Enjoy a long weekend in scenic New Hampshire
New Hampshire for Victoria Day Businesses in and around Mount Washington Valley, N.H., about 325 kilometres southeast of Montreal in the White Mountain National Forest (a 4½-hour drive), are offering savings for Canadians during the Victoria Day weekend (May 18-21). They include restaurant savings as part of the New Hampshire Restaurant Week (May 18-25) and some very affordable rates at local inns and hotels. For example, you and two friends could stay in a room at the 1785 Inn & Restaurant in North Conway for $119 U.S. per room, per night (a room for four costs $139 U.S. and a room for six is $169 U.S.).
Or you could stay at the Button wood inn in northconway, where the second night stay is 50 per cent off for firsttime Canadian visitors on Victoria Day weekend (nondiscounted rates at the Inn from April to mid-june range from $79 U.S. to $199 U.S.).
A highlight of the season is the 10th Annual Northern New England Home, Garden and Flower Show at the Fryeburg Fairgrounds (May 18-20) in Fryeburg, Maine (about 366 kilometres southeast of Montreal). The flower show’s website describes a feast for the eyes and stomachs: “Spilling out the buildings and onto the five acres of groomed grass and paved walk ways are lots of garden centres selling thousands of perennials, annuals, seedlings, trees, shrubs and soil amendments. … All the while, a soft breeze might whet our appetites with the aroma of fresh-cooked fair food and wood-fired brick ovens in action.”
For more infor mation about N.H. Restaurant Week, visit restaurantweeknh.com. For more information on Mount Washington, go to mtwashingtonvalley.org. For more about New Hampshire tourism, visit visitnh.gov. VIA Rail savings
VIA Rail is offering up to 75 per cent off its regular fares for some of its trips. The departure cities do not include Montreal, but trains on The Canadian route from Toronto to Vancouver or back were available on Tuesday for $222.61 (taxes included) in Economy, which does not include meals. The fare for Sleeper Plus, which includes all meals and coffee or tea (alcohol and soft drinks are extra) start as low as $453.41 (taxes in) for an upper berth to $581.10 (taxes in) for a private cabin in Deluxe Sleeper class. Via’s website says The Canadian “crosses northern Ontario, the vast western plains and majestic Rockies, finishing its journey in Vancouver on the Pacific coast.” Round-trip train fares from Montreal to Toronto are available in Economy class for $229.95. Via’s Express deals change weekly, so it’s worth checking once in a while. For more information, visit viarail.ca/en/deals. Bahamas luxury
The One & Only Club on Paradise Islands in the Bahamas is celebrating its 50th anniversary starting next month by offering guests 50 per cent off a second room when reserving one room for a minimum stay of four or more nights between May 1 and Dec. 20. The 52-room hotel was at one time the private estate of A&P heir Huntington Hartford, whose celebrity guests, I’m told, included Wil- liam Randolph Hearst, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Benny Goodman as well as a string of politicians, dukes, earls and ambassadors. The resort’s beachfront grounds include “Versailles-inspired gardens featuring imported Carrera marble and bronze statues from Europe.” Rates start at $625 U.S. per room, per night in the Garden View room category. You must book by Dec. 1 and blackout dates are Nov. 21-25. For details see ocean club.oneandonlyresorts.com/specialoffers.aspx. Savings in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The Scottsdale Convention & Visitor Bureau is offering its 100 Days, 100 Ways to Save promotion from Memorial Day (May 28) to Labour Day (Sept. 3). Hotel rooms are available at up to 60 per cent off high-season (winter) rates. For example, you could stay at the Hotel Valley Ho in downtown Scottsdale starting at $129 U.S. per room, per night. Or, stay at the Montelucia Resort and Spa with the Taste of Montelucia package, starting at $199 U.S. per room, per night, where you can get a $50 dining credit at the poolside restaurant ROQ and a $50 dining credit at the hotel’s Prado restaurant. If you want to golf, you could stay at the Inn at Eagle Mountain, get a complimentary breakfast and play a round of golf at Eagle Mountain Golf Club for $99.50 U.S. per person, per night (based on double occupancy).
The Scottsdale Convention & Visitor Bureau’s website lists a slew of other ways to save during the summer months, from golfing, spa and tennis club discounts to hiking and rappelling deals in the desert. The website notes that May 1 to June 30 is considered the dry summer period, with temperatures ranging between 20C and 37C and with low humidity. The wet summer period is from July 1 to Sept. 15 with more humidity and highs of up to 39C. For more information on Scottsdale, visit scottsdalecvb.com/planning-tools/events/summer-in-scottsdale.