What’s the Deal? This week’s best travel bargains around the globe.

Land l Hotel Palomar Philadelphia is offering a discounted rate targeted at Washington area residents for stays through Feb. 29. Rate starts at $139 a night, plus $21 tax, a savings of at least $107. Two-night minimum stay required. The deal also includes two cocktails and one appetizer (valued at about $35) at the hotel’s Square 1682 restaurant. Blackout dates include Nov. 18-19, Dec. 30-31 and Jan. 2. Book by Dec. 31 at 888-725-1778, www.hotelpalomar-philadelphia.com. Request promo code WASHDC. l With Marriott’s Stay Here, Fly There promotion, spend at least two nights at one of nearly 30 participating resorts and receive a companion airline ticket voucher for a future flight, plus a $100 resort credit....

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Deals on trips to the Caribbean and elsewhere

The week’s best travel bargains around the world !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!LAND ●Windjammer Landing Beach Resort on the island of St. Lucia is offering discounts of 25 percent on stays through Dec. 20. Room rate starts at $120 a night plus $22 taxes, a savings of $40. The 60-acre, 247-room resort, built into a hillside facing the sea, offers several swimming pools, tennis courts, spa and fitness center. Info: 877-522-0722, www.windjammer-landing.com.●The 346-room Renaissance Dupont Circle in the District is offering a “Relatively Close” special this holiday season of $99 a night (plus $14 taxes). The promo reflects a $50-per-night savings and applies to stays Nov. 20-27 and Dec. 22-26. Guests must book Thanksgiving or Christmas night to qualify. A 14-day advance purchase is...

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Travelers turn back to travel agents

Apple’s iPhone 4S in stores today Congress losing patience with Iran policy Ron Paul the religious Obama sends troops to Africa Does Perry really want to leave Texas? The simple math of recession Stern: NBA deal soon or no games by 2012 At state dinner, sparkling amid rain On New Year’s Day, James Vaughn gave his travel agent a tough assignment: Book a 10-day trip to India. Departure date: Jan. 13. It took...

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The Navigator: Want a refund? Read the policy.

It looked like a lost cause.Betty van Iersel had prepaid $3,900 for an all-inclusive seven-day French canal tour on the barge Luciole. But two weeks after she’d wired the money to the cruise line, a financial emergency forced her to cancel.The Luciole’s owners refused to return her money, citing their refund policy. Her travel agency, Annapolis-based Special Places Travel, which specializes in European barge tours, told her that she could only get her money back if her cabin was resold. And that seemed like a remote possibility.“I can’t afford to lose this money,” van Iersel wrote to me. “Do I have any options?”An increasing number of cases that cross my desk look like van Iersel’s: Because of a policy or rule — not always clearly disclosed...

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Going Our Way: An East Coast vacation for a military family

Who: Rob and Andrea Cornfeld of Kensington and their children, Samantha, Kate and MeganWhere: An all-inclusive resort or condo on the East CoastWhy: A little R&R before their summer move and Rob’s upcoming deploymentWhen: 10 days in JuneBudget: $2,000-$3,000“We are interested in water activities — a beach would be great, providing the water isn’t too rough. Our children enjoy playing outside; my wife and I enjoy eating at dives and exploring new places.”Rob and Andrea Cornfeld need a break. With a summer move looming and Rob’s anticipated Army deployment within the year, the Kensington couple and their girls — Samantha, 5; Kate, 3; and Megan, 1 — want to take a fun family trip before the craziness kicks in. They’d prefer an all-inclusive...

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The ever-changing scene of hotel room amenities

My hands were as dry as parchment when I checked into Washington’s Donovan House hotel on a bitterly cold day last winter. Eager for some moisturizer, I went straight to the bathroom, where I discovered that — egad! — there was no moisturizer to be found. Nor was there any shower gel for bathing, just plain old skin-drying soap. I was perplexed. Where were my favorite toiletries? For a while there, you could count on your average hotel room to be almost as well-stocked as a Wal-Mart. Walk into the bathroom and you’d find shampoo, conditioner, lotion, mouthwash, a shower cap and not one but two bars of soap, in case you didn’t want to lather your body with the same suds that oozed over your hands. Lost a button on your blouse? Mending kit right...

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JetBlue partners with Virgin Atlantic to provide flights on both airlines on a single ticket

NEW YORK — JetBlue said Tuesday it has formed a partnership with Virgin Atlantic that will allow customers to fly on both airlines with a single ticket.Travelers on JetBlue will be able to connect through Boston, New York, Washington to catch flights to London Heathrow on Virgin Atlantic. JetBlue customers connecting in Orlando will be able to fly to London’s Gatwick airport, Manchester, England and Glasgow, Scotland.Passengers can purchase the JetBlue-Virgin Atlantic flights beginning this week.JetBlue already has similar partnerships with Dubai’s Emirates Airlines, Irish carrier Aer Lingus, South African Airways and American Airlines. These partnerships allow airlines to expand their available destinations without adding costs. They also feed more passengers into their respective networks.Copyright...

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Learning to build an igloo in the mountains outside Vancouver

Chilled from a day in the snow, stiff from hours of shoveling, we worm down the tunnel of the igloo one after the other. The wind's howl mutes to a low hum. The day's gray light goes black. I follow the pair of boots in front of me, crawling through cold, clammy air toward the glimmer of light ahead. The boots belong to Michael Harding, igloo evangelist. An outdoor guide with baby-blue eyes and snow-white hair, Harding has raised untold hundreds of igloos in this corner of western Canada. "They're warmer than tents. They're soundproof. They're practically cozy," he'd explained that morning, as we climbed into the backcountry of the mountains outside Vancouver in his late-model Nissan Pathfinder. A friend and I have joined him and another guide...

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What's the Deal? The week's best travel bargains around the globe

LANDSki Salt Lake is offering hotel discounts of up to 30 percent off and free-night deals at Alta, Brighton, Snowbird and Solitude resorts in Utah. For example, Snowbird has a Ski Free and Stay 5th Night Free offer through April 2: Pay for four nights and stay the fifth night free, plus get two free lift tickets for each night's stay (normally $74 for each ticket). With the deal, a Feb. 18-23 stay at the Cliff Lodge, with lift tickets for two people, would cost $1,813 (normally $2,809), including all taxes - a 35 percent savings (Snowbird reservations: 800-354-6092). Book by March 15. Info: 801-534-4900.The Caribbean island of Barbados has discounts on hotel stays, attractions, shopping and dining. With the Take Me to Barbados package, get a fifth hotel night free (two nights free on a seven-night...

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