Sherman's Travel

If you’re looking for a break on a luxury getaway over the next several months, here are three great spending credit offers – from a $1,500 air credit to a $200-a-day spa credit – in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Florida:

Four Seasons Resort Nevis: If you’re in the mood for a Caribbean escape, consider a stay at the 196-room Four Seasons Resort Nevis (shown at left), which is fresh from a December 2010 renovation and features a world-class golf course, four restaurants, and a serene spa. Book five nights in a Deluxe Oceanside or Deluxe Oceanview Room or a Plantation Suite, Ocean Suite, or Luxury Suite and you’ll get a $1,000 air credit (applied to your bill at check out). Book a Villa and the credit is $1,500. Rates start at $545/night.

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Florida brings to mind many things – theme parks, retirement condos, alligators, golf courses, and orange groves among them – but one of the state’s sometimes overlooked qualities is its easily accessible setting for romance.  It’s sunny, warm, and ringed with 663 miles of beaches. It’s home to leading hotels and top chefs. And its assorted resort regions, from the Atlantic to the Gulf to the Keys, have vibes that range from exceedingly mellow to, well, not so much. Plus, you won’t have to spend much on airfare, so you can splurge on your accommodations. Here’s a look at five very different ways to embrace the romance on offer in Florida. Read more

Visit the pristine white-sand beaches of Naples, Florida in late summer and early fall and enjoy a number of freebies at the LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort. With the Stay and Play Package, starting at $179 per night, guests will receive deluxe room accommodations, $50 daily resort credit, complimentary valet parking (a $23 value), 50% off golf green fees, and the $17 resort fee is waived. Guests can use their daily credit towards the Indonesian inspired SpaTerre, the resorts own Robert Cupp designed golf course, or fine dining at BALEENnaples restaurant. Whether you’re looking to soak in all the properties amenities, enjoy Naples’ vast wildlife, or visit downtown’s boutique shopping, LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort keeps it all within reach. Travel now through September 30, 2011.

THE VALUE: In addition to $50 daily resort credit, guests will save $75 on morning and $55 on afternoon golf rounds with the half off green fees.

THE CATCH: You have to bare with the most humid time of year!

THE DETAILS: To book, visit www.laplayaresort.com.

WE’VE GOT MORE: Use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find low rates on flights to Naples, Florida.

Check out our Naples, Florida Travel Guide to plan your vacation.

Spa-going is a year-round sport, but summer is a particularly great time for steals. Top spas in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Southern U.S. invariably offer big savings for their luxe surrounds because it’s off-peak on the beach. But spa-goers shouldn’t sweat it, since your massages will almost certainly be given in an air-conditioned treatment room (or under a shaded palapa), and you’ll also likely have the run of the place.

It’s muggy season in Southern Florida, but it’s always perfect weather in the spa. That’s something to keep in mind when you spot a deal like this one, offered at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples. The Spa Escape Package, good through September 30, 2010, comes with a resort view room and $200 spa credit, starting at $349 USD per night. You can do the math on what a deal this is—particularly since the spa is known as one of the East Coast’s strongest, with superb therapists and terrific treatments.

And don’t cross off Europe. Not every country uses the euro: Zurich’s Dolder Grand Spa, designed by Sylvia Sepielli, is stylish (pod-like chaises and a black Bisazza mosaic pool), sprawling (43,000 square-feet), and on sale. Though the end of the year, a three-night Grand Spa Retreat includes a stay in a superior room and four spa treatments per person—including a 90-minute La Prairie Caviar Firming Facial and a Bamboo Shiatsu Massage—breakfast, and one dinner for two, all for 3,100 CHF (that’s about $2,880 USD).

The Inn on Fifth in Naples, Florida, scores top marks for its clutch location in the city’s historic district near galleries, shops, and restaurants (the beach is also only six blocks away), Mediterranean-style architecture, spa, elegant rooms, and courtyard pool. Best of all, this spring through fall, ShermanTravel readers get to experience the inn and all its charm for less with this exclusive offer.

ShermansTravel Exclusive at the Inn on Fifth:
* Save 30% off of a 2-night stay at the Inn on Fifth
* Save 30% off dinner for two at the inn’s McCabe’s Irish Pub
* Save 30% off any treatment at the Spa on Fifth

Discounted rates start from $105/night (down from $150/night). It’s a great deal for a quick spring weekend getaway! To book, call 888/403-8778 and mention ShermanTravel. This offer is valid April 1 through October 31.

Spa treatment must be booked in advance. Certain restrictions and blackout dates may apply. Taxes and gratuities not included.

For more trip-planning information, see our Naples Travel Guide.

A seafaring Italian wonderland, the small city of Sorrento is sculpted out of the mountainous terrain above the Bay of Naples in Campania. For a limited time and an unbelievable price (starting at $799 until February 28, and $829 from March 1 to the 31), visitors can explore Sorrento’s ancient beauty with the Dooley Vacations Amalfi Coast Package. This thrifty deal includes round-trip airfare (worth over $700 alone), six nights’ accommodations (worth more than $570), and a car rental. That totals a savings of $471 just between the flight and hotel! To up the ante on this already-sensational steal, Dooley Vacations has included the option to spend the sixth night at the exquisite Villa Franca in nearby Positano for an extra $99 per person.
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Surrounded by gorgeous white-sand beaches and beautiful bays, the resort town of Naples is an ideal mini-vacation destination on Florida’s southwestern coast. At La Playa Beach and Golf Resort, guests enjoy elegant beachfront accommodations with amenities like an award-winning seafood restaurant, a lavish 4,500-square-foot Asian-themed spa, and an 18-hole championship golf course set amid tropical mangroves and exotic wildflowers. Extend your Labor Day weekend with the resort’s holiday special and receive your fourth night free. Plus, travel anytime through November 14 to save up to 55 percent off the cost of your stay. All guestrooms have wrought-iron furnishings, goose-down pillows, and four-poster canopied beds. Rates are now available from just $193/night.