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CNN Live Today
Getaways: Romantic Destinations
Aired February 02, 2004 - 11:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Check the calendar, you honeys and lovers out there. Valentine's Day, it's just around the corner. If you're thinking about a romantic getaway for your sweetie, we have a few ideas.
Pauline Frommer is senior editor at "Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel," and she joins us in New York this morning.
A happy early Valentine's Day to you.
PAULINE FROMMER, "ARTHUR FROMMER'S "BUDGET TRAVEL": Oh, to you, too.
KAGAN: I was looking for the list. You came up with some lovely ideas. Some kind of funny names. We're going to start with Paris. It might sound cliche, but can you really go wrong with Paris? I think not.
FROMMER: Well, it's a cliche because it is so romantic. There is no place more romantic in the world. And there's a last-minute deal that just popped up, appropriately enough, from Virgin Vacations.
KAGAN: Ah, ha, very good.
FROMMER: You can go to Paris for the weekend. Airfare and three nights of hotel from New York City for just 299. If you're going from the Midwest it's about $50 more, or from the West Coast, about $200 more. But still for Paris, that's a wonderful price.
KAGAN: Lovely. Now, another European destination that you might want to check out would be Prague.
FROMMER: Right. Yes, people don't think of Prague, but it is a tremendously romantic city, especially if you prefer beer to champagne. And you can go to Prague with a discounter called Octopus Travel for 399, which covers a full six nights of hotel and airfare from the East Coast. Again, these deals are available from all parts of the nation.
KAGAN: If you want to think a little bit more tropically, you might want to check out Jamaica.
FROMMER: Yes, that is a wonderful place to go at this time of year, especially if you've been hit with all of the cold weather we have. And there's a Jamaican discounter called Atlas Vacations, which is selling four nights in Jamaica for $500. Now, that not only includes airfare and hotel, but this is an all-inclusive resort right on the beach, so you get all of your meals, all of your drinks for that same $500. It's a terrific deal.
KAGAN: And if you want to stay on the West Coast, San Francisco, that is a very romantic city.
FROMMER: Yes. And Orbitz and Expedia have terrific air-hotel packages to San Francisco, which will bring down the cost of visiting this usually pricey city to about $100 a night, including your airfare, which is a great deal.
KAGAN: I see that Orlando is next on the list. I'm thinking Disney World, but I don't know that I think romance when I think Disney World.
FROMMER: Well, some people do. I have to agree with you on that. I think of it more as a children's destination, but a lot of proposals happen there.
KAGAN: And weddings, too, actually.
FROMMER: And weddings, too. Yes, absolutely.
KAGAN: Yes.
FROMMER: And there is a company based on the Internet called eLeisure Link, which will get you there, put you up in a hotel, give you a rental car for about $500 for four nights.
KAGAN: And finally, we started with the good old standby of Paris; we end with the standby of Hawaii. We can't go wrong with that.
FROMMER: Yes, can't go wrong, especially if you're on the West Coast. There's a company called Apple Vacations which only deals with travel agents, so you'll have to call your travel agent to book this. But it has seven nights in Hawaii over the Valentine's week for about $480, airfare and hotel.
KAGAN: You make me want to pack my bags. Thanks for that. Pauline Frommer, appreciate it.
FROMMER: Thank you.
KAGAN: Where can people get more information?
FROMMER: BudgetTravel.msnbc.com is our Web site, and that's where the information is.
KAGAN: OK, very good. Appreciate it.
FROMMER: Thank you.
KAGAN: And again, happy Valentine's Day.
FROMMER: You too.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired February 2, 2004 - 11:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Check the calendar, you honeys and lovers out there. Valentine's Day, it's just around the corner. If you're thinking about a romantic getaway for your sweetie, we have a few ideas.
Pauline Frommer is senior editor at "Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel," and she joins us in New York this morning.
A happy early Valentine's Day to you.
PAULINE FROMMER, "ARTHUR FROMMER'S "BUDGET TRAVEL": Oh, to you, too.
KAGAN: I was looking for the list. You came up with some lovely ideas. Some kind of funny names. We're going to start with Paris. It might sound cliche, but can you really go wrong with Paris? I think not.
FROMMER: Well, it's a cliche because it is so romantic. There is no place more romantic in the world. And there's a last-minute deal that just popped up, appropriately enough, from Virgin Vacations.
KAGAN: Ah, ha, very good.
FROMMER: You can go to Paris for the weekend. Airfare and three nights of hotel from New York City for just 299. If you're going from the Midwest it's about $50 more, or from the West Coast, about $200 more. But still for Paris, that's a wonderful price.
KAGAN: Lovely. Now, another European destination that you might want to check out would be Prague.
FROMMER: Right. Yes, people don't think of Prague, but it is a tremendously romantic city, especially if you prefer beer to champagne. And you can go to Prague with a discounter called Octopus Travel for 399, which covers a full six nights of hotel and airfare from the East Coast. Again, these deals are available from all parts of the nation.
KAGAN: If you want to think a little bit more tropically, you might want to check out Jamaica.
FROMMER: Yes, that is a wonderful place to go at this time of year, especially if you've been hit with all of the cold weather we have. And there's a Jamaican discounter called Atlas Vacations, which is selling four nights in Jamaica for $500. Now, that not only includes airfare and hotel, but this is an all-inclusive resort right on the beach, so you get all of your meals, all of your drinks for that same $500. It's a terrific deal.
KAGAN: And if you want to stay on the West Coast, San Francisco, that is a very romantic city.
FROMMER: Yes. And Orbitz and Expedia have terrific air-hotel packages to San Francisco, which will bring down the cost of visiting this usually pricey city to about $100 a night, including your airfare, which is a great deal.
KAGAN: I see that Orlando is next on the list. I'm thinking Disney World, but I don't know that I think romance when I think Disney World.
FROMMER: Well, some people do. I have to agree with you on that. I think of it more as a children's destination, but a lot of proposals happen there.
KAGAN: And weddings, too, actually.
FROMMER: And weddings, too. Yes, absolutely.
KAGAN: Yes.
FROMMER: And there is a company based on the Internet called eLeisure Link, which will get you there, put you up in a hotel, give you a rental car for about $500 for four nights.
KAGAN: And finally, we started with the good old standby of Paris; we end with the standby of Hawaii. We can't go wrong with that.
FROMMER: Yes, can't go wrong, especially if you're on the West Coast. There's a company called Apple Vacations which only deals with travel agents, so you'll have to call your travel agent to book this. But it has seven nights in Hawaii over the Valentine's week for about $480, airfare and hotel.
KAGAN: You make me want to pack my bags. Thanks for that. Pauline Frommer, appreciate it.
FROMMER: Thank you.
KAGAN: Where can people get more information?
FROMMER: BudgetTravel.msnbc.com is our Web site, and that's where the information is.
KAGAN: OK, very good. Appreciate it.
FROMMER: Thank you.
KAGAN: And again, happy Valentine's Day.
FROMMER: You too.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
