Value Vacations
Five unexpected, un-touristy destinations where your dollar will stretch up to 70% further.
By Sean O'Neill
From Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, November 2006
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Taste of France
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Québec City offers French cuisine and architecture at about a third of the cost of the motherland. Prices for Canadian tours are alluring when compared with the dollar's unfavorable exchange rate with the euro, which puts a 22% premium on everything in France (except for the disdain, which is still free). The U.S. dollar is 10% stronger than the Canadian dollar.
Mark O'Brien has been vacationing inside the city's centuries-old walls for 13 years, enjoying its glass-blowing shops, farmers market, music festivals and bicycle trails. Four years ago, he bought a condo there. Says Mark: "Anyone who has fallen in love with Europe will fall in love with Québec." He recommends visiting during Carnival in early February, when giant ice sculptures and horse-drawn sleighs remake the town. For more information, see www.carnaval.qc.ca.
THE LOWDOWN: QUÉBEC CITY
What you'll pay: Rates for upscale lodgings downtown range from $150 to $300 a night. For example, the boutique Hotel Dominion 1912 charges between $210 and $311 a night, including taxes and breakfast.
When to go: Summer. Airfares to Montréal and average daily hotel rates in Québec City are about 12% lower in summer than in October (peak leaf-peeping month), says Expedia.com.
Best bargain: Sipping a coffee while viewing the St. Lawrence River from the terrace lounge of the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac hotel.
Money saver: Take up to 6% off your trip expenses by applying for a refund on the taxes you pay. Go to www.cra.gc.ca/visitors to learn more.
Nearby Costa Del Sol
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San Juan, P.R., with its 16th-century Spanish fortifications and golden beaches, has become an affordable destination because of an airline price war. Discount airlines JetBlue and Spirit are in a dogfight with American over flights to San Juan, making it cheaper to fly there than anywhere else in the Caribbean from the departure cities served by these airlines.
In August, Thomas and Meloney Lew and their two boys paid their third visit to San Juan. Highlights included seeing the tomb of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Le-n and (for Thomas, at least) fly-fishing for snook and ladyfish. The Lews also admired the city's stone fountains and the vivid pink and blue pastel doors on its buildings.
The Melrose, Mass., family flew from Boston on American and stayed seven nights at the Paradisus beach resort near the city in a package booked through TNTvacations.com. The cost: about $6,500.
THE LOWDOWN: SAN JUAN, P.R.
What you'll pay: Three-star hotels generally charge a $200-a-night standard rate. Round-trip flights from several cities run about $300 when booked at least three weeks in advance. Word of warning: Restaurant meals can cost 20% to 30% more than in many major U.S. cities.
When to go: Fall and spring are when hotel rooms go for one-third off peak winter rates.
Best bargain: The free hop-on, hop-off trolley that makes the rounds to the city's shops and casinos, says Douglas Stallings, an editor for Fodor's guidebooks.
Money saver: On weekends, when business travelers abandon the city, visitors may score a $200 double room at a business hotel, such as the Hyatt, for $100.
Next: See our slide show for more info on these and seven other money-stretching destinations.