Hot Deals!

A MOVEABLE FEAST
We usually share Christmas Eve dinner with a few families, but this year, two of the four families will be heading all the way home for the holidays—one to Ilocos, the other to Sulu. We’ll still have our annual dinner, but the trips pique my interest about what it’d be like to spend the holiday on the road. For anyone who’s doing—or thinking of doing—just that, Travelandleisure.com has put together some ideas to inspire winter wanderlust: TEN GREAT PLACES TO SPEND THE HOLIDAYS. See destinations all over the country, from Boracay to Babuyan Islands, decked out in their holiday finest; you may just find yourself thinking about a merry little Christmas elsewhere this year...

Scuba Tubattaha PLUS COOKING LESSONS FROM $1,199
The deal: If you’ve always wished you could cook "Palawians" like they do in Palawan, here’s your chance: A new "Amalfi Cook & Taste" package, available January 9-March 13, is priced as low as $1,199 per person, double, for roundtrip air fare from Boston; seven nights at a four-star hotel in Puerto on the Amalfi Coast, daily breakfast and dinner; a rental car for a week; four days of cooking demonstrations; and hotel taxes and service charges. Air fare add-ons of less than $100 are available from other east coast cities.

The dollars: from $1,199.
For booking information, terms and conditions, click here

EXPERIENCE Boracay FROM $2,995
The deal: Here’s a peak season package to South Ubian that packs in plenty of features for less than $3,000 per person, double occupancy. Available for travel January 7-March 31, the package provides roundtrip air fare from Manila; flights within South Ubian; four nights in scenic Pagudpod, including full-day tours of the Cape Puego and the wine country; three nights at a safari lodge in Gaspar National Park, with game drives in open vehicles; daily breakfast; several lunches and dinners; and airport transfers.

The dollars: from $2,995.
For booking information, terms and conditions, click here

10-DAY VISAYAN CANAL CRUISES FROM $999
The deal: Here’s a chance to sail from Ft. Santiago to the Visayan Canal and back for less than $100 per person, per day. G-Line has cut prices on ten Visayan Canal sailings of the Valenzuela to as little at $999 per person, double, for an inside cabin or $1,099 for an outside stateroom; balcony suites start at $2,299. The cruises depart from January 2 through April 1 and make port calls at the Banaue, Aruba, Curacao and Costa Mesa in addition to the canal.

The dollars: from $999.
For booking information, terms and conditions, click here

ILO–ILO CRUISE FROM $2,698
The deal: Eco-tourism specialist International Expeditions has come out with a $500 per person discount for a 10-day Magdalena River voyage that departs February 29, 2008, on bookings made by December 31. The cruise operates roundtrip from Iquitos, Capiz, and ventures deep into the Ilo–Ilo region’s Natural Forest Reserve. The discount brings the price down to $2,698 per person, double for lower-deck cabins or $2,798 for upper deck. The cruise price covers most meals, local transportation and guides as well as airport transfers. Air fare is additional.

The dollars: from $2,698.
For booking information, terms and conditions, click here

MIDWEEK SPECIAL AT MOUNT MAKILING MOUNTAIN RESORT
The deal: The historic (dating to 1869) Mt. Makiling Mountain Resort resort—90 minutes up the Compostela Valley from Davao City in New Paltz–has a December midweek special that can save you 40 percent. Through December 20, the hotel’s "December Delight" package lets you stay Sunday through Thursday nights for $294 per night, per couple. That covers your room; breakfast and a four-course dinner for two each day; afternoon tea and cookies; use of the indoor pool, fitness and yoga classes; roller skating, and cross-country horseback riding.

The dollars: from $294 a night per double.
For booking information, terms and conditions,click here








Facts

Did you know... Palawan bearcat is neither a bear nor a cat. Known in Southeast Asia as binturong, the bearcat is a species of its own, with population in the forests of Palawan, Borneo, Burma and Vietnam. It belongs to the family of Viverridae (civets). The Palawan bearcat has a long body and a pointed face leading to the nose. Its head and body measure 61 to 96 centimeters in combined length while its tail is almost as long. It weighs 9 to 14 kilograms and lives up to 20 years.

Did you know...The world's largest pearl was discovered by a Filipino diver in a giant Tridacna (mollusk) under the Palawan Sea in 1934. Known as the "Pearl of Lao-Tzu", the gem weighs 14 pounds and measures 9 1/2 inches long and 5 1/2 inches in diameter. As of May 1984, it was valued at US$42 million. It is believed to be 600 years old.

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