The JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa, which Conde Nast Traveler readers rate so highly it's on our Gold List, is one of nine Marriotts offering giveaways on Twitter every day this month.

by Wendy Perrin

Usually the Halloween mood doesn't strike me till the end of October, but this year it's already struck, thanks to Marriott Resorts' over-the-top "Trick or Tweet" promotion.  Like most innovative, fun, money-saving hotel promotions these days, it's happening on Twitter. 

Every day throughout October, a group of nine Marriott resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico will post a twitter message (or "tweet") announcing a different giveaway at one of the resorts. The giveaways will range from a free night's stay to $100 in meal credits to room upgrades to spa treatments to rounds of golf.  Follow Marriott Resorts on Twitter and you can collect all 27 giveaways, in the form of vouchers that you download and then redeem at the specified resort any time through December 20, 2010.

If you'd like to know who else to follow on Twitter, I listed 21 essential twitterers to follow -- for travel deals, perks, and advice you'll find either only on Twitter or on Twitter first -- in my Perrin Report column in Conde Nast Traveler's October issue (on newsstands now).

Rooms at Venice's Bauer Hotel, which Conde Nast Traveler readers have voted one of their favorite properties in the world, can be booked on Jetsetter.com for $250 to $300 per night, vs. the rack rate of $384 to $589 per night.

by Wendy Perrin

For years our only online options for booking top-rated hotels and resorts at steep discounts were pretty much limited to Luxury Link and Tablet Hotels. That's why I'm happy to see Jetsetter land on the scene. Jetsetter is a flash-sale site that negotiates with noteworthy hotels, cruise lines, and other luxe travel suppliers to offer slashed rates unavailable to the general public. It just launched in beta a few hours ago and, I must say, it's refreshing to see a travel booking site that not only caters to sophisticated travelers--a group that has been grossly underserved in the online travel space--but is also, thanks to its large photos and uncluttered layout, actually appealing to look at.

Like its parent company Gilt Groupe, Jetsetter is a members-only site. You need to be invited to join. Lucky for you, I've finagled just such an invite, specifically for Perrin Post readers: Click on this custom link to register, and every night at 8 p.m. you'll receive an e-mail announcing the latest sale. Each sale should include no more than a handful of select travel experiences -- hotels, resorts, yachts, luxe cruises and tours -- that will be available at a significant discount for either a two-day window or until dates are sold out.

The Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort is just one hotel in the area offering free nights and hundreds of dollars in resort credits. Above, its pool, captured by 2008 Dream Trip entrant scpyle.

by Katherine Hottinger

Looking for Mexican-beach-resort deal that doesn't expire before Christmas?  A number of resorts in Los Cabos--the sun-and-golf playground at the tip of Mexico's Baja Peninsula bookended by the towns of San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas--have come out with promos that last throughout the winter.

These resorts are discounting rates by as much as 35% or giving free nights and resort credits. After the jump, get the scoop on the specific deals that we like best.

Dive bar: You can swim up to cocktail service at the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa, one of more than 2,500 properties participating in Marriott's 20% off promotion.

by Katherine Hottinger on Travel Deals

Followers of Perrin Post on Twitter have known about Marriott's Global Rate Break since Wendy informed them about it last week, but it's such a wide-reaching deal, and can help so many travelers book affordable fall getaways, that we've decided to cover it here on the blog, too.

The Deal: You get 20% off weekend stays Thursday through Sunday at more than 2,500 Marriott hotels among the company's various brands and spanning several price ranges. Included in these are a few properties ranked on Condé Nast Traveler's Gold List of readers' favorite places to stay, including the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa, where you'll pay $223 a night for an ocean-view guest room, down from the standard $279 a night for the same room (all rates include fees and taxes).

The Dates: Book by September 24 for travel between September 25 and December 13.

How to Book: Log onto Marriott's Global Rate Break page, which is preloaded to make resevations with the promotional code F5X. Enter the destination you'd like to travel to and your preferred dates and hit the "find" button to locate properties in the area that are participating in the promotion and that have availability.

Caveat: Although the Global Rate Break generally trumps Marriott's other promotional rates, we noticed that for some properties, playing around with dates and with and without the promo code can yield an even bigger price break. For example, when testing for the dates of Thursday, October 1 through Monday, October 4 at the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa, I was able to find an ocean-view guest room for $212 a night--or 24% off the standard rate--through the promotion code-less "Advance Reservation Rate."

Technical Note: The Global Rate Break page displays better on Safari than on Firefox. If you experience trouble viewing the Marriott Web site's booking program, try a different Web browser.

Cobblers Cove Resort's location on the western shore of Barbados puts you in prime sunset-viewing position.

by Katherine Hottinger on Travel Deals

The Caribbean promotions for this fall are flying. But for every 20 or so Caribbean "deals" flooding Wendy's email In-Box, only about one passes our test to earn Deal of the Day status. Today's Barbados offer qualifies.

Barbados is so closely associated with the British Empire it's earned the nickname Little England. Anglophiles who flock to this Eastern Caribbean island love its colonial history, country houses, and upscale living, such as you'll find at Cobblers Cove, which is offering stays now until the weekend before Christmas at 50% off. And the island is about to become easier and cheaper to get to. On October 1 JetBlue begins daily nonstop service to Barbados from JFK, and US Airways will be flying there four times a week from Philadelphia.

You'll find more details about the Cobblers Cove deal after the jump.

You can snorkel off St. Croix's Sandy Point Beach--and fly to and stay on the island--for less this fall.

by Katherine Hottinger on Travel Deals

Even if an island resort is giving away free nights, the airfare to the island can put a vacation there out of reach . . . except when there are air-plus-hotel packages that can offer real savings on getting to your destination as well as staying there. An example: the "St. Croix Fantastic Flight" promotion, which offers a $150-per-person airfare credit and a fourth night free at any of 12 participating hotels on this U.S. Virgin Island.

Details--and a couple of recommendations--after the jump:

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, at the Four Seasons New York, is a bit more affordable through the end of the month, thanks to the "Taste of Four Seasons" promotion.

by Katherine Hottinger on Travel Deals

If you follow Perrin Post on Twitter--where Wendy posts the best travel deals as soon as she learns of them--you've known about this deal for the past week, but we thought we'd better share it here too, to ensure all you non-twitterers know about it too. It's a small but scrumptious deal that you might not even have to leave your hometown to take advantage of:

At 29 restaurants in Four Seasons hotels and resorts throughout the United States and Canada, you can get $25 off dinner for two when you spend at least $100 and pay with an American Express card.

Locations include New York's L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon (which made Condé Nast Traveler's 2007 list of the world's best new restaurants), Philadelphia's Fountain Restaurant (chosen by Gourmet as Philadelphia's top restaurant), San Francisco's Seasons (the foodies at Chowhound love it), and Seattle's ART Restaurant (where Wendy died and went to heaven just last month. She recommends the foie gras rolls.)

Who: This deal is open to everyone, not just hotel guests.

When: The promotion lasts through September 30, and is good for dinner only.

Where: Here's a list of participating locations.

How: Contact the restaurant directly, mention "Taste of Four Seasons" when making your dinner reservation, and present your AmEx card and $25 Dining Certificate at time of payment.

All this and free drinks too? One of three (count 'em) pools at the Peppermill casino-hotel complex in Reno, Nevada.

by Katherine Hottinger on Travel Deals

If you had asked me a couple of weeks ago whether a trip to Reno, Nevada, was my idea of a great getaway, my answer would have been a resounding "No."  But last week I experienced firsthand such an excellent deal there at the Peppermill that, even though the place isn't exactly Condé Nast Traveler Gold List material, Wendy asked me to share my experience with you.

The Lake Tahoe wedding of one of my sisters landed me and my family (husband and two-year-old son), my other sister and her brood (husband and eight-year-old twin boys), and my parents (I'll keep their ages confidential) in "The Biggest Little City in the World" for a couple of days before we headed to the Sierra Nevadas. The Peppermill's "Families Just Want to Have Fun" package--which promises up to $291 off the price of your stay--convinced us to try it out.

The Peppermill may not rank with the august properties that have won Condé Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards, but most of its rooms are either new or completely redone, and the deal makes it a diverting and affordable place to stay before hitting the mountains. Price cut aside, the best part about this place are the swimming pools: There are three of them in a central courtyard, and the kids spent the afternoon there burning off plenty of energy while the adults relaxed on cushy chaise longues. (You can get a preview of the aquatic attractions by watching the streaming video on the Peppermill's home page.) My husband and I enjoyed our time there so much, we decided to stay an extra day before our flight back to NYC. 

After the jump, a rundown of what you get and how the discount ends up totaling 44%: 

Dreaming of a shocking blue Christmas? The pool at Tamarind Cove in Barbados, one of Condé Nast Traveler readers' favorite islands.

by Julia Bainbridge on Travel Deals

Even though it's still only summer, we've seen a number of deals for the Christmas holiday advertised lately. And even though holiday season in Barbados doesn't come cheap, these two deals, courtesy of the Elegant Hotels group, look pretty good to us:

* Book 7 nights at all-inclusive Turtle Beach and get 40% off. The normal rate for a garden-view room, which sleeps two, is $6,860 for one week, but you'll pay $4,116. That price includes not only all taxes and fees but also three meals a day, non-motorized water sports, water skiing, and alcohol (except for fine wines and Champagne) for two people.

* Book 7 nights at Tamarind Cove and get 2 free. You end up paying $541 per night (including all taxes and fees) instead of $757--or 29% off a room just steps away from the beach.

Book by: August 31, 2009. We had some difficulty when trying to book on the hotels' sites; try calling them from the United States at 888-996-9948.

For travel from: December 19, 2009-January 7, 2010

CNT approved: Condé Nast Traveler's Features Editor and Caribbean expert Alison Humes was in Barbados earlier this year, and she says that a stay at these properties would make for a very nice holiday indeed.

Oh say can you see . . . the savings? The view from atop Washington, D.C.'s Donovan House, marked down from $399 to $109 per night via Tablet Hotels.

by Katherine Hottinger on Travel Deals

Registering on a Web site can mean ending up with multi-megabyte e-mail newsletters jamming your in-box. But Tablet Hotels' frequent roundup of "Last Minute Deals, Special Offers and New Hotels" is one you'll rush to open rather than delete.

The newsletter lists exclusive discounts at Tablet's selection of luxury designer hotels, at rates that it guarantees are lower than those found elsewhere on the Internet. The properties are the kind that many Condé Nast Traveler readers love: non-chain hotels with personality, vetted by the site's network of experts (who travel anonymously). Just remember: The discounts are so steep that the rooms go fast.

Here's a sample of the deals from Tablet's August 4 e-mail. These are good for just two weeks from the newsletter date (in this case, August 18) and are of course subject to availability:

A visit to Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa, on its own peninsula in Bermuda, is 40% off if you book by Wednesday.

by Katherine Hottinger on Travel Deals

We're jumping the gun on Monday's Deal of the Day so you'll have the best shot at landing reservations, since this offer--available today through Wednesday--is likely to go fast. 

To mark Bermuda's 400th anniversary, 16 hotels are having a four-day sale, with rooms at 40% off.  The properties range from sprawling resort complexes to intimate cottage colonies to eco-friendly tented compounds. I called our favorite Bermuda travel agent--Vicky McGlynn, who's on Wendy's list of 126 top travel specialists, just published in our August issue-- to get her take on some of the best:

• Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa: Standard waterview rooms are normally $657 per night (all figures quoted are after taxes and gratuities), but during this sale you'll pay $394. The price includes a huge breakfast buffet.


• Elbow Beach: This Mandarin Oriental property is discounting all its rooms at the deluxe level and above. Rates normally start at $531 but, with this sale, begin at $319.


• The Newstead Belmont Hills Golf Resort and Spa: Vicky is particularly fond of this cottage colony. Deluxe rooms typically go for $498 and one-bedroom cottages for $727. After the discount these prices are reduced to $299 and $436.


• Surf Side Bermuda: Vicky says this more modest location is a great choice for the budget-minded. A deluxe apartment that typically costs $381 now costs $229, and a four-person suite normally priced at $645 now costs $387.

Book by: Wednesday, August 5.

Good for travel: August 21, 2009 - March 31, 2010. The reduced rates are the same throughout this time period. Since August is Bermuda's high season, when rates are normally at their peak, you'll get the most bang for your buck by traveling sooner rather than later.

The catch: Prices are subject to availability, and limitations are up to the individual hotels. While we at Deal of the Day typically vet such travel promotions by trying to book them ourselves first--to make sure plenty of rooms are available at the promised price--this particular promotion's Sunday start date prevented me from doing so. Whether or not you encounter any trouble finding available rooms at the reduced rate, it will behoove you to book your Bermuda trip through Vicky, who can work her connections on your behalf (and, in certain cases, procure perks such as complimentary breakfast or a free upgrade). Here's Vicky's contact info (just scroll down to the "Bermuda" entry).

From the canal-facing rooms at the Westin Europa & Regina in Venice, you can watch and hear the gondoliers singing. And you get a third night free through the end of the year.

by Julia Bainbridge on Travel Deals

Wendy's a big fan of third-night-free deals. Such promotions are clean and simple, you don't have to pay a rate that includes extras you might not want or need (e.g., meals, parking, spa treatments, kids' club), and, once you factor in taxes and other mandatory hotel fees, the free night usually translates into a reduction of at least 30% off your total bill.

Which is why we like Westin's offer of a free night when travelers book three or four nights, and two free nights when you book a six-night stay. This deal applies at all Westin properties worldwide.

Example: You can stay three nights in Venice's Westin Europa & Regina (a perennial Gold List honoree) in August starting at $984 instead of $1,476. That's $328 per night (including all taxes and fees) instead of $492 for a room with two twin beds--and Murano glass chandeliers. Same deal at the 2009 Hot List property the Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa in Avon, Colorado (which has some other good deals on offer right now too). Book three nights in August and pay a total of $540 instead of $810. That's $180 per night (including all taxes and fees) instead of $270 for a room with a queen bed and a queen sofa bed.

Book by and travel by: December 31, 2009. We're told that Westin may extend this deal through 2010, though, so stay tuned. You can check out all the Westin locations here.

Caveat: The rates for the nights you pay for are based on availability and demand. We've seen demand for hotels in Italy rise lately, so if you're headed there soon--meaning, late summer or fall--book now.

by Katherine Hottinger on Travel Deals

Although Wendy has a hunch we'll see more steep rate reductions from Starwood Hotels before the summer is through, today is--unless the deadline is extended again--officially the last day of its up-to-50%-off sale at hundreds of Starwood properties in the United States and around the world.

A sample of the savings: A room at the W Chicago Lakeshore (about a mile from artist Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate scultpure in Millennium Park, pictured here) starts at $179 per night after taxes and fees--about 50% off the typical going rate of $357 per night (after taxes and fees).

Book by: 11:59 p.m. today, July 27. 

For travel through: October 12, 2009.

The controversy: What's good for the traveler isn't so good for the travel business. While the spate of hotel rate reductions we've seen are a boon to the consumer, hotel industry insiders grumble that lowering prices at one company forces others to do the same. The resulting price war, they protest, does no favors to any property's bottom line. "Cutting prices across the board & doesn't just damage Starwood's reputation and their hotel profitability, but it does a disservice to our industry, since it creates a rush to bottom feeding," wrote Chip Conley, CEO of the Joie de Vivre hotel chain, on USAToday's Hotel Check-in blog, where you can read more from him about the downside of "radical discounting," as well as Starwood's response.

Wendy and I would love to know what you think. Do you think hotels should significantly slash rates during these tough economic times?  Or is it a business mistake that spells the doom of a vital business sector?

Check out Condé Nast Traveler's Kate Maxwell exploring the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, where you can get your third night free through the end of September.

by Kathryn Maier on Travel Deals

If the videos we shot in Canada last month have inspired you to make a run for the (northern) border, take note: Fifteen Fairmont properties, mostly in Canada, are offering reduced rates and free nights through September.  With this deal, you get 20% off the rack rate for the nights of your stay, plus your third or fourth night free.  The participating properties and starting room rates are listed here. 

Note that, if you book online, the total amount you see will not reflect the free night; this amount will be subtracted at checkout.  So let's say you book a three-night stay at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, B.C., in August, when the best available rate without this promo is $228 per night: Your total might appear to be $549 (or $183 per night) when you make the reservation, but at checkout you would be charged only $366 (or $122 per night).   

Condé Nast Traveler-approved: 8 of these 15 properties were on our 2009 Gold List.

Book by: This Monday, July 27.

For travel through: September 30.

Book through: Fairmont's reservations line at 800-830-1411, or online.

A grand entrance: The massive Boca Raton Resort & Club's front driveway.

by Katherine Hottinger on Travel Deals

Calling all families looking for a getaway complete with golf, tennis, spa treatments, and a kids' club:  Today's deal, available until just before Christmas, might be for you. And the savings will only get better as we move from summer into fall.

The Place: Boca Raton Resort, a 1,000-plus-room complex sprawled on more than 350 acres and centered on an original 1926 Spanish-style building--and a six-time honoree on Condé Nast Traveler's Gold List of the world's top places to stay.

The Deal: With the "Best of Boca Package," $244.18 after taxes gets you your room, 50% off on services at the spa and at the kids' camp for children ages 3 to 12, and freebies such as breakfast and parking and unlimited golf and tennis. The late check-out and daily resort fees are also waived.

The Savings: We're now in the low season, when double rooms start at $99 a night. On the face of it, $244.18 per night doesn't appear to be a bargain, but when you factor in what you'd pay for the extras that are either half off or free, the savings become substantial:

Say you start the day with breakfast for your family of three, send the little one to camp, then one adult plays a round of golf, both adults spend some time on the tennis court, one of you gets a 25-minute massage at the spa, and you all check out late the next day. Normally your fun would put you back $618.23 after taxes. Under the "Best of Boca" package, the same schedule would cost $320.79 after taxes, for a savings of 48%.

The reduction becomes even more dramatic in the fall, when room rates and greens fees go up, but the "Best of Boca" package price stays the same.

Good for travel through: December 23, 2009. Prices are subject to availability and level of accommodation.

How to book: Call the hotel at 888-495-2622 or 561-447-3000, or go to http://www.bocaresort.com/bestofboca/.