Ulster getaways

The Northern Ireland Tourist Board has published a 1999/2000 Fall & Winter Breakaways brochure offering off-season packages through March. A choice of two-, three- and seven-night packages are available in more than 200 hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs and self-catering cottages. Free copies are available from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board in Toronto. Call (416) 925-6368, (800) 576-8174 or e-mail infocanada@nitb.com.

Maple Leaf months
The San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau is again hosting its popular Maple Leaf Months, which translate into special discounts for Canadians travelling to the city in January and February. With this promotion Canadian visitors receive a minimum of 20 per cent off at a number of participating hotels, restaurants, attractions, merchants and services including transportation companies. The Maple Leaf Months brochure lists some 180 participating sponsors plus a description of San Diego attractions and a city map.

Disneyland offer
Disneyland has extended its five- for three-day pass offer through to March 30. Guests can purchase a five-day Disneyland Flex Passport for the price of a three-day passport. With this pass clients receive five days of pass use during a seven-day consecutive period plus multiple early admissions to the park in Southern California.

CHIN picnic trips
For the second year in a row, Signature Vacations is the official tour operator of the popular Toronto radio and TV station CHIN Winter Picnic to be held again in Acapulco. A number of packages geared to the Canadian-Italian community are available at 14 hotels, many with self-catering facilities. Long-stay packages of three to four weeks are also offered. Signature also offers departures to Acapulco from Montreal, Winnipeg and Vancouver. Signature plans to carry 3,000 passengers for the winter picnic. Passengers who do not purchase a CHIN package will not be allowed entrance to CHIN activities.

Free connectors
Air Canada Vacations is offering free connector flights to Toronto for clients who book seven-night packages at the Almond Beach Club or Almond Beach Village in Barbados through April 26. This could save couples up to $700 from Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon and Regina; $600 from Winnipeg and Thunder Bay and $400 from Halifax, Quebec City, Moncton, Fredericton and Saint John.

New Crowne
Bass Hotels & Resorts opened its second Crowne Plaza Hotel in the Greater Toronto Area. A $10 million renovation has converted the Toronto Don Valley Hotel to the Crowne Plaza Toronto Don Valley Hotel. The hotel is located at the intersection of the Don Valley Parkway and Eglinton Avenue.

Hong Kong Disneyland
The Hong Kong SAR Government and The Walt Disney Company recently unveiled plans for a proposed Hong Kong Disneyland, a 126-hectare theme park development to be built on Lantau Island. Scheduled to open in 2005, the plans include a Disney theme park, rides, shows and attractions, as well as three to four Disney-themed resort hotels.

Earn those Aeroplan Miles
Receive Triple Aeroplan Miles plus the chance to win a two-night getaway at any Canadian Pacific Hotel offering Entrée Gold when you stay at Hotel Newfoundland between now and April 30, 2000.

Triple Aeroplan Miles can also be earned when you stay at any of the participating Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels & Resorts and Holiday Inn Express® hotels across Canada. From now through April 30, every stay of two or more consecutive nights earns you 1,500 Aeroplan miles. Enjoy five or more of these stays during this period and you receive a Millennium Bonus of 2,000 Aeroplan miles, for a total of at least 9,500 Aeroplan miles.

Delta starts up service to St. Maarten
This winter, Delta Airlines added a daily same-day flight from Toronto to St. Maarten via Atlanta. Scheduled air service to St. Maarten is also available Saturdays and Sundays with US Airways and Air Canada and daily with American Airlines. In addition to the Great Bay Beach Hotel & Casino and the Maho Beach Hotel & Casino, the Caravanserai Beach Resort, Divi Little Bay Beach Resort and Summit Resort Hotel are now available through several Canadian tour operators.

Packaged ski vacations
Air Canada Vacations is distributing a combined North America and Ski brochure. The North America pages outline air fares and hotels, fly and drive, car rental, tours and excursions in Canada and the U.S., including 11 Canadian cities and 24 in the U.S. Featured are packages in Whistler, Banff/Sunshine Village/Lake Louise and Vail/Beaver Creek. New this year are Ski-As-You-Please holidays for those who have accommodation available in Whistler, Banff or Colorado. Those clients can buy a package which features an Air Canada flight, scheduled bus transportation or Avis car rental and a ski lift ticket.

Best beach in Florida
Readers of Florida Living Magazine named Daytona Beach 'Florida's Best Beach' in a poll taken for the magazine's 1999 Best of Florida Awards. The Daytone Beach area is well known for its 23 miles of sparkling, white sandy beaches. At low tide, area beaches can expand up to 500 feet wide and are conducive to sandcastle building, cycling, jogging, fishing or just relaxing in the sun. The area's mild climate boasts an average annual air temperature of 21ºC. Call (800) 854-1234 or visit www.daytonabeach.com.

New hotels for 2000
Smally Luxury Hotels of the World, a consortium of more than 250 of the finest quality hotels, announced the addition of 37 new members globally. With the U.S., Mexico, Canada and French West Indies, eight hotels have met the discerning standards. The U.S. hotels include the Barnsley Inn and Golf in Georgia, the Bernardus Lodge in California, Salish Lodge & Spa in Washington, and the Lenox Hotel of Boston. Two new SLH hotels in Mexico are the Hacienda Katanchel in the Yucatan forest and the Hacienda de los Santos. In Canada, the Windsor Arms was added to the list and the Filao Beach on the French island of St. Barthelemy completes the list.

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