The Real Deal: Round-trip airfare, arriving in Marseille and departing from Nice, on American Airlines or similar; one night in Marseille at Hotel Stars Marseille; two nights in Avignon at Express By Holiday Inn Avignon; one night in Nimes at the Hotel Imperator; one night in Arles at the Best Western Atrium Hôtel; one night in Aix-en-Provence at the Adagio City Aparthotel Aix Centre; two nights in Nice at the Villa la Tour; four breakfasts; a rental car (Renault Twingo or similar) with a manual transmission for eight days from Hertz, Avis, or similar; collision damage waiver insurance for the rental car; all taxes and fees; and fuel surcharges, from $1,273 per person.
When: March 1–30, 2010.
Gateways: New York City; add from $73 for Boston; from $143 for Dallas; from $144 for Atlanta; from $240 for Detroit; from $244 for Philadelphia; from $285 for Chicago; from $289 for Houston; from $307 for D.C.; from $330 for San Francisco; from $360 for St. Louis; from $402 for L.A., Miami; from $412 for Seattle; from $444 for Denver; from $479 for Orlando; from $489 for Phoenix; from $554 for Austin; additional gateways available.
The fine print: Prices are based on a March 18, 2010, arrival date and may fluctuate depending on date of travel and date of booking. Based on double occupancy; the single supplement is about $491. Gasoline costs are not included in the package price. Read these guidelines before you book any Real Deal.
Book by: No deadline; based on availability.
Contact: European Destinations, 877/267-2247, europeandestinations.com.
Why it's a deal: In a recent Kayak search, we found multicity airfare (New York City to Marseille, Nice to New York City) departing March 18 for $822 (KLM Royal Dutch). For $451 more, this Medieval Provence package covers the airfare, plus eight nights' accommodations, breakfast daily, an eight-day rental car, and all taxes and fees.
More: More than a 100 hotel options are available, and prices vary by travel date and hotel. Many hotel extensions are also available, including an extra night at the Villa la Tour in Nice for about $38 per person, based on double occupancy. Several other hotel options come with breakfast daily. You can book this package without airfare for $581 per person, based on double occupancy
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