It’s that time of year again (No, not Christmas, silly); the time when many hotels and resorts fire up their off-season price list. It’s absolutely incredible what some of the hotels and resorts… resort to… to get people to stay during the off-season. Just recently a popular newspaper did something a little unorthodox to try and save people money. They posted some late summer vacation destination bargains. That in and of itself is not the unorthodox part. The unorthodox question arises because they named the discount travel company that you can book through for these deals.

It read like an article, not an advertisement; even though that’s exactly what it was. Regardless of whether or not the whole thing was kosher is neither here nor there; the point of the matter is that you can now save big on big name beach resorts and hotels. At this late stage of the game I’m finally starting to realize why my family always took vacations right before school started again, or actually pulled me out of school for a few days shortly after school began again.

The savings in the offseason are available in most of the online travel sites as well, such as Expedia, travelocity, and Orbitz. The benefits of these travel sites is that they also offer coupons to go along with the discount. A travelocity promo code may give you $50-$100 off a vacation trip. An orbitz coupon can also save you significantly as well.

The savings are pretty incredible, I will admit. Here is a list of the daily discounted charges and destinations that were published recently in the paper in question (most ‘expensive’ to least):

• The Bahamas $151: Free or almost free things to do; visit the beach… any one of them… Such as Cabbage Beach-most popular shoreline beach or Cable Beach, visit the historical landmark Gregory Arch, stop in at Junkanoo for the biggest Christmas (Boxing Day) and New Year’s celebration of your life, tour the stunningly beautiful Versailles Gardens, climb the 65 step Queen’s Staircase or take in the flamingo pink colored buildings in Parliament Square.
• San Juan Puerto Rico $140: Free or just about free; how about a quick nine holes at Punta Borinquen Golf Course, tour Río Camuy Cave Park, see the four lighthouses in El Morro, El Portal tropical forest center, walk through the lush, tropical foliage of Jardin Bota’nico or the Butterfly Art Garden and for the kids Playa del Dorado.
• Myrtle Beach South Carolina $133: More or less free; there are endless parks and playgrounds, the Alligator Adventure Walk is fun, check out the South Carolina Hall of Fame, walk through the The Horry County Museum or the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum, and of course there’s always the oceanfront Boardwalk and even a beach or two.
• Saint Lucia $131: Free or pretty much free; enjoy Reduit Beach, Marigot Bay (popular Hollywood shoot area), and local vendors’ Castries Market (well, at least it’s free to look).
• Bonaire $129: Free or just about; go snorkeling in the crystal clear waters off the beach, visit their National Park, stop in at the Artesian Market’s Donkey Sanctuary or check out the Butterfly Farm.
• Daytona Beach Florida $113: Free or practically free; taste your way through the Angell and Phelps Chocolate Factory Tour, enjoy the Atlantic Center for the Arts, listen to band shell concerts or take in the South East Museum of Photography.
• Panama City Beach Florida $105: Pretty nearly free; you can always find someone who will be interested in a game of beach volleyball, football or Frisbees, participating in the Strawberry Festival in February (very off-season), goal snorkeling, enjoy the annual Jazz Festival, Emerald Coast Cruizin’ (a classic cars event), and rises and sunsets.
• Fort Lauderdale Florida $104: Free or thereabouts; the walk through the Anne Kolb Nature Center, spend a day on the Hollywood Oceanfront Boardwalk or Riverwalk, catch up on your African American history and traditions at the Old Dillard Museum, or stop in at the Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop on Sunrise Boulevard with its 14 screen drive in theater.
• Clearwater Beach Florida $100: Free or inexpensive; go Phantom Sportfishing, see Caladesi State Park or Caesars at the Beach, be fascinated by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and for the kids McKay Park Playground Clearwater Beach and if you dare take a ride on the world’s largest speedboat (The Sea Screamer).
• Wilmington North Carolina $87.00: Virtually free; (this place is a history buff’s dream come true) take in all of history’s Moores Creek National Battlefield, God’s Acre, Lewis Wells Cameron Art Museum, Fort Fisher State Historic Site and Brunswick Town State Historic Site.

So take advantage of these bargains on sites like Travelocity or Orbitz, if you don’t think these are bargains, try checking out the peak season prices. Surprise!