Summer may be heading into its homestretch, but plenty of deals are stretching past Labor Day. At Tuscon's Westward Look Resort, for instance, summer doesn't end until late September, in terms of seasonal packages. The 244-room resort in the foothills of the Sanat Catalina Mountains had two family-friendly specials that caught our eye: 

• The Sizzling Staycation, with rates as low as $99/night, which includes daily breakfast for two adults and two kids 12 and under
• The Advance Purchase rate, which promises up to 50% off regular rates if you book (and pay) at least 14 days ahead

The 80-acre, AAA Four Diamond resort grew out of a 1912 estate and was named after a 19th century poem ("but westward, look—the land is bright”). It has three pools, on-site biking and hiking trails, horseback riding, a spa, tennis and even monthly classes on xeriscaping (gardening with minimal water).

In August, the regular rate for a standard room with two queen beds is $169. When we checked some late August dates, we found the $99 Sizzling rate, which includes free breakfast. That compares to an advance purchase rate of $90 a night. For a little more space, you could get what seemed to be a junior suite (two beds, plus large sitting area) for $129 a night (Sizzling special) and $109 a night (advance purchase).

Bottom line, these are great deals for a property this luxe. At the end of the day, the Sizzling deal definitely wins out: Your free breakfast for four is likely worth $50 a day in value, which more than makes up for even a $9 difference in rates. Plus, you won't have that cloud of non-refundability hanging over your head, which you always do with Advance Purchase deals.

To get either deal, just enter dates and look for the different rate options listed, or call 800-722-2500 and ask for the Sizzling Staycation deal.

If your family wants a splashy last hurrah for the summer, you probably can't beat a combo of pools, slides and SpongeBob. At Tucson’s JW Marriott Star Pass, right next to hike-and-bike-friendly Tucson Mountain Park, the usual Nickelodeon Getaway Package is adding an extra dose of slime-rich value:  Book a two-night stay between  August 20 and September 20, and you'll get a third night free. The usual package also includes goodies for the kids (a SpongeBob or Dora pillowcase, and other Nick-themed swag) and a character breakfast for two adults and two children. 

The 575-room resort has four  pools, a lazy river and water slide, an Arnold Palmer golf course and a spa. High-season weekends here include dive-in movies, a poolside game show and complimentary Slime Slushies.

What are those freebies really worth? When we checked late August dates, we found a starting rate of $179 a night for a double room with no view. The character breakfast usually costs $100 for a family of four ($35/adult  x 2 + $15/child x 2). So if you were to book a three-night stay plus a character breakfast on your own, you'd pay $637. The package offers added value to $279, which is a 43% savings. And let's face it: if your kids are of the right age, there'd be serious pressure to do the breakfast.

When booking online, look for the Third Night Free deal after entering dates. Alternatively, you can book by phone at 520/792-3500 and ask for the promotion by name.

The 530-room Hyatt Grand Champions Resort & Spa in Palm Springs makes for a great desert getaway (see our review), with seven pools—incuding a waterslide and spray zone—spa, tennis, golf, free bike rentals and a Camp Hyatt kids’ club. The only problem: It's so comfy that you'd be hard pressed to leave the edge of the pool, let alone venture off property and soak up the surroundings.

Yet the resort is enticing you to explore the local area for at least one day during your desert vacation. Its Living Desert Safari Package combines a stay at the desert resort with a VIP-level tour of the Living Desert, a zoo of 450-plus animals with a botanical garden, and exhibits and shows about the North American and African deserts. The package is advertised at a starting rate of $299 a night and includes:

• a stay at Hyatt Grand Champions ($239 for a standard room)
• three-hour private riding tour of the Living Desert, including lunch and a behind-the-scenes look at Amur leopards, giraffe feedings, a carousel ride, a tour of the wildlife hospital (VIP tour regularly $36/person, or $144 for a family of four)
  

This getaway is best saved for after October 1, when cooler temperatures allow the Living Desert to re-open many of its shows and exhibits. If paying regular admission to the Living Desert without the VIP tour, a typical family of four would pay $41 ($12.75/adult x 2 + $7.75/child ages 3 to 12 x 2). 

Deal or no deal? A great getaway, but no real savings. Frugal families will bypass the VIP tour and simply buy regular admission, thus shaving $100 off their spend.

Expecting a new baby? If you're game to take your newborn for an island vacation, the ultra-kid-friendly Franklyn D. Resort in Runaway Bay, Jamaica (see our review), is offering an intriguing special. Its WeeBabyMoon offer promises you'll save more than 50% if you are traveling with a baby less than three months old.

Here's how it works: Dad pays the regular all-inclusive, per-person rate (regular rates start at $310/night) and mom stays free along with two non-infant kids and, of course, the new bundle of joy. The kicker: The resort will even reimburse you the $85 it will cost to get your wee jet setter's passport.

The homey, 78-suite resort (from studios to 2-bedroom)  offers four restaurants, two pools, a water slide, water sports, tennis, basketball, a kids' club and—get this—your own dedicated vacation nanny, who is on call for free childcare or just stocking your fridge  during your entire visit. Your rates also includes taxes and a free transfer to and from Montego Bay Airport. When we checked some early fall dates, we saw that kids ages 7 to 16 are usually charged $50 a night; kids under 6 always stay free. 

One catch: You have to stay at least seven nights. And, if this weren't obvious, you have to be traveling with a newborn. If getting up at all hours of the night with a little baby makes you cower, think of it this way: During the day, hello vacation nanny.

The fine print: This package is not available for the five days before or after a US or Jamaican  holiday. We didn't see clear links for booking the deal online, so your best bet is to call 800/654-1337 and ask for the "WeeBabyMoon" offer.

Looking for a last-minute bargain in Mexico? Hilton Cancun Golf & Spa Resort is offering a super-tempting low summer rate of $99 a night, which drops to $89 a night if you book within seven days of your arrival. (The one catch: The $89 rate is an advance-purchase deal where you must pay in full when you book, and the purchase is non-refundable.)

To sweeten the pot even more, you can also score free kids’ meals through the end of September (one child per accompanying adult). If you figure that kids’ meals run about $30 a day per child ($10/meal x 3 meals), then this deal delivers an added value of $60 every day for a family of four, or a total of $300 in value for a five-day stay. The resort has five restaurants, offering a variety of Mexican and seafood themes and one  devoted just to pizza and pasta.

The Hilton Cancun offers plenty to keep the family occupied between meals, too.  The 426-room, AAA Four Diamond resort has a white-sand beach, seven pools, a playground, bicycle rentals, golf, a spa and a kids' club for ages 4 to 11, priced very reasonably at $45 per child for a full day, including lunch.

The last-minute summer special is good through September 30, 2010. When booking online, there is no special code for this deal; book the regular rate and the free kids’ meals will be incoporated. Alternatively, call 877/GO-HILTON (877/464-4586) and mention the Kid Eat Free last-minute deal.

Handed $100 at a resort, what would you do with it—eat? Go to the spa? Eat at the spa?

We know that resort credits offered in hotel deals almost always get absorbed at hotel restaurants—and that's very smart, especially when you’re traveling with kids who love to order $7 sundaes.  The Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa, located between Jacksonville and St. Augustine on Florida's Atlantic coast, is offering such a deal this summer for families: The Stay Together, Play Together package, where you’ll reeive a $100 resort credit per night, good at the resort's restaurants, golf course or spa. If you stay for three nights, for instance, you'll get a $300 credit.

And this is definitely a place where you'd probably use that credit on dining, since there's so much to keep you busy on-site.  The 508-room resort has a beach,  four pools, two golf courses, a kids' club, a beach clubhouse with playground and 350 acres of fishing-friendly lakes. It’s been named one of the country's Top 50 resorts by Conde Nast Traveler and acclaimed a great Family Beach Resort by Parents magazine.

But is the "Stay Together, Play Together" package the best you can do? The Marriott Sawgrass also has a Family Fun package, where kids eat free (one child per accompanying adult). Like the $100 resort-credit package, it promises a starting rate of $169 a night. But when we compared prices for some August dates, the price for a resort-view room with two queen beds and a  balcony was $149 a night with the "Family Fun" package but $219 for the "Stay Together, Play Together" package. 

If you figure that each children's meal is worth about $10, then the "Family Fun" package would deliver added value of about $60 a day ($10 x 2 kids x 3 meals).  If we also assume that two adults could eat for about $120 a day ($20 per meal x 2 adults x 3 meals), then lodging for three nights plus meals would come to about $807 ($149 x 3 nights + $120 x 3 days). Meanwhile, you'd pay $897 for three nights with the "Stay Together, Play Together" package ($219 x 3 nights + $180 x 3 days - $300 credit). The upshot: The "Family Fun" package would save you $30 a day, or $90 on a three-night stay.

Both offers are good through September 30. You can book the "Stay Together, Play Togther" and the "Family Fun" packages online or by calling 904/285-7777.

Spend your vacation in a town with a lot of kid-friendly attractions—theme parks, museums, zoos—and you'll blow a good chunk of your budget on overpriced, concession-style meals. So we were intrigued by the Experience More Paradise package at San Diego's Paradise Point Resort and Spa, which works on a sliding scale: stay three nights and you get a $300 resort credit; four nights earns a $400 resort credit; five nights comes with a $500 credit.  You can use it at the resort restaurants, shop and spa—and, according to the reservations agent we spoke to, also at the kids' club and bicycle rentals (online, the site says the credit is only for dining). But even if you do only use it for dining, $100 a day would cover at least one meal a day at the resort.

And this is just the kind of resort that you would want to log some good time at, and not just as a base camp for area attractions. The 44-acre, 460-room resort, set on the edge of San Diego's Mission Bay, feels nicely isolated, thanks to the bay on one side, and the lush, tropical vegation that surrounds the rest of the island-style resort (proof: they call the patios “lanais”). It has a bayside beach; five pools (one for adults, one for little kids); tennis; an 18-hole, kid-friendly putting course; water sports rentals and a summertime kids' club for ages 4-12.

The resort is also blessed with a fantastic location, just a couple-minutes’ drive into the heart of Mission Bay and funky, neighboring Pacific Beach, with an ocean beach, restaurants and a small, Coney-Island style amusement park. You're also within a half-hour drive of the San Diego Zoo or Legoland and, best of all, within walking distance of SeaWorld.

Now for the bad news: The Experience More Paradise offer is only good on the Garden Bungalow or Bayside Bungalow suites, one-bedroom-plus-living rooms accommodations priced at $645 a night on the dates we checked. The good news: We quickly saw a better deal, good for all room types: a Summer - 4th Night Free promo which offers a 25% break on rooms that start at a more modest $279 a night for standard digs with two double beds and a garden view.

The offers are based upon availability for stays through August 21. To book the Experience More Paradise or 4th Night Free promo online, look next to rates after you punch in dates. Alternatively you can book by phone at 800/344-2626 and mention the offer by name.

Still making summer travel plans? Good news: The greatest deals aren't all long gone. At the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, located about 40 miles from Annapolis on the banks of the Choptank River, the Summer Sizzle package is promising a 45% price cut, with rates starting as low as $159 on weeknights and $199 on weekends. 

Even better news: The prices lives up to their promise and then some. When we checked dates in July at the Maryland resort, we found a $249-a-night rate for a weekend stay in a resort-view room with two double beds, compared to the $459 regular rate—a 46% discount. For weeknights we found the $159 rate for a double-double, which is a whopping 60% less than the regular rate of $399.

The 342-acre, marina-side resort features pools (including a kids’ pool) and a beach, with free amenities such as tennis and volleyball courts, a mini golf course, and a blue-heron rookery. You can rent paddleboats and kayaks, play golf, hit the spa or send kids ages 4-12 to the pirate-themed kids’ club ($40/half-day, $75/day).  This summer, the 400-room resort is also offering a long list of family-friendly activities, from family Iron Chef Competitions and cookie decorating to dive-in movies or roasting s'mores—most free or with a nominal fee.  And taking the pirate theme one step further, it's playing host to the Pirate Adventures of the Eastern Shore, an hour-plus show aboard a pirate ship with hands-on activities for kids ($25/adult guest, $10/child, though there will be also be weekly discounts).

The package is good for travel through September 30 and is based upon availability. To book online, use promotional code SUMSIZ, or ask for the Summer Sizzle package when calling 800/633-7313.

As much as we love the Bay Area's plethora of chic, modern, urban hotels, it's also nice to soak up the history and elegance of one of Northern California's grande dames. The 279-room Claremont Hotel, in the Berkeley Hills, first opened in 1915 and still exudes a classic, old-style-resort vibe yet offers a lot more than croquet on the lawn.  It has three pools, tennis, a spa and a kids’ club that offers guests two to three hours of free childcare every day (two hours for kids ages 6 months to 2 years; three hours for kids ages 3 to 10). The hotel also puts on special events such as Friday night movies, tequila tastings for the grown-ups and yoga master classes. 

The Claremont is offering a Family Fun in the Sun offer this summer, with rates starting at $299 for a family of four. A family booking a three-night stay in July with this package would get:

• lodging in a a deluxe room, with taxes included (normally $269/night x 3 = $807)
  
• $100 resort credit, which you can use at the spa, kids' club (day-long camps cost extra) or on tennis or swim lessons
  
• daily breakfast for two adults and two kids at the Meritage at the Claremont ($80 x 3 days=$240)
• in-room movie and popcorn (worth about $15)
• free daily parking and waived resort fee ($24/day for each, or $48 x 3 days = $144 for three days)

When we price-checked a stay for a family of four in July, the package rate was quoted as $399 a night for a non-view room with two double beds, or $1,197 for a three-night stay. Meanwhile, if booking without the package, the best available regular rate was $269 a night. Once you figure in the resort credit, parking, resort fee, breakfast, and movie, your total spend would come to $1,306 for three nights before taxes, meaning that the package offers a mere 8% savings. Still, don't forget that free childcare (a half-day can easily cost $40 per child at comparable resorts), which definitely boosts the family appeal.

Deal or no deal? Eh. It's definitely not what we'd call a blockbuster deal, but shaving 8% off your bill is better than nothing if you've been dreaming of a stay at the Claremont. The Family Fun in the Sun package is good for stays through September 6. When entering dates online, look for the Family Fun in the Sun package or mention the deal when calling  800/551-7266.

Heading to  L.A. area this summer? The beach towns of Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan Beach provide easy access to major draws (Hollywood, Disneyland) while offering a laid-back base away from the tourist throngs. In Redondo Beach, the 161-room The Portofino Hotel & Yacht Club is intimately scaled and qualifies as family-friendly for its pool, firepits and free bicycles to borrow. Plus, you have easy walking access to the beach, a festive pier, and the sea lions in nearby King Harbor. 

This summer, the Portofino is offering a $50-a-night credit when you stay at least two nights, up to a maximum credit of $200 when you stay four. While we love the idea using that credit toward a free or cheap breakfast for four each morning (one stack of blueberry pancakes=$10), we wanted to be sure it was the best deal available.

Room rates during the summer start at $239 on weeknights and $329 on weekends, so you can think of the $50 credit as added value to the tune of 21% on weekdays and 15% on weekends. Keep in mind, however, that you'll still pay full price for the room. 

The Portofino is also offering a Sizzling Summer Savings promo that works on a sliding scale: Save 10% when you stay two nights; save 20% when you stay three nights; or get your fourth night free (25% off). And yet another offer—the advanced purchase rate—may trump them both, if you don't mind committing some money upfront. If you book at least 14 days before your arrival and pay for one night (room and tax) at that time, you can save 30% off a four-night stay. Keep in mind, though, that you'll lose your deposit if you cancel within eight days of your arrival.

The 4th Night Free offer is available for stays through September 30; enter promo code SIZZLE.  The $50 credit and advanced-purchase rate are open-ended; enter promo code PROMO or ADVANCED. Or book by phone at 800/468-4292 and mention the offer of your choice.