The Living Desert: Good Fun, Great Price

Bighorn sheep at The Living Desert.

The Living Desert in Palm Springs could charge the $12.50 admission for each of its three attractions: zoo, botanical gardens or model train display.

But you have to pay only once for all three. It’s a pretty good deal and a nice way to round out a trip to swinging Palm Springs.

Besides, it’s only $11 per person with the discount for seniors, AAA members and military personnel. Admission is $7.50 for children 12 and under, and free for children 3 and younger.

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Ski Time: Low Fares To Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Fares to Jackson Hole from northeastern airports typically run over $600 during ski season, but there is a limited opportunity in March to get a round-trip fare of $329, taxes and fees included, from Bradley.

Alerted by Airfarewatchdog, I checked out the fares on Kayak and FareCompare, and here’s what I found:

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Airfare Deals For Seattle

Now might be a good time to book a trip to the Pacific Northwest. It seems that airfares to Seattle are down all over.

Round trips between Boston and Seattle can be had for as low as $207, all taxes and fees included. From Bradley it’s $238.

These fares are available on several major airlines from several different cities through May 26. Seats are limited, of course. Availability looks best on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Seattle can be a pricey city, but I’m seeing some deals for hotels, particularly around the airport. Priceline bidders are reporting successful offers for upscale hotels around the airport as low as $40 and in the city from $75 to $100. Travelzoo also has a nice $119 weekend deal at the upscale boutique Hotel Andra, about half off the regular rate.

An Illustration: Priceline vs. Travelzoo

Aqua Palms & Spa pool, Waikiki.

I was fascinated to see that Travelzoo’s top three hotel deals in Hawaii feature two hotels that my husband and I stayed in on our recent trip. The third is a direct competitor, very close to another hotel we stayed in.

This is not so surprising as it might seem. We reserved all three hotels through Priceline’s blind bidding, and the hotels offering the best deals through Priceline are likely to be offering discounts elsewhere.

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New Photo Gallery: Honolulu

Just posted my new photo gallery of Waikiki and Honolulu. Have a look.

Hawaii: Still An Incredible Bargain

For those who are counting, yes, I’m going to Hawaii for the third time in 16 months. The reason is simple — it’s paradise and there are incredible deals available.

My husband and I went on a long-planned Hawaii cruise vacation in September 2008, a rare splurge and celebration. It was our third trip to Hawaii, and this time we got to see all the major islands. It was terrific but it wasn’t cheap.

I returned in May 2008 because I got airfare so low I didn’t think I’d ever see anything like it again: $400 round trip, taxes and fees included, from Bradley to Honolulu. I went to Kauai and spent a blissful week there.

I was wrong about the fare because in June my husband and I found a $256 round-trip fare from Newark to Honolulu, including all taxes and fees. I kid you not. We booked as far out as we could, and next week we’re taking the train to Newark and then flying to Honolulu.

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Big Island Resort: $90

Last week my husband and I booked the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii for $90 a night.

The current best deal on the hotel’s Web site is $300 a night with the third night free, effectively $200 a night. That’s more than twice what we’re paying. The rack rate is even higher.

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Some Democrats Move To Block Cuba Travel

Some U.S. politicians think they can bring freedom to Cuba by denying freedom to Americans. There’s some irony there.

A group of 53 Democrats in the House of Representatives has signed a letter declaring opposition to lifting travel restrictions that prevent most Americans from visiting Cuba, McClatchy Newspapers reports. Their argument, that allowing tourism to Cuba would support the dictatorship of the Castro brothers, is as irrelevant now as it has always been.

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Denver Airport: Conspiracy Theory Central

I know I’m going to look like a complete fool in 2012 when our reptilian overlords emerge from the vast bunker beneath Denver International Airport with their army of slave warriors and take over the world. But for now I’m just going to take the risk of assuming that’s the craziest conspiracy theory I’ve heard yet.

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NYT: Theft And Vandalism Mar Bike Rentals In Paris

I wrote this summer about the Bixi public bicycle rental program in Montreal. The New York Times has a piece about problems, particularly vandalism, with a similar program in Paris. The Times reports that nearly 80 percent of the Velib bikes in Paris have been stolen or damaged.