Rancho Mirage, from $99 per room per night
Take advantage of Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa's special midweek room rate of $99 for a night at the resort in Rancho Mirage, at the foot of the San Jacinto Mountain Range in Coachella Valley. With average weekday rates hovering around $149 in August, this offer saves you about $50 a night. The 240-acre property, with lakes, gardens, and fountains, is across the street from the River shopping and dining center. The 466-room resort's main attraction is the recently renovated Splashtopia, a water complex boasting two 100-foot waterslides, a 425-foot lazy river, a cliff-side Jacuzzi, a large swimming pool, and a water-play zone. The little ones can play, go on scavenger hunts and nature walks, or learn how to cook or paint at Kidtopia, a camp for kids.
When: Sundays-Thursdays through Aug. 31, 2008.
Details: Breakfast is not included. Taxes are an additional 10 percent and the daily resort charge is $20. Add $50 for weekend stays. Based on single or double occupancy; add $25 for each additional adult.
Contact: 866/423-1195, rancholaspalmas.com.
Solvang, from $119 per room per night
The Cruise the Coast package offered through the Broughton Hospitality Group includes one night at the Wine Valley Inn in downtown Solvang, a Danish-style town in Southern California's Santa Ynez Valley. Package perks include a welcome bottle of wine upon check-in (valued at $25), continental breakfast, a $25 gas rebate (taken off the bill upon checkout), and free valet parking for one vehicle. Considering that the typical hotel rates in the area run from $150 to $200 in August, the $119 special will save anywhere from $30-$80 a night. The package is also available at the following hotels at higher rates: Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica, Inn at East Beach and Inn of the Spanish Garden in Santa Barbara, and the Orchid Inn in San Simeon.
When: Through Aug. 31, 2008.
Details: Taxes are an additional 10 percent. Based on single or double occupancy.
Contact: 800/824-6444, winevalleyinn.com.
Mammoth Lakes, from $152 per room per night
With the Stay & Bike package, you'll be treated to accommodations at Mammoth Mountain Resort and an All-Day Bike Park Pass. The bike pass gives each person access to 90 miles of trails around the resort, which is located in central California, on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range and near Yosemite National Park. In winter, ski bunnies abound on the slopes, but the summer months are perfect for biking; you can get up the hill by bike, or opt for the gondola, the shuttle, or the ski lift. There's also a full service repair shop, and Kona bike rentals are available. Rates start at $152 per room per night.
When: June 20-Sept. 22, 2008.
Details: Based on double occupancy; single bookings start at $120 per room per night. Does not include taxes of 13 percent. Bike rentals start at $40 per day.
Contact: 800/626-6684, mammothmountain.com.
Morro Bay, from $189 per room per night
The Rock, Romance and Relaxation package includes one night at the Inn at Morro Bay on the central Californian coast, a buffet breakfast for two at the inn's Bay View Restaurant, a bottle of Central Coast wine and chocolate truffles and berries (all delivered to the room), and a 20 percent discount on a spa treatment, such as a couple's massage, at the on-site spa. The starting rate covers accommodations in a partial-bay-view room with a king-size feather bed. Upgrades to rooms with full bay views are available. The 98-room inn is located inside the 4,000-acre Morro Bay State Park, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Area attractions include wine tasting in the beautiful countryside of Paso Robles, historic San Luis Obispo and Hearst Castle. Sunday to Thursday rates start from $189 per room per night.
When: Through Dec. 31, 2008.
Details: Based on weekday stays; add $30 for Friday and Saturday. Taxes are an additional 10 percent. Based on single or double occupancy.
Contact: 800/321-9566, innatmorrobay.com.
Los Angeles, from $199 per room per night
The One Night Stand package, one of Hotel Angeleno's Summer Recession Hot Deals, includes a night at the 209-room hotel near Sunset Boulevard and Interstate 405 in Brentwood. You'll be minutes away from Hollywood, Westwood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and the San Fernando Valley. You can feel free to pack light as the rate also covers a men's and a women's Hotel Angeleno T-shirt and all essential toiletries (a razor, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and deodorant). The hotel's amenities and services include an outdoor heated pool with a fireplace, the 17th-floor West End restaurant with panoramic city views, and complimentary shuttle service to local destinations. The summer discount offers a savings of about 25 percent. Rates start from $199 per room per night.
When: Through Sept. 30, 2008.
Details: The rate is good for weekday and weekend stays. Breakfast is not included. Taxes are an additional 14 percent. Based on single or double occupancy.
Contact: 310/476-6411, hotelangeleno.com.
Pismo Beach, from $215 per room per night
The SeaVenture Resort's Beaches & Back Roads package includes a two-night stay in a deluxe room (with private balcony, fireplace, and continental breakfast) and a complimentary wine tasting for two at six local wineries (including Edna Valley and Claiborne & Churchill). You'll also receive a box lunch for two, a trip to Apple Farm Inn in San Luis Obispo, and a $20 Shell gas card to fund the jaunt. Enjoy the included tour of the farm's working grist mill and two homemade ice creams. Rates start at $215 per room per night, or $430 for the required two-night stay.
When: June 15-Sept. 30, 2008.
Details: Available for double or single bookings. Does not include taxes of 10 percent or a resort fee of $6 per night. Minimum two-night stay required. Available Sunday through Wednesday.
Contact: 800/662-5545, seaventure.com.
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Details: Double and single bookings available. Does not include hotel taxes of 9 percent.
Contact: 619/424-4000, loewshotels.com.
Oxnard, from $275 per room per night
When you book the family-friendly Summer Getaway package at Embassy Suites Mandalay Hotel & Resort, you'll get three nights' accommodations in a two-room, two-bath suite at this southern California resort with 248 suites and beach access. You'll start each day with a full complimentary breakfast and get one in-room movie or hour of Nintendo play, two bike rentals, a $50 credit at Capistrano's Restaurant at the resort, parking, and drinks at the resort's nightly happy hour. Oxnard is about 60 miles northeast of L.A. and hosts a Salsa Festival in July. Rates start at $275 per room per night, or $825 for the required three-night stay.
When: June 1-Sept. 7, 2008.
Details: Single and double bookings available. Children under 18 stay for free. Does not include hotel taxes of 10.1 percent.
Contact: 805/984-2500, mandalaybeach.embassysuites.com.
Newport Beach, from $299 per room per night
The 532-room Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Spa in Orange County, about halfway between San Diego and Los Angeles, is offering a Buckle Up package. It provides accommodations, bike rentals for two from Toes On the Nose, and one "Buckle Up! We're Going to the Beach!" road-trip travel kit with a $100 gas card, a tire-pressure gauge, a book of road games, travel board games, and old-fashioned candy. You'll also enjoy two 50-minute spa treatments at the hotel's Pure Blu Spa, which has 16 specialized treatment rooms, a sauna, and eucalyptus steam rooms, a full-service hair and nail salon, and a weight-training and cardio center. When you add up all of the elements of the package—the nightly rack rate of $289 per room, bike rentals valued at $30 for two, $180 per person for a 50-minute spa treatment, a the travel kit worth $40, and $100 per gas, your savings based on a three-night stay are $500 per room. Rates start from $299 per room per night, or $897 for the required three-night stay.
When: Through Dec. 31, 2008.
Details: The package is based on a three-night minimum stay. Breakfast is not included. Taxes are an additional 10 percent. Room service gratuity is 22 percent. Based on single or double occupancy.
Contact: 949/640-4000, newportstay.com.