Best Travel Deals wishes your family a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday!

Northern California has a slew of attractions between Lake Tahoe, San Francisco and the region known as Wine Country. There’s many outdoorsy type vacation spots within an easy drive from the Sacramento airport. The fall months bring not only beautiful foliage to the area but some valuable vacation deals as well.

A little hidden gem in the Eastern Sierra is Mono County. For the fall season, The Meadowcliff Lodge and RV Resort is offering a “See It All” fall vacation giveaway. Visit the Mono County website and enter for a chance to win one of seven vacations. Not interested in those odds? The Lodge is offering a third night for free from now until October 31.

Nearby, the Lake Front Cabins are a kid-friendly location for campfires, large grassy picnic areas, activities for children as well as plenty of opportunities to feed the ducks and watch Bald Eagles soar overhead. The new Kids Pond at the Conway Ranch Hatchery is located close to the campgrounds. There are also short hiking trails that will help the kiddos expend some of their pent-up energy. From now until the end of October, buy three nights and get the fourth for free. In November, all cabins are half price with a three night minimum.

If you’re interested in making a full-on vacation out of your trip, spend a few days in Lake Tahoe, the Granlibakken Resort is offering specials for Thanksgiving. If you go with three friends, rates start at only $95 a person per day. This includes lodging, daily hot breakfasts to fuel you up for an adventurous afternoon as well as a Thanksgiving Dinner. After filling up on traditional stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberries and table side carved turkey you can head out and catch some fresh powder on the slopes or enjoy some quiet reading by the fire. Of course, since the feast is served family-style, there will be some tasty leftovers for sandwiches the next day.

Yosemite National Park is also offering Thanksgiving deals for nature lovers. For under $500, two people can get a 3-night package at Yosemite Sierra View Bed and Breakfast including a full country breakfast each morning as well as afternoon tea or wine and cheese. If you’re traveling with the whole family, the Bed and Breakfast is offering a special rate when you book their entire 8 person floor comprised of 3 suites for only $1,400. The best part of this deal is the complimentary Thanksgiving dinner they offer. Imagine, being able to watch football with the family without being worried about burning the turkey!

Cyber Monday is here. The online retailers’ version of Black Friday will not only bring deals for holiday gift shoppers, but for travelers as well. It is going to be the single best day of the entire winter to find low prices on flights, hotels and vacation packages. Here are some of the best cyber savings:

Sun-seekers have several exciting opportunities to get great value on a Caribbean vacation this winter. Sonesta St. Maarten Resort launched a huge 50% sale on Black Friday. Rooms are still available today, with the sale running until midnight Eastern Standard Time. All inclusive stays start at $123 per night, down from the regular price of $245. To take advantage of this offer, use the code BF09 when booking at the Sonesta St. Maarten web site.

Hawaii is one of the more expensive wintertime destinations. But there are ways to avoid the high costs. Case in point: the Maui Seaside Hotel on Kahului Bay is taking reservations for 45% below regular price. The promotion, which runs until midnight tonight, gives travelers access to a classy seaside hotel with views of Hawaii’s most scenic landscapes for under $100 per night.

The upscale Saint James Hotel in Chicago is offering to match the number of “hotel credits” that customers buy on November 30th. Those who buy 50 credits, for example, will be awarded 50 more credits at no additional cost. The credits can be used for rooms, but also at the hotel’s stylish lobby bar, the super-trendy Jbar Lounge and the award-winning in-house restaurant David Burke’s Primehouse.

Massive travel booking site Expedia recently listed some last minute cruise deals that have escaped notice (for the most part). Booking ends today for 4-day Caribbean cruises priced from $119. Sail dates are throughout December. This is a perfect deal for cruisers who want to enjoy a quick pre-holiday getaway without having to throw too much cash out the porthole.

Carnival Cruises is offering a similar deal, with 4-day fares starting at $109. Week-long cruises are also part of the line’s Cyber Monday promotions. The price tags on a 7-day journey starts at $309.

Not to be outdone by the other tropical vacation promotions on Cyber Monday, JW Marriott is offering 40% off a stay at a number of its resorts in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Costa Rica. This hefty discount is offered to all customers who book by the end of the day today and travel between January 1st and April 30th. This is a great opportunity to lock in a good hotel price for Spring Break.

Las Vegas is known for its great hotel and package vacation deals. Casinos will do anything to get people to the gaming tables and slots, even offer them hotel and airfare at ridiculously low prices. Some of the Cyber Monday deals, though, are shockingly under-priced, even by Sin City standards. Not only do packages start at $32 per person, it is possible to earn two free nights by booking at least two consecutive nights at the already reduced prices.

One of the best family-friendly deals of Cyber Monday is being offered by Solaris Resorts. With locations in Cancun and Los Cabos, Mexico, this is one of the better all-inclusive options south-of-the-border. For today only, rates are reduced 45%. In addition, kids stay and eat free with a paid adult.

South Africa will be one of next year’s “it” destinations. Foresighted travelers can take advantage of Cyber Monday prices and book a hotel in South Africa for 30% off. Once the wave of popularity hits next year, prices are bound to rise further.

Continental Airlines is winding up a Thanksgiving promotion today by offering reduced fares to 10 cities from New York. Fares start at $148 round-trip. For those who really want to fall off the map, Lufthansa is currently offering a tremendous deal on flights to India. Prices start at $340 one-way from New York and $405 from Atlanta. That’s an exciting opportunity for globetrotters, considering the fact that round-trip fares usually hover in the $1,000 range between the US and the Subcontinent.

Jet Blue Airlines is running a one-day only sale for Cyber Monday: One-Way Non-Stop flights from $39, $69 and $99 depending on destination. Travel dates are between December 1, 2009 through December 17, 2009, so hurry to take advantage of this great sale today.

Find more Cyber Monday deals at besttraveldeals.net.

Hyatt will offer 30 percent off the chain’s posted daily rate at participating Hyatt and Park Hyatt hotels in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. When you use code LTO110, you can book at the 30 percent off rate for stays through February 28. The Black Friday rates are nonrefundable and must be paid at the time of reservation.

Lots of great deals in and around Manchester, NH today, Black Friday Package at The Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Manchester Airport is offering accommodations in a one-bedroom suite with one king or two queen beds, $50.00 gift card to Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse, as well as shuttle service to the Mall of New Hampshire and a Welcome gift bag.

The Highlander Inn is offering its “Black Friday Shopping Frenzy Package” for $109.99 which includes free shuttle service to and from the Mall of N.H. Guests will receive a Black Friday Sales and Coupon Booklet for the Mall of N.H. stores.

Black Friday Package at The Best Western Executive Court Inn in Manchester, NH Available November 27, 2009 for 2 nights includes shuttle service to the Mall of New Hampshire, $50 gift certificate to The Yard Restaurant and a welcome bag with local maps and coupons.

Shop til You Drop in Concord, New Hampshire! , enjoy tax-free bargain hunting at Tanger Outlets in Tilton.

Hillcrest Guest House, St. John, US Virgin Islands is offering 15% off on “Black Friday”‘, which expires at midnight, Nov. 27th. Come enjoy the warm climate and pristine blue ocean waters.

Starting right now, Shell Vacations Hospitality offers Black Friday sales on their 23 resorts throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada, up to 45% off the regular price.

Black Friday Shopping Package at the Courtyard Buckhead Atlanta feature free shuttle to and from the Lenox Mall and Phipps Plaza as well as VIP Mall coupons and special mall promotions.

Relax and unwind in downtown Orlando with Mall of Millenia’s Black Friday Shopping Package, which is good through Cyber Monday.

Also good through Cyber Monday, The Courtyard by Marriott in Thousand Oaks has deluxe shopping package includes great shopping in Southern California’s Camarillo Premium Outlets.

Stress-Free Shopping Package from $139 at Renaissance Providence Hotel, just steps from Providence Place Mall, with delightful accommodations and a gift for you!

$550 Hotel Deal at the Dallas Westin. Receive a $500 Macy’s Card. For the holiday shopping season, this hotel is offering a $550 package which includes a room and $500 in gift cards for Macy’s (one per stay).

Stay and Shop at Cherry Creek Mall, spend the nights at the Fairfield Inn and Suites Denver Cherry Creek and shop in style all day long!

Be sure to check last week’s post, Black Friday East Coast Edition, before making any plans, and have a great weekend!

San Diego whale-watching, Ski packages in upstate NY, last-minute travel deals from Southwest for Thanksgiving, half-price rooms inthe Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Québec, and much much more in today’s travel podcast.

The $119 promo runs between November 22nd and 29th and between December 17th and 29th. Yep, it takes place over Thanksgiving and Christmas, the two times of year when prices are usually at their absolute highest.

Today we’re highlighting specials for last-minute Thanksgiving deals, special rates in the Caribbean, Bora Bora, and cruises along the Mexican Riviera as well as new resources for skiers and snowboarders, plus a great price on overnight stays in Las Vegas!

The combination of amenities, location and price (as well as the fact that Christmas and Thanksgiving are not black-out dates) make the Downtown West Palm Beach Marriot’s $77-$99 deal one of Florida’s best early season values!

It is easy to predict chilly weather.  By mid-November, heavy jackets have become part of your daily apparel and you start to wish you’d planned ahead and booked a vacation to someplace tropical – Florida would be nice -  before all the hotels doubled  their prices for the high season.

Would-be snowbirds willing to search the entire Gold Coast (from Miami to West Palm Beach)  will still be able to find money-saving opportunities.  West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale are good alternatives to the more pricey destinations closer to Miami.

The West Palm Beach Marriott has an exceptional deal that will make it possible for frugal snowbirds to get some high-season sun and low season prices.  The resort-like hotel’s rates will stay at $77-$99 per night until December 26th, with no blackout days during Thanksgiving and Christmas.  These rates are 50% lower than the Marriott’s regular high-season prices.

via markus941

The Downtown West Palm Beach Marriot’s greatest asset is its location.  It is within walking distance of the popular CityPlace shopping, restaurant and nightlife promenade.  There are several spas, salons and restaurants within a mile of the hotel, making it possible for guests to put together their own “resort experience” without having to pay resort prices.

Bistro Ten Zero One, the Marriot’s in-house eatery, offers modern seafood-based cuisine in a casually classy setting.  The restaurant includes a full bar and free wireless internet access.

The combination of amenities, location and price (as well as the fact that Christmas and Thanksgiving are not black-out dates) make the Downtown West Palm Beach Marriot’s $77-$99 deal one of Florida’s best early season values.

Last Friday we reported that the world’s largest cruise ship was scheduled to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale, and our readers turned out in droves to see it! So much so, in fact, that the 225,000-ton vessel, which can hold more than 6,000 passengers, has drawn in a flood of spectators trying to get a closer look and asking to take a tour. Since USA Today is reporting that the large crowds of people and vehicles coming to the port have caused massive traffic jams, why don’t you just click here instead to get a closer look at Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas!

New ARIA Resort & Casino opening in Las Vegas boasts a special introductory offer of $159 a night, plus guests staying through April 1st, 2010 will recieve $75 resort credit! The new resort includes a 150,000 square-foot casino and over 4,000 rooms complete with 42-inch flat-screen televisions, 13 eateries, 9 bars, 3 pools, and an 80,000 square-foot spa.

Be sure to read Tom Koppel’s account of exploring by kayak the ruins of Nan Madol, a former royal city in the South Pacific, and Tom Robbins’ article for today’s The Observer about the best-kept secrets of Switzerland’s Snowmotions, a company devoted to helping skiers and boarders explore the Swiss canton of Graubünden where children can learn to ski safely, and hardcore skiers can find virgin powder fields.

And if you’re looking to sail the Caribbean yet want to spend little or no money, (perhaps even get paid for it!) then you’ll want to be sure to read Matt Gross’ latest article in today’s NY Times entitled ‘Sailing the Caribbean, the Frugal Way’ where he details his experience as a crew-member aboard the S.V. Illusion. He includes a list of where to eat and drink on some of the smaller islands, and even provides a few web sites to get you started finding your own cut-rate deals on a Caribbean vacation.

And, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, now is the time to book your Christmas vacation. If you’re planning to visit New Orleans, be sure to check out the great deals available on the official New Orleans Tourism site, or simply review all the great Christmas Deals the traveler community has posted on our own site, right here at BestTravelDeals.net!