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).

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.

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."

'Tis the season for shopping and school concerts and holiday parties and frazzled nerves.  If the crazies have hit and you're dreaming about an escape, listen up:  Hilton Hotels is running The December Sale, which promises savings of up to 33% at participating Hilton properties around the globe when you book by New Year's Day and stay before January 8, 2012.

Turns out that "savings of up to 33%" doesn't mean you'll always be able to chop a third off your hotel bill. When we test-booked the offer at two family-friendly properties, we found actual savings hovering closer to 20%. At the Embassy Suites Washington D.C. at the Chevy Chase Pavilion, which boasts a location directly on the Metro Red Line, a two-bedroom suite runs $127 a night, which is a savings of 20% off the best available nightly rate of $159.  Want something warmer? Take a look at the Grand Vacation Suites at Sea World.  At that all-suite resort, we found December Sale nightly rates that were also 20% less than the best available rate: $119 for a one-bedroom suite and $199 for a two-bedroom suite (compared to best available rates of $149 and $249, respectively).    

As always, there's plenty of fine print. The rates are non-refundable, full payment is due at the time of booking, there's a seven-day advance purchase requirement, and blackout dates may apply. Book online or call 800/HILTONS.

On your marks, get set, shop! While you're online today, take advantage of the great travel sales to land a great deal on a family vacation for 2012. Here's a round-up of great Cyber Monday sales:

• What's better in the Bahamas? Savings, for starters. Save $450 on an air-inclusive package when you visit Bahamas.com, select the resort of your choice and use the promo code CYBER450 to receive an instant savings on an air-and-hotel package. Travel must be completed by February 29, 2012.
• Frontier Airlines is slashing 10% off every airfare today. Use promo code CYBER10.
• Alaska Airlines is offering fares as low as $40 each way for travel December through February.
  
• Orbitz's weekend sale is still on, offering 50% savings at popular hotels in destinations such as Orlando, San Diego, New York, Miami and Hawaii.
• Marriott is holding a Cyber Monday sale for savings of 25% at select Florida resorts for stays through January 8, 2012.
  
• Shell Vacations Hospitality's Black Friday sale continues, promising up to 50% in savings at its 23 family resorts in the US, Canada and Mexico.
  
• DirectAir is having a BOGO sale through today: Buy one ticket, get one free! Good for airfare through September 2012.
• Funjet's weekend sale showcases the 10 best deals of the season, promising big savings on vacations in Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii and Las Vegas when you travel through February 6, 2012.
• In Southern California, save 35% through today at the plush Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes.
• Like to ski? Liftopia.com's sale runs through today and offers up to 81% off lift ticket packages for your next ski vacation.
• Today between 9am and 9pm EST, there will be a new deal every three hours at Yuupon.com, with savings of up to 90% (no, that's not a typo) on vacations to destinations all over the world. Sign up for their e-mail alerts for an advance schedule of the sales.
• CheapCaribbean.com's Cyber Monday sale promises up to $100 per person in instant savings on trips to Mexico and the Caribbean.

Santa, baby, how about sticking a family vacation under the tree? We've rounded up a selection of great Black Friday travel sales that can help the big guy score a great deal.

• CheapCaribbean.com is offering discounts of up to $500 per person on Caribbean packages that include airfare. Sale ends Sunday.
• Orbitz is offering 50% savings at popular hotels in destinations such as Orlando, San Diego, New York, Miami and Hawaii. Sale runs through Monday.
  
• Shell Vacations Hospitality's Black Friday special lets you save 50% on vacations at its 23 family resorts in the US, Canada and Mexico.
  
• DirectAir is having a BOGO sale for Black Friday: Buy one ticket, get one free! Good for airfare through September 2012.
• Norwegian Cruise Line's sale includes a credit of up to $250 to spend on the ship.
• BookIt.com's Black Friday specials promise savings of up to 70% on vacations to Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean.
• Funjet's Black Friday weekend sale showcases the 10 best deals of the season, promising big savings on vacations in Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii and Las Vegas when you travel through February 6, 2012.
• Sterling Resorts is holding its annual blowout sale, with savings of up to 60% on condos at popular beach resorts along Florida's Gulf Coast.
• Heading off on a Disney vacation next year? Buy your souvenirs now at the Disney Store and save 50% on top of 20%! Use promo code THANKS.
• In Southern California, save 35% through Monday at the plush Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes.
• Like to ski? Liftopia.com's sale runs through Monday and offers up to 81% off lift ticket packages for your next ski vacation.
• There will be a new deal every hour at Yuupon.com, with savings of up to 90% (no, that's not a typo) on vacations to destinations all over the world. Sign up for their e-mail alerts for an advance schedule of the hourly sales.

In my latest Ask the Expert column, a reader is looking for a great deal on a Disney Cruise. It turns out that she has great timing, thanks to a few new developments at Disney Cruise Line that make it a great time to snag a cruise for less in 2012. For starters, Disney Cruise Line has added several new home ports, which makes it easier (and cheaper) for millions of families to drive to the ship instead of having to fly. In addition, Disney has a couple of excellent special offers on the table for sailings in late 2011 and early 2012. For more information, see Ask the Family Travel Expert: 4 Ways to Save on a Disney Cruise.

IHG, a group of seven hotel brands from upscale InterContinental to the raft of family-friendly Holiday Inn properties, has introduced what is essentially a rebate program for guests this summer.  The "Vacation Pay" promo promises a $75 prepaid MasterCard when you stay two consecutive weekend nights at any of IHG's 4,400 worldwide properties before August 31.  Participating chains include InterContentental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites.

Up to four rebates are permitted per household, so you could get back as much as $300.   There are some hoops to jump through (registering, filling out and mailing forms, etc.) but if you have plans to travel this summer and don't mind the legwork, you could enjoy a tidy windfall. 

Hotel deals that include breakfast are often a decent value—but be careful; sometimes you're really paying an inflated rate for some cold eggs.

The Hilton Garden Inn is tempting our inner pancake addict, however, with its summer Great Getaway promotion, which promises 15% off its regular Bed & Breakfast rate at US properties—and up to 40% off those B&B rates if you're traveling overseas.

The promo includes breakfast for two and kids 12 and under eat free. The only catch? You have to completely pre-pay your hotel bill, with no freedom to cancel or change your dates.

When we checked out some July dates in a few US cities, we did find a consistent 15% price break. In Savannah, Georgia, for instance, we found  a Hilton Garden Inn in the historic district—with a heated pool and a location just three blocks from the fried chicken and gravy at TV chef Paula Deen’s restaurant. With the offer, you could get a B&B rate of $119 a night for a room with two queens, which is a 16% break on the usual $141 B&B rate. The regular rate, meanwhile, was just $137 a night—which makes the B&B rate a great deal all on its own, since it includes breakfast for four for a whopping $4. Here's a case, if you don't want the restrictions of that advance-purchase, where the B&B rate is happily the best rate on its own. 

To take advantage of this promo, you must book at least 14 days in advance of your stay and travel by September 5, 2011.  Click on the Great Getaway box on the booking page, or mention the deal when calling the individual hotel's reservation line.

If you’re heading to a marquee-name resort these days, make your motto "Never Pay Retail." If you look hard—or even look a little—you can almost always find ways to whittle down the price.

Take Atlantis, on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Right now the mega-resort is throwing a Super Summer Sale with layers and layers of perks—especially if you book your trip using an American Express card. 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.

If you book by July 15, here’s what you get:

• A 4th night free (for July, rooms normally start at $224/night)
• Free breakfast daily for a family of four (worth $50/day x 4 days=$200)
  
• Kids ages 11 and under eat lunches and dinners free at most Atlantis restaurants (worth about $30/day x 2 kids x 4 days= $240 value)
• $150 resort credit that you can use at most resort outlets
• 2 passes for the kids’, pre-teen or teen clubs Club Rush, CRUSH or Atlantis Kids Adventures (worth up to $90 total)

In addition to getting a 25% discount on your room, you're getting almost $700 in freebies that you’ll either need (as in, food) or want (kids’ clubs or extra activities). And if you're ready to book by June 30, you can get even one more perk—a $250 credit against your family’s  total airfare, which brings your total savings near the $1,000 mark. 

And while using an Amex card helps, it’s not necessary for the bulk of the savings; the resort credit and club passes are only for Amex cardholders, but the 4th night free, airfare credit, breakfasts and kids meals are available for everyone. The different deals have different minimum stays involved, but if you go for four nights, you’ll qualify for everything except perhaps the airfare. The rules exclude a few features at the kids' clubs, and meals at  the chain restaurants  (Starbucks, Johnny Rocket’s). Yet Atlantis is so huge, and its options so varied, it will make little difference to most people.

To get the airfare deal, you must book by June 30, but can travel through December 21, excluding some blackout dates. For the other deals, you must book by July 15 and travel by August  20. To take advantage of these offers, you can use the link on the web site or call 888/877-7525.