of 3 and 4 day labor weekend discount deals with air+hotel packages, and gas rebates. Rates from $373. Details here.

Orbitz's Insider Index offers up details about the top 10 Labor Day getaways, along with a promo for flight + hotel package for 3+ nights. Receive $50 off instantly when you book a flight + hotel package for 3+ nights to any of our destinations when you enter promo code LABOR50. Travel must occur between August 29 and September 8. Book by September 1. Details here.

Missing from both these offers are Labor Day specific destinations with family hotels and things to do on vacation which are especially relevant on Labor Day. One such location is Mackinaw City, MI, where the Grand Hotel On Mackinac Island has a Labor Day Jazz package. If you're there, don't miss the Mackinac Bridge walk on Sept 1.

Fall for Hawaii Special at ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Hotel

The ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Hotel is offering a 1 night free special - 3rd night free if you pay for 2 nights. Offer includes a free "Breakfast on the Beach", 2-for-1 Luau, an Aloha Book, free daily newspaper, free wifi service, and children receive a free toy at check-in. Offer valid until Dec 25th 2008. Rates from $174 for an oceanview room. More details here.

Before you start packing and dreaming about Honolulu vacations with Hula dances and Tiki restaurants and snooze-fests on Waikiki beach, you might want to take a look at the weather forecasts, because some volcano just blew its top in Hawaii, and the resultant spew of volcanic ash has closed down flights for the moment. But it should be clear in a day or so.

Comparing this offer with other Honolulu hotels is a bit like apples and oranges, since very few 'decent' hotels actually offer a 3rd night free in Oahu. Getting a good hotel room on the beach, with a view of the ocean, for less than $100 per night is a pipe-dream, even in late summer.

For the record, rooms at the ResortQuest Waikiki sport a cool decor with a tropical tinge and are equipped with air conditioning, a 32" flat-screen TV, and refrigerator. Most of the rooms have partial or full oceanviews, with a private lanai. Standard size rooms aren't all that big, but big enough to comfortably accomodate at least 2 people, with 1 King Bed or two doubles. Standard rates (for online booking) from $225.

On the 2nd floor of the hotel is the cavernous and popular Tiki's Grill & Bar, with lots of space and even more people, ofefring up sumptous seafood and Hawaiaan specials like Coconut Shrimp and Kalua Pig Quesadillas for appetizers, and entrees like a Hawaiian Plate of kalua pig, lau lau, lomi salmon, ahi poke, and coconut haupia.

And since the hotel is located on Kalakaua Avenue, its a pretty good place to start an exploration of all the things to do in Honolulu.

Info: 2570 Kalakaua Avenue Honolulu HI 96815; (877) 997-6667; Website

Hard Rock Hotel San Diego Staycation Package

Finally, SoCal residents can enjoy smokin hot San Diego vacations without having to shell out the big dough on upscale San Diego hotels in the Gaslamp Quarter. That's cause the Hard Rock hotel is offering a Staycation package for Southern California residents.

During the summer months, Hard Rock Hotel San Diego is extending a special discounted rate to Southern California residents of $199 per night, Sunday through Thursday for studio accommodations, with a complimentary upgrade to a Hard Rock Suite, or $239 per night Friday and Saturday for studio accommodations with a complimentary upgrade to a Hard Rock Suite. The rate is valid from August 1 through September 30 and is subject to availability.

In a press statement regarding the package, Eric Seise, hotel manager at Hard Rock Hotel San Diego, says that "The word Staycation can be wonderfully appealing in a city like San Diego. There are so many things to do here and we are just a short drive from the L.A, Orange County and Inland Empire areas. We have it all here at the Hard Rock Hotel including luxury accommodations, awesome restaurants, a spa, nightlife and an ideal location. It’s everything you would fly to places like Vegas or Miami to experience."

Click here for more details or call (888) 593-6177.

The entire hotel is a party animal's dream come true, but special mention needs to be made of the Moonstone Lounge and the poolside area. As it is, the Gaslamp has acquired a rep for Vegas style hard partying, but even for the Gaslamp, the sizzling heat of the Moonstone Lounge with a crush of bodies and parties within parties mixing it up with alcohol fueled abondon is something special.

The guest rooms are equally 'different', with a nod to Rock N'Roll memorabilia, and a mix of funkiness and luxury catering to both music and baseball fans come to enjoy the offerings of the Ballpark. All said and done, this staycation package bridges the gap between the haves in the luxury suites and the have-nots partying poolside, and on the streets.

Info: 207 5th Ave San Diego CA 92101; (619) 702-3000; www.hardrockhotelsd.com/