Bermunda turns 400 years old this year and is hoping you'll help celebrate her birthday with a vacation.  Visit the island this winter and you can get up to $400 in credit (typically in the form of companion air credit from the airline with which you book the package). The credit amount is calculated on a sliding scale, based on the number of nights you stay. Folks booking a two-night stay will get $200 in credits; book a three-night stay and get $300 back; come for four nights or more, and you'll get $400 in credit. As a bonus, you'll also receive a booklet containing coupons worth $1,000.

This air + hotel package gives you a choice of 10 hotels and is available through various airlines and travel operators from major East coast hubs (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Miami, as well as multiple airports in Canada). Though the deal is the same, the airline depends on your departure city. A family departing from New York City, for example, could purchase the package through JetBlue and receive up to $400 in companion air credits.

Book by March 27 and travel by March 31.

What are our top three reasons for loving Southwest Airlines? No hidden fees, no hidden fees, and no hidden fees. We also like how airfares just got lower with the "Wanna Get Away?" sale. Fly on Tuesday or Wednesday and you can snag fares for $49 to $99 one-way on select routes nationwide. Fly Thursday to Monday, and sale prices range from $59 to $159 one-way.

Book by January 19 and fly between January 15 and April 30 with a 14-day advance purchase.

Set on a hilltop overlooking the Berkshire Mountains in western Massachusetts, the plucked-from-the-Gilded-Age Cranwell Resort, Spa and Golf Club is just a two-hour drive from New York City and Boston. The historic Cranwell Mansion, built in 1894, is the centerpiece of the 380-acre resort which boasts golf courses, 6 miles of cross-country skiing trails, and an award-winning spa. It's the only four-diamond resort in the Berkshires.  This winter, Cranwell is offering a Two-Night Berkshire Ski Package, with rates starting at $272 per adult (kids stay free, so it's $544 for a family of four) Sunday through Thursday and $299 per adult (or $598 for the family) on weekends and holidays.  The package is being positioned as a deal for families, but is it really?  We crunched some numbers. The package includes:

• Two nights of Superior Resort accommodations for two adults and two children under 12 sharing one room (worth $610 for a “resort double” room, weekend stay)
• Two Country Buffet breakfasts for two adults and two children under 12 years (worth $20/adult and $13/child 5-12, for a total of $66)
• Two lift tickets per adult to nearby Jiminy Peak (worth $224) or Butternut Ski areas (worth $220 on weekends)
• Unlimited cross-country skiing at Cranwell (trail passes worth $16/day x2 adults + $12/day x 2 kids 6-12 = $56, equipment rental not included)
• One casual dinner at Sloane’s Tavern for two adults and two children under 12 years (valued at $90, figuring $35/adult and $10/child)
• Complimentary access to the resort’s 60-food heated indoor pool and use of the spa’s saunas, whirlpools and steam rooms for adults (always offered at no charge to all guests)

For a two-night weekend stay, this package costs $598 for a family of four with two kids 5 to 12.  Note, however, that this ski package doesn’t include lift tickets for kids, which on a weekend will set you back an additional $172-$196  for two days at Jiminy Peak or $180 for two days at Butternut.  So your total spend would be closer to $868 (2 days of Butternut lift tickets = $180 + $598 package price).

If you purchased the package's elements separately, the same two-night/three-day weekend stay would cost $1222  (including $180 for two days of kids’ lift tickets at Butternut and one-day trail passes for cross-country skiing), so the package saves you $354.  (If you chose to ski at Jiminy Peak, where lift tickets cost more, you'd save another $20 with the package).

Deal or no deal?   A deal! For active, skiing families that like luxury, this package delivers posh surroundings at the Cranwell plus three days out in the snow. Since the regular weekend rate at the Cranwell runs $610 for two nights, you essentially get three meals and lots of slope time for just $258 extra—a 29% savings on what those elements would normally cost.  

Note: Blackout dates are January 16-28 and February 13-21.

Amid the tidal wave of fantastic deals on Caribbean getaways, JetBlue has unveiled a More Beach for Your Buck Sale. The airline is selling 5,000 packages that bundle roundtrip airfare plus three nights accommodation for $599 or less per person. Destinations include Aruba, Bermuda, Cancun, the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and St. Maarten/St. Martin.

Actual prices depend on both the departure city and chosen resort. When we price-checked this deal using different departure cities, it quickly became clear that the "$599 or less" price applies only if you're flying non-stop from an East coast airport served by JetBlue—and even then, not always.

When we ran the numbers online for a family of four (two adults, two kids aged 5 and 9), here's what we found:

Flying New York JFK to Aruba for a three-night, Thursday-Sunday stay in mid-March, the package comes to $2,211.69 ($552.92/person) if you stay at the Westin Resort, Aruba (aerial of the pool area, right).

Flying Boston to San Juan for a three-night, Thursday-Sunday stay in early March, the package comes to $2,464.59 ($615.65/person) at the Four Points by Sheraton Resort and Casino at Palmas del Mar or $2,645.59 ($661.40/person) at the InterContinental San Juan Resort and Casino.

Note that JetBlue is limiting this sale to 5,000 packages. In other words, it's a limited offer and you need to act fast if you're interested. You can book online or by calling 800/JETBLUE, option 3. You must book by December 31 for travel between January 3 and March 31, 2009. Blackout dates are February 12 to 22 for the entire promotion; some individual resorts  have additional blackout periods.

Deal or no deal? A deal, but only if you live near a JetBlue-served East coast airport such as New York's JFK.

If you’ve ever thought about trying skiing or snowboarding, now might be the time.  January is "Learn a Snow Sport Month" at alpine resorts, Nordic centers, state and national parks all over the US. There are special or discounted learn-to-ski and learn-to-snowboard packages available in 23 states, including California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Northern Minnesota, Southern Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. The offers vary from state to state, so compare the programs in neighboring states before booking.

Vermont is offering one of the best deals out there. From January 4 to 11, first-time skiers and snowboarders can get free lessons, rentals and limited-lift tickets.  The package is available at a dozen ski areas in the Green Mountain State including Bromley, Okemo (see our review), Smuggler’s Notch (see our review), and Stratton—where regular prices could easily run you $100 per person.  This deal is for beginner, first-time skiers and snowboarders only, ages 6 and up, and is limited to one lesson per person. Registration just opened and spaces are very limited, so make tracks if you're interested. 

Not interested in downhill? You can try out cross-country or snowshoeing for free on January 10, 2009 at one of more than 80 spots across the country. Now that's a breath of fresh air.

We just got back from a whirlwind weekend in Manhattan for our seasonal fix, and the Big Apple didn’t disappoint.

'Tis the season: The city was all dressed up for the holidays and there were a few magical moments, like when it snowed as if on cue when we walked out of Saturday night’s performance of the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center. With two girls in tow (a 10-year-old and a 12-year-old ballerina), the ballet was the main event of the trip, and Manhattan gave us plenty to do with our remaining time. 

There was a chill in the air, an ever-present aroma of roasting chestnuts, and—especially along Fifth Avenue from Times Square north to Central Park—holiday adornments to make even the most jaded grown-up stop and stare.  The famously elaborate window displays at Saks drew a block-long line of onlookers, complete with velvet rope and doorman (but you can also just take a peek as you walk by).  The Cartier building is wrapped up like a gift, Saint Patrick's Cathedral looks gorgeous, and of course we had to see the tree at Rockefeller Center.  It's a stunner at night but pretty even during the day—and one of dozens of great spots for picture-taking.  

In a moment of weakness, we made our way through the crowd at M&M's World (Broadway between 48th and 49th Sts; 212/295-3850) and walked out with two custom-mixed bags of melt-in-your-mouth treats. Those M&Ms helped fuel us onward, through dropping temperatures and stops at several street vendors to buy the girls ear muffs and scarves.  We also found the Anthropologie store at Rockefeller Center (212/246-0380) to be a warm stop on the tour, stocked with lots of gifts with an off-the-beaten-path feel.

The downside to visiting in December, of course, is the huge crowds. Either embrace it as holiday hustle and bustle or stay off of Fifth Avenue. 

Where we stayed: The Skyline Hotel (49th St and Tenth Ave; 800/433-1982) is a four-story low-rise on the West Side that would not be out of place in South Beach.  It's small and nondescript but clean, well-staffed, and blessed with a location that worked for us:  just a three-minute hop off of the West Side Highway (key, especially on a traffic-heavy Saturday in December), and an easy walk to Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Lincoln Center, and Columbus Circle.  We also loved the fabulous $10-a-day parking fee—unheard of in New York.  We were less impressed that our TV was old and had a fuzzy picture, though we weren't in the room much.  The Skyline has two wings; the west wing (the one we didn’t stay in) is newer, though all rooms have been renovated within the past two years.

Where we ate: We loved dinner at The Eatery (798 Ninth Ave; 212/765-7080; avg $25/person).  Though it had no kids' menu, there were some kid-friendly items, like a “mac and jack” that our 12-year-old proclaimed to be the best mac and cheese ever tasted, and sea scallops that our 10-year-old devoured. 

Sunday breakfast at Vynl (754 Ninth Ave; 212/974-2003; avg $10/person) was delicious. We were there when the doors opened at 9:30am for brunch, and we were seated right away.  The kids loved checking out the individual restrooms, each named and decorated after a different singer (Dolly Parton, Cher, Elvis), right down to the music playing inside.

Another don’t-miss was Levain Bakery  (W. 74th St between Amsterdam and Columbus; 212/874-6080; items from $3.75) for unbelievably delicious, nearly-half-pound cookies and fabulous gourmet pizzas. (Oh, and the bread's good, too.)

The damage: Our double room at the hotel cost $370 a night—not bad for NYC in peak holiday season, and the room was a bit larger than we were expecting.  The best reason to stay at the Skyline, though, is the low parking fee (no in/out privileges, though, so grab everything when you pull in). With taxes, the total hotel tab was around $420 for our one-night stay.

Four Nutcracker tickets cost $460, dinner ran $100, and breakfast cost about $50 with tip.  Because of the hotel's location, we were able to minimize taxi costs (it helped to have kids old enough to log some miles on their feet).  We cabbed it to Lincoln Center on Saturday night for $10, but we walked back to the hotel after the ballet because the girls were having a blast catching snowflakes with their mouths wide open.  The total for our Big Apple whirlwind weekend came to just a bit over $1000—too pricey for a regular outing, perhaps, but in line with what we expected this special occasion to cost.

Tip: If your kids are old enough to be flexible about mealtimes, try to resist the urge to default to a mediocre lunch at a Times Square chain eatery and use that time to keep exploring. Just grab a pretzel from a street vendor (or, say, some M&Ms) and graze. That way, you’ll be nice and hungry for dinner at a truly great restaurant.