We’re excited to be giving away a four-night stay for a family of four in a one-bedroom suite at Divi Golf & Beach Resort, located on beautiful Druif Beach in Aruba (see our review).

Has your family got a case of the winter blahs?  Gaylord Hotels' Winter Weekend Getaway package might be just what the doctor ordered.  Gaylord Hotels—with locations in Nashville, Dallas, Kissimmee, and Washington DC—are known for their flawless service and wondrous interiors.  Each property features an enormous climate-controlled atrium where it's always 72 degrees, no matter the weather outside.  The indoor spaces are filled with lush gardens, cascading waterfalls, shops, restaurants, spa, swimming pools, and daily entertainment.  The newest property is the Gaylord National, overlooking the monuments and skyline of our nation’s capital. The world-class property is the crown jewel of the newly developed National Harbor, a dynamic waterfront community set along the historic Potomac River in Washington DC. Kids will love the nightly fountain shows and Potomac Playzone arcade. 

The Winter Weekend Getaway offer features a 15% discount off best-available weekend room rates, plus a $50 dining credit good for breakfast or in-room dining.  When we price-checked a Saturday stay in February at Gaylord National, we found a regular nightly rate of $209 for a double room. With the package, that room was priced at $177, which does work out to a discount of 15%.  Factor in the $50 dining credit and you're paying that much less to put smiles on the kids' faces.

The offer is valid on one-night stays on a Friday or Saturday through February 29.  The rate does not include taxes, fees or parking; other restrictions apply. Book online or call the individual hotel's reservations line (phone numbers are available on the website) and ask for the "Winter Weekend Getaway" offer.

Want a Valentine’s Day getaway, but have a pint-sized “third wheel” in tow? While three (or four or five) may be a crowd at most hotels around Valentine's Day, the Hilton Garden Inn Carlsbad Beach is offering a package that makes an all-family Valentine’s Day seem like a great idea.

The 161-room hotel on the north side of San Diego is across the street from a public beach, has a pool, and is just a short shuttle ride from Legoland. Its Romance Package—which includes niceties such as an early check-in, sparkling wine or cider in your room and a late checkout on request—also packs some surprisingly kid-friendly value. It includes free breakfast for everyone (worth about $50) and a dinner option: steak or salmon, the trimmings and chocolate-covered-berries for $36 per adult, plus a free dinner for kids 12 or under, featuring kid-friendly cuisine with sundaes for dessert.

Package rates are advertised starting at $193 a night, but when we checked the weekend before Valentine’s, we found a double room for $183 a night. Regular rates start at $159 for the same night, so unless you skip breakfast, you will definitely save at least $25 with the romance package—a decent (if not spectacular) 12%. Even so, the deal is a nice value for this time of year, when Legoland crowds are at their thinnest (the San Diego Zoo and Sea World are about 30 minutes away, too).

Since Valentine’s Day falls on a school night this year, the deal also offers a lot of flexibility: the Valentine's menu offer is available through February and March, and the Romance package is good through August. You can book the offer through the specials page or mention the Romance package when calling 760/476-0800.

The holiday decorations may have come down at Disneyland, but the magic of 2012 has only just begun. It is officially low season at the Happiest Place on Earth, when you’ll find thinner crowds and the opportunity to actually trim your costs. 

The three hotels at Disneyland are offering a winter sale that cuts up to 35% off  stays for most nights during Janurary and February. At Paradise Pier, you can save 35% on stays of 3 or more nights, and 30% on stays of 1 to 2 nights. At the recently renovated Disneyland Hotel, and the arts-and-crafts-style Grand Californian Hotel, the three-night savings go up to 30%, while 1- or 2-night stays get you 20% off.

The only catch?  "Most nights” means weeknights, not weekends, and the discounted rates run higher during the winter-break week following Presidents Day. But the prices are still pretty tempting: At Paradise Pier, they start at a very reasonable $156 a night (then $189 a night during Presidents week); at the Disneyland Hotel, rates starts at $225 a night ($289 during Presidents week); and at the Grand Californian, rates start at $267 ($345 during Presidents week).

For contrast, we tested regular weekend rates at the Disneyland Hotel, and found a whopping $620 a night—more than twice as much as the weeknight deal. That’s a great excuse to come here with preschoolers during the week, or even let your school-age kids play hookey.

A bonus: when you book the winter deal, even for weekend stays, you get two Fastpasses for each person in your party. Even during “low season” at Disneyland, there will still be lines.)  Come during the week and you can also take advantage of the early-entry “Magic Mornings” on Tuesdays or Thursdays.

The winter deal with Fastpasses is good for stays through February 29. You must book your stay by February 18. There’s a limit of two rooms per reservation and five people maximum per room. You don’t need a code to book the deal online, and you can also call reservations at 714/520-5045.

Bigger in the Bahamas? Mega-resort Atlantis, on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, has kicked off one of its tempting "escape winter" promotions, offering a free night and airfare credits of up to $400.   The 4,000 room resort has an endless supply of kids’ activities, including dolphin interactions, a toddler camp, a tweens arcade and a dance club for teens. For the whole family, there’s a 141-acre “waterscape” with pools, saltwater lagoons and a huge waterpark. 

With the 4th Night Free promotion, if you book a trip by January 23 and  travel by June 20, and you'll get a fourth night free. In February, room rates start at $469 a night so that free night will save you some serious cash. Plus, if you book an air-inclusive package you'll snag a $250 airfare credit on a stay of four or five nights, and a $400 airfare credit if you stay at least six nights. 

As usual, there are some restrictions and blackout dates (for example, there's no airfare credit available on travel March 15 through April 14).  Book online or call 888/877-7525 and ask for the "4th Night Free" offer.

Dreaming of getting away for a weekend in the big city?  Affinia Hotels, a group of seven boutique hotels in three of America's most-visited cities, has announced a three-day sale that will run January 11 to 13.  Nightly rates start as low as $89, and are valid on stays through March 31 at Affinia properties in Chicago, Washington, DC, and New York City.  The hotels boast central locations and roomy accommodations, including suites with kitchens and outdoor terraces, which can be hard to find in urban hotels.  

At the newly-renovated Affinia Manhattan, in the heart of midtown, studios and suites all have kitchens, and guests can easily walk to hot spots such as the Empire State Building, Times Square and Broadway. During the sale, nightly rates start at $139, a discount of nearly 40% when compared to the lowest best available rates. When we price-checked a Saturday night stay in January, rates started at $234 a night.  Similar discounts can be found at Affinia locations in Chicago (sale rate starts at $89 a night) and DC (from $109 a night).

Interested? Bide your time for a few more days, since sale rates can only be booked January 11 to 13. Blackout dates and other restrictions may apply.  Book online or call 866/246-2203 and use promo code JAN3DY.

We’re delighted to be giving away a three-night stay for four at the luxurious Chateau on the Lake Resort & Spa, a AAA Four Diamond resort in Branson, Missouri. The prize includes accommodations for four in an Ambassador Suite, plus daily breakfast buffet in the Chateau Grille and tickets for the family to the nearby Silver Dollar City theme park.

For a chance to win this family getaway, just head to our giveaway page. You can enter once a day through January 31, 2012. So come back again tomorrow!

Looking for a tropical vacation with zero hassle? Consider Puerto Rico, about as exotic as you can get without a passport or having to use foreign currency. The island is a great destination for families, where everyone speaks English but kids can also practice their Spanish. Even better, flights from the mainland US are plentiful. 

Hilton Hotels has kicked off a Puerto Rico Getaway promotion that promises savings of 20% off room rates, a resort credit, and a 20% discount on spa services. The offer is valid on stays of four or more night before April 30 at five participating properties, including Hilton's flagship El Conquistador Resort.  This sprawling mega-property, set on 500 acres overlooking the island's east coast, boasts 23 onsite restaurants and lounges, seven outdoor pools, a waterpark, casino, spa, kids' camp, and 100-acre private island. It has a stupdendous location, close to El Yunque National Forest and just 31 miles from San Juan's airport.

When we price checked a four-night February stay, we found a best available nightly rate of $329 for a garden view room.  With the special offer, the nightly rate drops to $263, a savings of 20%—which means your four-night stay costs $1,052 instead of $1,316.  You'll also snag a resort credit that accumulates at a rate of $50 for every two paid nights of your stay (up to $200 on an eight-night stay). Families might use the credit toward meals or admission to the water park, or you could pair it with the 20% spa discount and use the credit toward a massage.

This offer must be booked by January 31. There's plenty of fine print, including blackout dates, deposit and cancellation restrictions that vary by hotel.  Book online or call 888/564-1307 and ask for the “Puerto Rico Getaway."

If you're going to be flying over the Christmas week, you can connect with loved ones more easily thanks to Skype. The VOIP service is offering one free hour of wi-fi at over 50 US airports between December 21 and December 27. You can use Skype WiFi to make voice and video calls to computers for free and to landlines and mobile phones using Skype credit.

The offer is available in more than 50 major airports, including  JFK, LaGuardia and Newark in the New York City area, Boston's Logan Aiport, Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports, Jackson Hole, and Miami. For a full list, see the interactive map.

We’re excited to be giving away a five-night stay for a family of four at Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort in Orlando, located right next door to Walt Disney World Resort and Animal Kingdom. The prize includes four Play Passes, which offer free tube rentals; rides on the HIPPO, the huge inflatable waterslide; mini golf at two courses; and access to the Fun Zone, which has a Euro Bungee and a rock climbing wall.

The 1,450-acre resort offers amenities for the whole family, spread across four villages that each offer a distinctive taste of resort-style living. You can discover a 12-acre tropical paradise with lazy river-style pool, waterslides, restaurants and poolside bars. Play in a beach-style pool or lounge in a cabana overlooking the 80-acre lake with watersports. Relax in a quiet water oasis or splash around in interactive water features at one of seven pools. There are two mini golf courses, multiple arcades, a kids’ activity center and many hosted activities including a Gatorland® Alligator Show where you can meet an alligator face-to-face. The resort offers 54 holes of golf, including a championship Arnold Palmer Signature Course and a nine-hole course lighted for nighttime play. You can also get a head start on the magic thanks to your own personal Disney concierge at the resort's Disney Planning Center.

The spacious villas pamper you with amenities, including spa-inspired baths, fully equipped kitchens, and free wi-fi high-speed Internet access in your villa and throughout the resort.

For a chance to win this family getaway, just head to our giveaway page. You can enter once a day through January 14, 2012. So come back again tomorrow!