For families looking for a resort that delivers a casual yet active vacation, Club Med delivers a lot of positives: all-inclusive pricing, good food, imaginative kids' programming (including, at some properties, a circus school), and a wide array of family activities.  

Club Med is offering all of that at a substantial discount during its Fall “Wow” Sale,  with rates starting at $399 per person for a three-night stay.  When we test-booked three nights in September at Club Med Cancun Yucatan (see our review) for a family of four, we landed a price of $1,298 for a club two-bedroom suite (the standard lodging option). That's a savings of nearly 60% off the regular price of $3,152.

And that's not all. When you book a deluxe room or suite at Club Med resorts in Mexico or the Dominican Republic, you'll get either a free massage at the resort spa or a local excursion for two.  (A three-night September stay in a deluxe two-bedroom oceanfront room would run $1,578.)

The catch? You have to book by August 30, and travel between September 1 and October 31.  Stays of seven nights or more qualify for the discounted "wow" rates through April 29, 2011, including holidays. Book online or call 888/932-2582 and ask for the "wow" sale.

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.

All-inclusives are a popular way to streamline costs, and a good sale at an all-inclusive resort can feel like scoring an extra trip to the make-your-own sundae bar. Azul Hotels by Karisma, a  collection of four upscale all-inclusive beach hotels on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, bills itself as "gourmet inclusive," which means no buffets, just à la carte dining all the way. Guest can also enjoy 24-hour room service, beach butler service, and swim-up bars at the pool. All four Azul hotels are offering a Best Family Travel Rates Guaranteed Package, promising up to 30% off stays through August 24, and 20% off stays between August 25 and October 31.

Of the four resorts, the two that are best for kids (especially little kids) are both near the small town of Puerto Morelos, 20 miles south of Cancun: the intimate 98-room Azul Beach Hotel and the 430-suite Azul Sensatori Hotel. Both will lend you strollers, Fisher-Price toys, bottle warmers, and they have complimentary kids' clubs for at least ages 4 to 12. At Sensatori, kids as young as 6 months can attend, if they have a parent with them; Azul Sensatori also has a teen club. As all-inclusives, meals are included in both resorts' rates.

The package includes:

• kids under 3 stay free (always true at Azul hotels)
• $50/night for first child ages 3-12 years; second child 3 – 12 years stays free (normal rate for Azul hotels)
• $100 credit toward couple’s Beachfront Sky Massages (usually about $150, so a 66% savings)

At the Azul Beach hotel, a deluxe double room with the package was advertised for $1,690 for five nights, down from $2,680, with both kids staying free—which would appear to be a 36% savings. Since the package rate was the only option when booking online for those dates, e could not verify that a family would have normally paid $2,680. But when we checked rates for the same room at the Azul Beach for November, in peak season—a five-night stay for four topped $3,700. 

Deal or no deal? Pack that Spanish dictionary and your bathing suits, since you'll enjoy significant savings at either property. 

You must book the deal by June 24. You don't need a code to book online—just look for the "Best Family Travel Rate"—or mention the Best Family Rate when calling 866/527-4762.

Note: The US State Department has issued a travel warning for Mexico that focuses on the Northern border region. There has been no such violence on the Rivera Maya, yet anyone traveling to Mexico should, of course, be aware of the situation and read the advisory.

Ready to commit to your summer vacation plans? Hilton is launching a Great Getaway sale, which is advertised at up to 30% off hotel rooms for stays between May 28 and September 6.  Good at 2,800 hotels around the world—including Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, and Homewood Suites—the offer often includes free breakfast, too, for at least two people.

The discount varies a little by brand name: You’ll get a full 30% off at Doubletree hotels; 25%  at Hilton properties;  and 20% at Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites, Hilton Grand Vacations, Hilton Garden Inn, Waldorf Astoria and Conrad. The deal is available at only select Embassy Suites.

Sounds pretty good, right? No so fast. The discount applies to the Bed & Breakfast rate, which is always higher than the lowest regular rate and the regular advance-purchase rate. And the offer comes with some big restrictions: You have to book at least seven days ahead of your arrival and pay in full upfront, with no possible refund.

We shopped at some family-friendly spots to see how the special offer played out. At the Hilton Garden Inn in Williamsburg, the special offer rate was $112 a night, down from the Bed & Breakfast rate of $141. Now comes the comparison pricing: That's 21% off the B&B rate but just 15% off the best regular rate of $129. Meanwhile, the regular advance-purchase, no-refund rate was $105. Think of the special offer as getting a free, cooked-to-order breakfast for each family member for just $7 in total. Rooms at the hotel, less than two miles from the city center, have fridges and microwaves, and the hotel has the obligatory pool.

At the Hilton Los Cabos resort in Mexico's Cabo San Lucas—which has a beach, pool and kids' club—the special offer shaves 25% off this property's B&B rate. The special offer rate for an ocean view room with two queen beds was $194 a night, compared to $259 for the B&B rate, which includes two buffet breakfasts for the grown-ups each morning and free meals for kids 5 and under. When you figure in those free meals, the special offer probably has the edge over the regular advance-purchase rate of $179 a night—but just barely, and only if your kids are very young.

Verdict: This is a great example of how marketing spin can make a just-okay offer sound much better than it is. And it's a good reminder of why you need to follow recession travel rule no. 1 and always do the math. Sometimes this special offer beats all the hotel's other rates—and sometimes you can do better by choosing another rate from the menu. On the upside, this offer usually delivers a free breakfast, so long as you can also stomach the non-refundable risk.

Look for the Great Getaway rates when entering dates online, or mention the deal when calling 800/446-6677. You must book before July 15. Some brands  have their own twists on the rules, such as a three-night minimum and no breakfast at Hilton Grands, or two-night minimum night stay for Wednesday arrivals at Homewoods Suites. As usual, other restrictions may apply.

We've rhapsodized before about Travel Ticker as a go-to site for finding amazing travel bargains, but it bears repeating: It's one of the very best resources we know for family vacations on a budget and quick, get-outta-Dodge getaways. Unlike most deal-finding sites, Travel Ticker has a page dedicated to family travel. Here's just a sample of what we found when we checked it today:

• Orlando, FL: 450-square-foot suite with kitchenette at Celebrity Resorts Lake Buena Vista Orlando near Downtown Disney, $45 a night. Valid now-May 21.
  
• Fort Myers Beach, FL: 45% off beachfront studios at the Pink Shell Beach Resort & Spa, just $109 a night midweek, $139 a night on weekends. Valid April 25-June 30.
• Cabo, Mexico: 5-night all-inclusive vacation with air, from $549 per person (based on airfare from Los Angeles), staying at the Presidente InterContinental Los Cabos. Kids stay, play, and eat for free. Valid April 12-July 3.
• San Francisco, CA: 50% off weekend stays at the Harbor Court Hotel, right on the waterfront, for just $89 a night. Valid now-June 30.
  
• Philadelphia, PA: 45% off the upscale Radisson Warwick and its great downtown location, just $109 a night. It even includes free Internet access and parking. Valid now-May 31.

If there's one thing that gets our attention quicker than a resort’s lure of "kids stay free,” it’s a discount of 50% or better. Dream Resorts, with 11 hotels in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, is extending a version of its Winter Escapes deal into the spring and early summer (and then rolling it out again in the fall). Kids 12 and under stay free and, thanks in part to a resort credit, the savings are advertised to be as much as 50% off regular rates.

The Dreams line of all-inclusive resorts look plenty family friendly, with a focus on activities and with rates that include all your basic meals and beverages, as well as admission to the kids’ club. We looked the closest at Baja-based Dreams Los Cabos, which boasts ocean views from every room and offers three pools (one just for kids), golf, a spa and a roster of activities that includes archery, beach volleyball, movies on the beach, soccer, yoga, "monster" chess and basketball, and even cooking and cocktail classes. Its complimentary Explorer Club is for kids ages 3 to 12. With a minimum three-night stay, the Winter Escape package includes:

• lodging for two adults (normally starting at $481/night x 3 nights = $1,442 ) 
• kids 12 and under stay free (normally $73/child x 3 nights x 2 kids = $438)
• $200 in resort credit, which can be used on spa treatments, special dining, and wine
  

We test-booked a three-night stay for a family of four in early June at the Dreams Los Cabos. If booked without the Winter Escape package, the stay would cost $1,880 for two adults and two children in a junior suite. For the same dates, we found a Winter Escape rate of $372 a night for a family of four in a junior suite, or 1,116 for the three-night stay—a hefty 40% savings.

Then there's that $200 resort credit, which seems like such a great bonus until you try to use it. As it turns out, you can only cash it in for situations where you’ll be spending a bundle, and rules abound. For instance: You can use up to $100 worth of coupons at the spa, but only if you buy three separate treatments (a 50-minute massage starts at $125). Or you can use $60 in credit on “romantic dining” (a special dinner for two on the beach, normally $250) and $40 for wine (though you can only use it $10 at a time). 

Deal or no deal? A great value, even if it doesn't quite live up to its promise of 50% savings. We hate that the $200 resort credit is a classic spend-to-save "gotcha." But even so, it’s hard to complain about kids staying free at an all-inclusive.

The Kids Stay Free/Winter Escape deal is good for stays from May 1 through June 25 and again from August 28 through December 23. When booking online, look for the Winter Escape heading over rates, or mention the Kids Stay Free/Winter Escape deal when calling 866/237-3267.

More on Dreams Resorts:
Readers' Reviews: Dreams Riviera Cancun

While some of the resorts are more grown-up-geared (or even adults-only), we were intrigued by the special offer promising up to 40% off at Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach, which seems to be the most kid-friendly of the bunch. The 324-room resort is cut into a hillside and offers three pools (including a kids’ pool with sandy-beach entry), a kids club, spa and beach access (though it's a non-swimming beach). The special offer includes:

• Airfare for four to Los Cabos on Alaska Airlines ($266/person if booked on Orbitz)
• Lodging for two adults and two kids under 12 in a junior suite (published rate is $260/night)

When we test-booked the special offer for a three-night stay in April, departing from Southern California, the package rate came to $1,951. But the Pueblo Bonito website didn't break down prices for hotel and airfare, so it was impossible to know where—or if—there were savings. To get around that, we test-booked hotel-only rates for the same dates, and found a rate of $195—which is 25% off the published “rack rate” of $260.  We can assume that the airfare portion of this package came to at least $300 per person.

Next, we shopped around independently to find the best prices for the air and hotel components, with mixed results. On Kayak.com, for example, we found a rate of $265 a night for the hotel ($5 more than the rack rate), or $957 for three nights after taxes and fees. Meanwhile, on Orbitz we found four roundtrip tickets from San Diego on Alaska Airlines for $266 apiece, which came to $1,064. The total for this vacation when booked independently came to $2,021—$70 more than Pueblo Bonito’s special offer.

But keep in mind that if you paid the $260-a-night rack rate at this hotel and booked your airfare through Orbitz, you could get this three-night vacation for $2,104. So the air+hotel special offer saves you only $153, or a measly 7%. 

The best deal of all came when we paired the hotel's room-only rate of $195 a night with airfare from Orbitz. With that combination, the vacation price came down to $1,649. That's more than $300 cheaper than the package rate!

Deal or no deal? Don't pack your sunscreen just yet. The package didn't come anywhere near a 40% savings in our test. This is a reminder to always do your own own test-booking on any package that includes airfare, just to make sure you're really getting the best deal from your home airport. 

The spring specials are good through May 31. You can book online from either the specials page or the main reservations page on Pueblo Bonito's website. If booking by phone, call 888/205-3315 and ask for the Spring Specials for either air+hotel or hotel alone.

This winter is turning out to be a great time for a weekend getaway, thanks to big sales at two of the largest hotel chains. Last week we posted about Hilton's mega January sale, which offers winter weekend savings of up to 33% across its chains. 

Now Marriott has stepped up to the plate with a  Global Rate Break promo that lets you save 20% on weekend rates stay at many of its hotels—and claims to up the ante to a 40% discount at a few resorts. The deal applies to various Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Courtyard, Fairfield, SpringHill, Residence Inn, and TownPlace Suites hotels all over the world. 

We checked rates at several properties and found that, indeed, the deal typically delivers a 20% price cut. At Desert Springs, the JW Marriott in the Palm Springs area with requisite pool, lawn games and kids club, we found rates of $327 a night for a room with two beds and a balcony—down from the desert’s high season rate of $409. In Hawaii, the deal offered up the Kauai Marriott  for just $194 a night, down from $240.

But don’t get your hopes too high on the 40%-off lure that's said to be available at select resorts in the Caribbean, Latin America and Hawaii. When we test-booked a stay at a handful of properties for a February weekend getaway, we couldn’t find any availability at the 40%-off rate.  More commonly, we found that this deal led to a 20% discount.

The sale applies to weekend stays (Thursday to Sunday), and some hotels require a two-night minimum. You must book by January 22 and complete your stay by March 21. Use promo code F5X when booking online.

This sale delivers tons of weekend destination options for traveling families. Want a city break? Consider Hilton properties in San Diego (the Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa is just one mile from SeaWorld), Boston’s super-convenient Back Bay neighborhood, or the family-friendly Doubletree Guest Suites in Washington DC. 

Hoping to escape the cold? At the Hilton Longboat Key Beachfront Resort, the January Sale offers nightly rates starting at $288 for a double room on February weekend.  By comparison, the resort's best available bed-and-breakfast rate for that stay is $429 per night—which does indeed translate to 33% off your bill.

You must book before January 31, but you can travel anytime before December 26. As always, there are some blackout dates and other restrictions. The sale rates are pre-payable and non-refundable, so you should be confident of your travel dates before booking.