Family Reunion Vacations

ROME, Italy - Tourists generally shy away from the eternal city during the heat of the summer. And probably for good reason since everyone knows the temperatures soar and amenities decline. Or at least that's the way it used to be. Now summer can be one of the best times to visit the Italian capital, especially this year when meteorologists are promising below-normal temperatures. There are no guarantees on the weather, but one thing is for sure: Romans will desert the city as they always have, heading for the mountains or the sea and leaving Rome--and all its glory--traffic free and pedestrian friendly, and much of it for a fraction of what it would normally cost. Museums and major sites like the Coliseum are priced the same year round, but under the "Estate Romana" or Roman Summer program, visitors can buy special summer passes that often let you into a collection of three to five museums for the price of a single ticket if you use them within a three-day period. Museums and galleries offer free entrance on the last Sunday of each month, too. And normally jam-packed sites are often eerily empty in late July and August. The Vatican museums are notoriously so. You could conceivably be one of a dozen or so tourists inside the Sistine Chapel on a quiet August morning, something that would never happen during the rest of the year. Italian shopkeepers generally take either the first or the second half of August off and many close up for the whole month. Those which stay open often offer incredible deals to lure customers and justify sticking it out for the month. Some of the year's best sales happen in July and August, from designer clothing and footwear to furnishings and household decorations. Hotel rooms may not reflect similar savings; in fact, many charge high rates even though it is considered the low season, so skip that route all together and book a self-catering apartment. Many Romans give up their houses to tourists while they're away, and while you'll have to cook and clean, the savings can be well worth it. A week in a one bedroom apartment (with kitchen/bathroom/living area) near a picturesque site like Piazza Navona can cost just 450 euro ($550) for the week, according to the website .touristapartment.comwhile a hotel next door costs that for just one night. When searching the internet for apartments, try to find multi-listing agencies rather than individuals to avoid potential scams. Many, like (domusconnect.com/) are British-run and offer great follow-up service. There's nothing like dining out on the cobblestone streets of center Rome on a summer's night, but it can get expensive. If you are in a self-catering apartment, keep restaurant outings to a minimum and cook like the Romans do from the fresh produce and seafood you can buy for next to nothing from the many central open air markets like Campo Dei Fiori or Piazza Vittorio. Or just head straight for one of Rome's summer festivals and eat at the myriad of stalls there. Outdoor fests One of the best summer festivals is the annual world music festival called Fiesta! (fiesta.it) at the Ippodromo delle Capannelle, Via Appia Nuovo 1234 (tel: +39-06-1299855) which runs from mid-June through August. The massive fairgrounds are just outside the city center and cover 90,000 square meters and promise 4,000 hours of Latin and Caribbean music, with ample jazz and blues tucked in. Exhibits, shops selling ethnic garb and plenty of food stalls are highlights. Admission is only 8 euros ($9.75) for the whole day, including all concerts. Closer to the center is the annual Jazz & Image festival in a lovely green park up the hill from the Coliseum at Villa Celimontana, via della Navicella (tel: +39-06-5897807). This annual event is the longest running jazz festival in all of Europe and starts in mid-June and runs into September. While listening to international jazz artists, take in the food or enjoy a wine tasting and gaze out over the city from the park's many vistas. Ticket prices depend on who is headlining that day, but day passes are rarely above 10 euro ($12.25). Along the Tiber, check out the open air film festival on Tiber Island where you can see films (many in original language) for just 5 euro ($6.10). In the Bohemian district of Trastevere, often called the Left Bank of Rome, the summer-long Festa di Noantri from July 20-28 offers a wealth of artisans and local food to choose from with no entrance fee. Also free is the annual book festival on the grounds of Castel Sant'Angelo, featuring kiddie parks, concerts and cabaret performances. This festival is known for its booths featuring alternative therapies. For those with a flare for nightlife, Testaccio Village, via di Monte Testaccio, 34 (info: +39-0657301420) is quickly becoming Rome's hottest spot for a summer night with three performance areas, snack areas, pizzerias and post-concert clubs that stay open most of the night. Ticket prices are around 12 euro ($14.65) for the evening entrance, but sky-high drinks make up for the low price to get in. A day at the shore And if the summer turns out to be a scorcher, why not head to the beach? Most people don't associate Rome with a beach holiday, but the eternal city is just half an hour by car, bus or subway from the Mediterranean Sea. And if you avoid the weekends and head out in the middle of the week, you'll have more sand and sun to yourself. The city subway takes you from center Rome right to the closest shoreline (Metro Line B to Magliana, local train to Ostia Lido). From there you can walk to a variety of "free beaches" where you don't feel like you have to have a designer bikini or even a tan like you might at the beach clubs which charge anywhere from 10 euro upwards ($12.25) just for an umbrella and towel space, with added costs for chairs, changing rooms and a key to the restroom. In Ostia Lido, the closest shoreline to Rome, wander down the lane of clubs and you'll easily find the free-access beach entrances. There are plenty of restaurants and snack bars mixed in if you get hungry, plus there is a steady stream of concessioners selling refreshments along the shoreline. There are much better beaches than Ostia, which is situated where the polluted Tiber River spills into the sea, but they are further down the coast. Spiagga Libera di Castelporziano, accessible by Cotral bus from the Cristoforo Colombo train station. The seaside resort town of Fregene (Subway Metro A to Lepanto, then the LILA (blue colored) bus to Fregene). Further South, past Anzio, is Sabaudia, a pristine free beach area that begins to hint of the turquoise blue waters one associates with the Mediterranean Sea. Take the Metro B line to EUR-FERMI, then the LILA (blue) bus to Sabaudia). Check return schedules on (atac.roma.it/) for schedules and prices before you go, night service back to Rome may be limited. When coming to Rome for a summer holiday, just remember to check schedules and ask about opening times before you make definite plans. If you can, avoid the major holiday on the 15th of August, when what's left open will be closed for sure. Flexibility is key since spontaneous closings and late openings are the norm, and many times waiters and clerks who are stuck working over the summer holiday are disgruntled at best. But you'll never get a quieter, more tranquil look at the eternal city than spending summer in Rome.

Too many tourists endure the nine-hour train trek between overcrowded Prague and Krakow when they should be breaking the journey midway in the Czech city of Olomouc ("olla-moats"). The most important city in Moravia, its appeal includes six baroque fountains and a renowned flower show each spring. What else is to love about Olomouc? Holy Trinity Column Especially for those crossing UNESCO World Heritage Sites off their to-see lists (yes, such tourists exist), the Column doesn't disappoint: a 115-foot-tall, early-18th-century riot of blackened masonry, tangled statuary, and gilded copper, with an atmospheric little chapel tucked into the base. It towers penitently over the expansive main square, and its weathered steps collect amorous students from the town's 400-year-old Palacky University, one of the tinderboxes for the Velvet Revolution. Astronomical clock Locals despise it for its Socialist kitsch. But tourists adore this giant mechanical clock on the face of the town hall, which replaced the priceless original after World War II. On the hour, when the clock is working, little craftsmen industriously smite an anvil above a parade of laborers, mothers, and athletes--all turned out in natty '50s garb and set into a mosaic of cracked tile. City palaces Premyslid dates to the 1100s and awes with Romanesque walls, windows, and untouched 15th-century frescoes, plus it's next door to where an 11-year-old Mozart wrote his sixth symphony. Nearby, the Archbishop's Palace is where 18-year-old Emperor Franz-Josef I was crowned in 1848. Bezrucovy Sady Just left of the baroque St. Michael's Church, duck through a shadowy doorway and down the seemingly endless set of dank stone steps. At the bottom is Bezrucovy Sady, the leafy park that meanders far below the ancient city battlements along a branch of the Morava River. Loafers and lovers exist here as if dislodged from time and space. Bouzov Castle References to this picture-book stronghold (moat, trellis, chilly flagstone) go back to the 1300s, and a late 19th-century renovation gave it an over-the-top Gothic personality that truly makes it a castle for the ages. Extra credit for ghoulish authenticity: The Nazis used it as a Czech HQ. Nine miles northwest of town. Arigone Once derelict, this former home of an 18th-century Italian painter--in its own quiet grotto of cobbled streets--was, like the Republic itself, reborn. Now it's a rambling, airy B&B with creaky wood floors, chocolate-colored beamed ceilings, and antique furnishings. $58-$70, Univerzitni 20, 011-420/585-232-351, volny.cz/arigone.

Italians may never fully embrace the American custom of trick or treating on Halloween, but who needs it anyway? The city of Rome is rife with enough creepy traditions and eerie venues for a delightfully ominous three-day spook fest starting with the neo-pagan Sabbath on Oct 31 and ending with the Day of the Dead on Nov 2. Halloween Perhaps the best way to gear up for a frightful Halloween is a stroll down the via Appia Antica which is closed to traffic each Sunday. The ancient cobbled street is lined with tombs and monuments honoring the dead. From here you can access the Catacombs of San Callisto, (Via Appia Antica, 110, catacombe.roma.it), part of a massive 375 mile multi-tiered network of dark, tomb-lined tunnels, sometimes five levels below ground. The eerie ambiance--not to mention the human remains in some wall tombs--are scary any time of the year, but on Halloween the tour guides often play up the fear factor. In the afternoon, join the local dead poet's society at the Protestant Cemetery (via Caio Cestio just left of the giant pyramid near the Piramade metro stop). The entrance is free, but the grounds keeper will appreciate a donation and will likely be standing by the box as you enter. Wander the non-Catholic cemetery for foreigners to see the famous graves of the poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats. But look at the other headstones, too, to see the mix of foreigners whose lives ended in Rome. Beside John Keats' grave in the far corner, local poets will gather for red wine and an afternoon Halloween poetry reading. Spend the evening on nearby Monte Testaccio, a 115-foot hill made of broken terracotta urns which is home to a series of hot spots for the party crowd. Here you'll find the city's best adult Halloween parties at any one of the many supper clubs and all-night discos. Don't forget to come in costume, but be warned that Italians don't dress as popular culture icons, they stick to witches, ghosts, goblins and ghouls. Tours: If you'll be in Rome on the Saturday before Halloween, check out the Angels and Demons: Secrets and Symbolism tour which meets at 9:30 on October 30 in the middle of Piazza del Popolo. +39 06 700 9336 througheternity.com All Soul's Day Heading across the Tiber River just after the Ponte Sisto, check out the church of Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte (Our Lady of Eulogies and of the Dead, via Giulia at the via del Mascerone). The facade of this church built in 1576 is decorated with skulls and a winged skeleton. The interior is decorated with similar images of death. The church once housed the tombs of over 8,000 bodies until they were destroyed in a construction project in the 1800s. You can still see one remaining tomb decorated with the bones of its inhabitant including an intricate candelabra made from the vertebrae and hand and toe bones. Check out the water clock of death above the entrance door. From here it is an easy walk to Piazza Navona to visit the church of St. Agnes in Agony (via di Santa Maria dell'Anima, 30 on Piazza Navona) just behind Bernini's Fountain of Rivers. Inside, behind a hidden door marked "Sacra Testa di Sant'Agnese" you'll find the sacred head of Saint Agnes who was decapitated on the grounds. The head is now a religious relic that thousands of believers pray to each year and is a special draw on all Soul's Day. It is a long shot, but definitely worth it if you can get a sneak tour of the Crypt of the Cappuccini Monks (via Veneto, 27 tel) +39-06-487-1185), in Santa Maria della Concezione near Piazza Barberini. Closed for cleaning for over a year now, this is by far Rome's creepiest crypt. Sneak around the back to see if the attendant will let you in for a peak. The bones of over 4,000 monks have been used to carefully decorate the crypt ceiling and walls. Intricate designs that at first look like carvings are really leg bones and rib cages. Stacks of skulls line the narrow hallways and vases decorated with finger bones and knuckles are scattered throughout the crypt. Day of the Dead November 2 is the Day of the Dead and many Romans will be tending the final resting places of their dearly departed. Why not do the tourist version and check out Hadrian's Mausoleum at Castel Sant' Angelo (Ponte Sant' Angelo near Vatican City tel) +39-06-3996-7600) where Roman emperors were buried for nearly a century ending in 217 A.D. The giant round structure then became a prison and a fortress for popes. Take a light lunch or at least a coffee on the terrace overlooking St. Peter's. The Day of the Dead is also a perfect day to visit the Basilica of San Clemente (via di San Giovanni in Laterano tel)+39- 06-7045-1018) near San Giovanni in Laterano. The modern church (built in 1100) sits on top of two levels of ancient Roman history. Go down a level to see the remains of the 4th century church that marks the transition from pagan to Christian Rome. The sound of an underground stream and the dank smell of this deep cavern add to the eerie feel. Here you'll see a tombstone inscribed with pagan graffiti on one side and Christian propaganda on the other. This ultra-creepy crypt was once the secret worship place for clandestine Christians (who also practiced the rites of paganism by day). Go down yet another level to the Temple of Mithras to see a 2nd century spot where cults met to worship this pagan God. Look for carvings of scorpions and spiders all vying to defeat Mithras. Explore this area fully and you'll see ancient Corinthian columns behind a protective metal gate.

The sport of swells doesn't have to be. A top golf specialist reveals how you, too, can tee off at acceptable costs, and yet at famous clubs and courses. In Scotland, the birthplace of golf, the sport is still infused with the character of its humble origins, a game invented by working class shepherds, played first with sticks and rocks, later balls and clubs. Modern day residents and students in St. Andrews, the town synonymous with the game, can play the legendary courses of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club for an entire season for what Americans pay for a single round at Pebble Beach. But golf in this country has strayed from its egalitarian beginnings and for more than a hundred years has been perceived as a sport for the idle rich. If the golf media, with its "best of" and "must play" lists were to be believed, no round under $100 would be satisfactory, and a week-long golf vacation would be the sole province of Fortune 500 executives. Golf for everyone America is awash in first-rate, bargain-priced golf, and you can actually play and stay for a week for less than what one round on the nation's most expensive layouts would cost. Not only is cheap golf out there, but there is great cheap golf. So whether you want a week of warm-weather golf, a long weekend away from home, or a chance to hone your skills at a golf school, we'll be naming the very best deals. First, a summary: there are several reasons golf can be cheap. One is competition in areas where so many courses are found that prices have to be low. Nowhere is this more the case than in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a budget golf mecca. Off-season weather also brings cheap golf, and summer heat wilts prices in Florida, Arizona, and desert regions. Next, "municipal courses," a loosely used term for government-subsidized facilities, can also be great bargains whether they are affiliated with a municipality or not. While many are individual courses not worth traveling to, others, like the excellent string of facilities throughout Alabama, are destinations in their own right. More reasons: Golf courses are increasingly being built to encourage summer traffic at winter destinations such as ski resorts, and some, like those we've found in Canada, offer off-season deals in prime golf season. Throw in the strong exchange rate of the U.S. dollar vs. Canada's, and these are some of the best deals going. Finally, there are courses in areas subsidized by casino gambling, where greens fees, like meals and entertainment, are kept artificially low to lure bettors. In this case, Las Vegas is the exception, as a shortage of courses keeps prices high, but areas like Reno, Nevada, and the gulf coast of Alabama offer great golf bargains. Because of the success of the first U.S. Open ever held on an affordable course, Torrey Pines (outside San Diego), another high-quality municipal course, was just selected as the 2008 Open venue. This is a great trend, but in both these cases, the difficulty of getting a tee time offsets the bargain-at Bethpage, for example, golfers have been known to sleep in their cars to get tee times for the next day.Read further for information on North America's best (and most affordable) golf towns, schools, resorts and tours. Golf towns Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: It may be old hat, but Golf City, USA, remains the nation's perennial bargain destination, and things are even better these days. At last count, some 120 18-hole public layouts were competing for visitors (with more on the way), as were a formidable array of budget accommodations. Myrtle Beach, an established destination, is all about packages that offer a smorgasbord of golf and lodging choices for unbelievably low prices. The second most heavily visited beach resort in America for persons traveling by car, Myrtle Beach in the '90s became a travel phenomenon, a destination for millions each year, some of them attracted by a growing number of country music theatres and other evening performance venues, and others by golf. Though the golfing here hasn't much "cachet," and you might not want to boast about the stay to your friends, it is certainly a center for affordable golf vacations, and totally unpretentious in atmosphere and facilities. The big player is Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday (800/845-GOLF, golfholiday.com/), which offers a free and comprehensive handbook detailing every course, hotel, motel, and resort, along with package pricing. For more detailed information and hotel brochures, find the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce at myrtlebeachlive.com/. Palm Springs, California: As a runner-up to Myrtle Beach, golfing here is of the highest quality, and widely available on numerous courses, but frightfully expensive (both for lodgings and greens fees) in winter and early spring. Go, instead, in off-season (June 1 to December 31) and you'll enjoy remarkably low rates for golf and accommodations at hotels ranging from the upscale Palm Springs Hilton Resort to the Wyndham Palm Springs Hotel (using the Tahquitz Creek Legends Course) to the moderately-priced Holiday Inn Palm Mountain Resort (using the Mesquite Country Club.) For a mouth-watering brochure of all the low-cost opportunities available to you during the blisteringly-hot summer months (it does cool down in fall and early winter), write to the City of Palm Springs Tourism Division, 777 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite 201, Palm Springs, California, 92262, or access palm-springs.org/. A Tale of Two Floridas: Florida is one of the most golf-crazed states in the Union, and off-season it offers great bargains. But unlike Arizona, Nevada, or other hot-weather locales, off-season varies greatly throughout the state. For instance, southern and eastern Florida turn into golf ghost towns when summer's high temperatures and humidity arrive. But Orlando, which revolves around school holidays, is jammed all summer long, as is the Panhandle. There, winter is off-season, although to golfers from the rest of the country, even then it's a fine getaway from the cold. The premier golf resort in the Panhandle is Sandestin (800/622-1038, sandestin.com/) in Destin, famed for some of the world's best beaches. A few years ago, Sandestin was purchased by Intrawest, the Canadian ski-resort operator that pioneered the pedestrian resort village concept at Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia, and Mont Tremblant, Quebec. Things have only improved at Sandestin with the addition of a new hotel, a new high-end course, and a village full of shops, restaurants, and nightlife. In the winter off-season (November to February), when it's fine golf weather here, packages are $190 per person, double occupancy, with lodging and golf on either at one of four courses. On the Atlantic Coast, near Jacksonville, the largest golf resort is Palm Coast Golf Resort, with four courses by big-name designers Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. Palm Coast changed hands, and the new owners built a marquee fifth layout, Ocean Hammock (800/654-6538, oceanhammock.com/), a Jack Nicklaus Signature course with a luxury hotel to go with it. It's priced out of reach of bargain hunters, but stay at Palm Harbor for a steal. Unlimited-play packages, which easily allow for two rounds per day with late-summer daylight, plus a room at the on-site resort hotel and discounts on meals, starts at $45 per person, per night weekdays, from May to October. Reno, Nevada: Reno features many of the same big-name hotel/casino operators found in Atlantic City and Las Vegas, plus access to numerous golf courses in the Reno/Sparks area, as well as those in nearby Lake Tahoe and Carson City. Throw in plentiful cheap dining and entertainment, as well as great weather, and these gambling-subsidized golf packages are great buys. There are about a dozen good courses in the immediate Reno vicinity. Most hotel packages include the same courses, so price, hotel choice, and included features are the main distinctions. Atlantis Casino Resort currently offers a package for $89 per person, consisting of two nights' lodging, two breakfasts, and one round of golf at the better courses (800/723-6500, atlantiscasino.com/). Harrah's Sweet Tee package includes two night's lodging, a round of golf at one of the better courses, for $79 per person (800/HARRAHS, harrahs.com/). The Reno airport is an inexpensive destination served by both major airlines and low-cost carriers, notably Southwest. Details of golf packages from 14 casino hotels are available at http://golf.renolaketahoe.com/. Primm, Nevada: Anyone who tells you great golf courses are expensive is dead wrong. Primm is proof. Drive just 40 miles south from the Vegas Strip on I-15 to Primm. You won't find Primm on most maps. It's not really a town, just an exit near the California border with three casino resort hotels, a huge factory-outlet mall, a gas station, and the two-course Primm Valley Golf Club (primmvalleyresorts.com/). The whole shebang is owned by MGM Mirage, which also owns Las Vegas's Shadow Creek, the nation's most expensive golf course, with greens fees of $500. (Yes, $500.) Locals call Primm Valley "the poor man's Shadow Creek," and they aren't far off. Like its cousin, Primm's courses were designed by Tom Fazio, widely considered the greatest living designer. Primm's 36 holes feature the same ornate landscaping as Shadow Creek: flower beds, elaborate water features, boulder-lined creeks, and waterfalls. In fact, all three courses have been ranked in Golf Magazine's "Top 100 You Can Play." Rack rates for Primm packages are $80 per person, per night in the off-season (June to October) and $125-155 in peak season, but specials are often available. Second-round replays are also discounted to as low as $50 in summer. You can often add room and a round on both excellent courses for about $100 a day. Bear Trace/Tennessee Golf Trail, Tennessee: To compete with Alabama's Robert Trent Jones Sr. designs, Tennessee went to Jack Nicklaus, the most famous golfer in history, now a world-class course designer. Nicklaus offers several "brands" of courses, and the more a developer spends, the more of Nicklaus's hands-on input he gets. The most prestigious level is the Jack Nicklaus Signature course, which adds $1 million to the tab. These are typically found at private, high-end country clubs and at a handful of luxury resorts such as the Four Seasons chain, and playing them will usually set you back over $200 a round. But in Tennessee, Nicklaus reduced his million-dollar fee and built five excellent courses across the state. Each Bear Trace (866/770-2327, beartrace.com/) destination is unique, built to fit its surroundings, allowing the traveling golfer to experience variety along the way. There are two major booking agencies that offer custom packages along the trail, combining rounds at one or more courses with a choice of nearby lodging: Tucker Golf (888/826-1714, tuckergolf.com/) and Fairways Golf Travel (fairwaysgolftravel.com/). Golf rates start at $39 for Mondays and Tuesdays, $49 for Wednesdays and Thursdays, and $59 for Fridays through Sunday. But the Bear Trace is not the only golf to be found in Tennessee's state parks. Five of its parks, also located across the state, contain 18-hole courses and resort hotels. In order to keep up with the "trail" phenomenon (in which golfers travel from course to course in a particular region), these five have been rebranded the Tennessee Golf Trail (866/836-6757, tnstateparks.com/), and since the parks department owns both the courses and the hotels, packages are simple and cheap. Flat rates are $45 per person, per day off-season, and $56 (weekday) or $65 (weekend) high season, including double-occupancy lodging and unlimited golf (including cart for the first 18 holes, after which the cart is additional). Especially on weekdays, when smaller crowds allow you to play 36 holes, it's an unbeatable deal. The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Alabama: Over ten years ago, the state of Alabama looked at various options to increase both tourism and the state's status as a retirement destination. Studies concluded the solution was golf, golf, and more golf, all of it bargain priced. In perhaps the most ambitious golf infrastructure project of all time, Alabama commissioned acclaimed golf course designer Robert Trent Jones, Sr., who planned seven different facilities with a total of 324 holes, spread throughout the state. That is equal to eighteen 18-hole courses. The facilities were designed to be convenient for motorists, so that no complex is far from an interstate highway or more than two hours from another facility. The name "golf trail" is taken seriously, and golfers can combine two, three, or more trail stops in a bargain-priced driving tour. Courses extend from the Gulf Coast to Tennessee, west to Mississippi and east to Georgia. Two more courses were later added, for even more holes of golf. Save one, each stop has either three full-size nine-hole layouts and a nine-hole par-three course (36 holes), or else two full-size eighteens and an eighteen-hole short course (54 holes). Unlike pitch and putt, these consist of true par-three holes like one would encounter on any course, with island greens and holes stretching over 200 yards. Pricing is confusing, as there are separate greens fees for different complexes, varying by month or season, creating dozens of different prices. However, they are almost all bargains. The maximum rate, at the priciest facility in high season (April, May, June) is $7. The lowest high-season rate is $37. June through September, the rates range from $37-$75. Additional rounds on the same day are half price most of the year, but summer (June-August) rates include unlimited play. All the par-three courses cost just $15 for 18 holes, a great option for families with young golfers. Lodging along the trail is inexpensive, and the courses are surrounded by the likes of La Quinta, Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn, and many independent properties, whose rural locations and low rates reflect the same seasonality as the golf courses. Most include breakfast, and inexpensive dining abounds. But like so many other vacations, packages are the way to go here. Two companies, SunBelt Golf (800/949-4444, rtjgolf.com/), which administers the trail, and Fairways Golf (800/647-2447, fairways.com/), offer a multitude of packages that are hard to beat. The Big Fore Package, Mt. Tremblant/Gray Rocks, Quebec: Mt. Tremblant, 90 minutes from Montreal, is the premier ski resort in eastern North America, and understandably so. At its base sits Tremblant Village, a carefully planned pedestrian-only hamlet comprised of interconnected plazas and cobblestone streets, lined with cafes, bakeries, shops, and restaurants. In the heart of French Canada, the feel is more French than some parts of France. The village is also home to a luxury hotel (the Chateau Mt. Tremblant, a member of the upscale Canadian Pacific chain), several other hotels, and several condominium complexes. A few miles away sits Gray Rocks, an older, traditional, family mountain resort on a lake. Each of these resorts has two golf courses, and cooperates to promote a package combining all four layouts with numerous lodging choices. Rates vary annually with exchange rates, which have been very good for Americans lately. This is strictly a late spring, summer, and early fall golf destination, and last year, the lowest-priced packages began at US $111 per person for two nights' lodging and two rounds of golf, including carts. At Gray Rocks,  prices start at $129 mid-week in June, and climb to $191 for a weekend in July and August for two nights of double occupancy. The two courses at Tremblant are both new, fully featured resort courses, with included amenities like yardage books, and excellent maintenance throughout. At Gray Rocks, La Bete (The Beast) is a new course designed to look like an old one and has a truly exceptional layout that could command greens fees of $175 in many parts of the country. The old course, La Belle (The Beauty), is not so good, but most of the packages allow you to choose any four rounds you want, so playing each Tremblant course and La Bete twice gives you great golf for the money. All the Tremblant Packages can be booked at 800/461-8711, and Gray Rocks at 800/567-6767 or visit the website at grayrocks.com/. Golf camps and schools The John Jacobs Golf Schools The largest chain of American golf schools is that of English golf star and coach John Jacobs-the John Jacobs Golf Schools-at 32 resort hotels in 15 states; it is now in its 31st year. Reason for its success? Affordable prices for high quality instruction at good resort and hotels. It's an excellent value, and you'll want to obtain the free, 72-page brochure outlining the program in all of its locations and seasons. John Jacobs also has an in-house travel department offering complete packages with airfare, foreign programs, and, for larger groups or families, condos at many locations in lieu of hotel rooms. A 10 percent discount is available to seniors much of the year. Write to Jacobs Golf Group at 6210 E. McKellips Rd., Mesa, AZ, 85215, or phone 800/511-1639, or access jacobsgolf.com/. The Golf School: The Original Golf School, debuting 26 years ago at Mount Snow, Vermont (Grand Summit Resort Hotel) is operated from May until October at Mount Snow, from in the winter months at Crystal River, Florida (Plantation Inn) and Beach Club Golf Link (Ocean City, MD), and during the summer and early fall at Sugarloaf, Maine (Grand Summit Resort Hotel). Participants receive hotel lodgings (double occupancy,) for two days from $469. There's one pro teacher for each four students. There is a program for women-only at Mount Snow. Call 800/240-2555, or access thegolfschool.com/. In the field of individual golf schools, limited to one location per school, I find two establishments to be especially impressive. The Golf Academy of Hilton Head Island7 Office Park Road, Suite 105Hilton Head, SC 29928843/785-4540golfacademy.net/A far more expensive golf school than those we've 'arlier named, whose students make their own arrangements for accommodations in any of the many upscale hotels and lodgings of the popular, mild-weather, offshore Hilton Head Island. Here, of course, you are in one of the nation's o'tstanding golf locations, and the Golf Academy was founded in 1994 to take advantage of Hilton Head's e'inence in the sport. Instruction is by "Class A" PGA professionals, and is "meant to be non-intimidating," ac"ording to the Academy. It has programs for golfers of every level and welcomes singles, couples, seniors and the young. Accommodations can range from villas in Sea Pines (the island's f'remost golf area) to beachfront hotels, to cozy B&Bs. Instruction packages? They are for either three or four days. Each day typically begins with instruction from 9 a.m. to noon, followed by lunch, with a round of golf afterwards at 2 p.m. Breakfast and lunch are included in the rates, which are $1,395 for three days of instruction, $1,695 for four days of instruction. Add the cost of lodgings and dinner. The Academy of Golf at PGA National1000 Avenue of the ChampionsPalm Beach Gardens, FL 33418800/243-6121golfdigestschool.com/Offers three-day programs of instruction for beginners and advanced golfers alike, in classes that always include the partial participation, at least, of director of instruction Mike Adams. With a 3:1 student:teacher ratio, one-on-one attention is virtually guaranteed. More than 1,200 golfers a year come to these four championship courses, on which the fundamentals are stressed and every latest advance in technology is used. A three-day package, not including lodging, is $1,195, which includes breakfast, and six hours of instruction daily, followed by a round of golf. Complete computer analysis and personalized video are also included. Hotel packages are also available. Golf resorts Desert Deluxe Golf & Vacation Properties8707 E. Vista Bonita Dr.Scottsdale, AZ 85251800/231-3660az4golf.com/Desert Deluxe will first make the recommendation, and upon your agreement sell you a package that combines accommodations with greens fees and car rental. The firm chooses from many championship courses at different resorts, and offers mid-season (October to December, April and May) rates of $149 per person per night, including seven nights and six rounds for four golfers. Arrangements are for the serious golfer, most of them booking from four to seven days. In the golf-happy state of Florida, a great many golfers make use of the Saddlebrook Resort, and its well-known school of golf instruction: Arnold Palmer Golf Academy at Saddlebrook Resort TampaSaddlebrook Resort5700 Saddlebrook WayWesley Chapel, FL 33543813/907-4653800/729-8383 x4300saddlebrook.com/apga.html Designed to improve "both fundamentals and attitude." The Arnold Palmer Golf Academy offers programs for adults and juniors on all skill levels, and bases its teachings on Arnold Palmer's classics of golf instruction: "Mastering the Fundamentals," "The Scoring Zone," "Practice Like a Pro" and "Course Strategy" program. Three months and six months after "graduating" from the school, the player mails in a videotape of his or her swing and receives back an in-depth analysis from the staff, meant "to keep them on track." Located in a "four diamond" resort with four-star restaurant, Saddlebrook has two 18 hole golf courses, 45 tennis courts (har-tru, Laykold, red clay and even Wimbledon-style grass,) a 500,000 gallon "Superpool," and unique "Walking Village." Three and five-day programs include accommodations, breakfast, daily instruction, video analysis, 18 holes of golf daily, cart and greens fees, and Fitness Center admission. Golf tours Value Golf Vacationsvaluegolfvacations.com/Golf enthusiast David Brice founded Value Golf Vacations, he says, to cater to the value-conscious "middle market,"the person of normal or modest income who nevertheless dreams of playing the renowned courses of Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland. The business is targeted at those golfers who travel extensively in the United States to various courses, but believe that Europe is beyond their financial means. (In fact, says Brice, 44 percent of their clients have never been outside the country before traveling with Value Golf.)   Value Golf offers a package that includes six rounds, four nights in Scotland for $1,823. Brice claims that at these courses the golfer experiences a new and more exalted kind of golf. But to keep costs down, guests stay at inexpensive bed and breakfasts, all personally inspected by Brice or his staff. (The B&Bs are often owned and operated by local golfers.) Wide World of GolfP.O. Box 5217 4th Avenue at MissionCarmel , CA 93921800/214-4653wideworldofgolf.com/Michael C. Roseto founded Wide World of Golf in 1957, the first-he claims-to introduce American golfers to the renowned courses of Scotland and Ireland. He has now extended his reach to include trips to Portugal, France, Spain, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Among other things, Wide World is the official golf operator of Seabourn/Cunard Cruises, making arrangements for passengers to play upon disembarking at various ports. Clients of the firm are every sort of golfer, from beginner to advanced; and tours are also organized to major PGA tournaments, where passengers play golf in between events.