Top Five Bargain Destinations for Winter 2012/2013

Hawaii

What do you get when you add more than a half-dozen new routes with plenty of travel discounts? Hawaii this winter. New service from Alaska, Allegiant, and WestJet means more options for travelers and more competition among airlines. Throw in a few hotel sales and vacation-package deals and you've got yourself paradise on a budget.

Alaska Airlines has just started seasonal service on three new routes: Portland-Kauai, Bellingham-Maui, and Anchorage-Kona flights will operate throughout winter and into early spring. Allegiant, meanwhile, will connect Honolulu with Spokane starting on February 8 and Boise on February 9. And Canadians have more routes to the islands with WestJet's seasonal service to Hawaii from both Calgary and Edmonton.

Expedia is offering up to 35 percent off hotel stays on Maui, Lanai, and Molokai. With promotion code TRAVEL100, take $100 off seven-night vacation packages from Orbitz. And Pleasant Holidays is offering a free convertible, SUV, Jeep, or minivan rental with five-night vacation packages, as well as three-night air-and-hotel vacation packages from $459. Deals like these are the rule, not the exception, right now, which makes this a great time to spend less and get more in Hawaii.

Iceland

Plenty of people are put off by the cold and the dark of winter in Iceland, but this year, they'll be missing the best northern lights in half a century—and the chance to enjoy the contrast of cold air and warm water at the famous Blue Lagoon geothermal spa. Lonely Planet just named Iceland one of its top travel picks for 2013, citing great value for the money.

EuropeanDestinations.com's Reykjavik Getaway, from $716 with airfare from New York (JFK) and six nights' accommodations (plus daily breakfast), ranks high on the value-for-money scale. And airline Icelandair has discounted packages, including a Northern Lights Escape, with airfare from the U.S. plus connecting airfare to northern Iceland, five nights' accommodations, a northern lights tour, and other extras. The package starts at $909 per person for travel between January 6 and April 26.

St. Croix, USVI

Caribbean splendor without the passport fees can be yours on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. This winter, airlines, tourism bureaus, and vacation-package providers are helping to put the tropical U.S. territory within reach.

JetBlue partner Cape Air, which flies to St. Croix from San Juan, Puerto Rico, has current fare specials from $59 each way. VisitUSVI.com has a promotion offering $50 in dining certificates and $50 in attractions certificates for stays at more than a dozen participating boutique hotels, including The Palms at Pelican Cove (rated #1 by TripAdvisor users). At press time, package provider CheapCaribbean.com had a number of air-and-hotel deals on sale, with savings up to $500.

Greece

Greece has struggled economically in recent years, but lower prices for travelers are putting it back on the bargain-travel map. With the country in its sixth year of deep recession, hotels are now making a play to lure travelers back, slashing prices by as much as 40 percent.

We found reduced-price hotel deals, such as 10 to 30 percent off 2013 stays booked by December 31 at the Art Maisons Luxury Santorini Hotels. Prices on air-and-hotel packages are also appealing this winter. Intrepid Vacations has a vacation deal loaded with extras from $1,238 per person. The package includes round-trip airfare from New York (JFK) or Boston, five nights in Athens, a welcome dinner, a city tour, airport transfers, and all taxes and fees.

New Orleans

Let's start with the caveat: New Orleans is a bargain in early winter. Once Mardi Gras hits, so do the crowds (and the high prices), so if you're going for the deals, you'll have to plan a visit for December or January. That said, there are some great ways to make the most of a winter trip on a budget.

We've seen sales on winter airfare to New Orleans from American and Southwest, and we expect to see more as we near year's end. We're also noticing hotel discounts across a spectrum of hotels, from 20 percent off two weekday nights (plus a daily credit of $25) at the Royal Sonesta Hotel New Orleans to deeply discounted rates on select dates at the Lafayette Hotel.

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