The Real Deal: Round-trip airfare on a Virgin Atlantic carrier, six nights' accommodations, continental breakfast daily, one full-day entrance to Chelsea's Flower Show, hotel taxes, service charges and fuel surcharges from $799 per person — plus estimated airport taxes and fees of $145.
When: May 20–26, 2009. Note that the included flower-show admission is for May 22, 23 or 24.
Gateways: New York City; add $20 for Boston; $100 for Miami; $110 for L.A.; $650 for Chicago; $770 for Houston; $890 for Denver; $930 for Seattle; additional gateways may be available.
The fine print: Airport taxes and fees are an additional $145 per person. Based on double or triple occupancy; single supplement is $200. Read these guidelines before you book any Real Deal.
Book by: Feb. 27, 2009.
Contact: Virgin Vacations, 888/937-8474, virgin-vacations.com.
Why it's a deal: According to a recent Kayak search, the lowest round-trip airfare between New York City and London, departing on May 20 and returning on May 26, starts at $618 including taxes (Virgin Atlantic). For an additional $326, the Virgin Vacations package covers international airfare as well as six nights' accommodations, breakfast daily, admission to the flower show in Chelsea for one full day (valued at $59), and all taxes, service fees and fuel surcharges.
Tour highlights: A self-guided trip with one full-day admission to the Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show.
Lodging: Six nights in a standard room with a private bath at the 50-room My Place Hotel, located in an elegant Victorian town house in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, a short walk from the shops and restaurants at Earl's Court Road. Several hotel upgrades are available: Add $60 for six nights in a standard room at the 175-room Thistle Kensington Gardens, $150 for a standard room at the 95-room Bloomsbury Park Hotel, $230 for an apartment at the 187-unit Citadines London Trafalgar Square, $510 for a deluxe room at the 1,019-room The Cumberland, and $610 for a courtyard-view room at the 189-room Swissôtel The Howard, London, on the border of Westminster and London. All fees are per person.
More: Airport-hotel transfers are not included but can be purchased starting from $36 per person each way. Or, you could take the Tube from Heathrow into downtown London; it's about a 45-minute ride, and you can buy an all-day pass for the Tube for zones one through six for £7 — about $10. If you'd like to extend your stay in London, you can do so for an additional $52 per person per night at My Place Hotel.
Before you go: For more tips on what to do in the area, visit the official Web site of the British Tourist Authority. London's weather isn't its biggest selling point, but you can expect relatively comfortable temperatures in May, with highs in the mid-60s and lows in the high 40s.