Deals of the week
One of the best ways to get through February is to look for silver linings. That massive snowbank blocking your driveway? Think of it as a snow fort for the kids. Your ice-encrusted windshield? Consider the calories you'll burn scraping it off. And if the car won't even start, well, maybe you should just take a cab to the airport and be done with it. Likewise, this week's podium takes a glass-half-full approach:
GOLD: The older you are, the more you save. That's the gist of Starwood Hotels & Resorts' new birth-year promotion, available at dozens of hotels and resorts across North America, the Caribbean and French Polynesia. The amount you pay for the second night of a two-night stay -- and in some cases, on the second and third nights of a three-night stay -- corresponds with your year of birth (guests born in 1973, for example, pay $73). This can yield massive discounts: At Aruba's Westin Resort & Casino (pictured below), for example, a three-night visit that would normally cost $1,437 will go for $625 (to a 38-year-old guest).
SILVER: Think NHL tickets are too expensive? How does getting a "free" pair to a Montreal Canadiens game sound? There is no free lunch, as the saying goes, and the catch here is that you have to book an overnight stay in one of Le Centre Sheraton Montreal's over-the-top vice-presidential suites (pictured at left) for $689. This is still a worthy deal, however, as the tickets in question would normally go for around $300 (at face value, considerably more via scalpers and online resellers), while the rack rate for the suite is $2,500. To book, call 1-866-716-8101 and quote rate plan "HOCKEYVP."
BRONZE: It doesn't get much chillier than in Canada's capital come wintertime, which is why February's annual Winterlude festival (pictured below) is such a triumph of mind over matter. And through February, downtown Ottawa’s Cartier Place Suite Hotel has a "Winterlude Family Tourist Package," starting at $169 a night, that includes a stay in a one- or two-bedroom suite, free parking, a two-person pass to the Canadian Museum of Nature pass, BeaverTails snack vouchers and coupons to various attractions and restaurants.
-- Adam Bisby
VIDEO: Rideau Canal skateway opens for 2013
Read all of Adam’s Tripified posts here.
Photo credit: Fred Chartrand/The Canadian Press
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