Table of Contents: April 2010

How was your trip? Have you taken a Real Deals vacation? E-mail us how it went at RealDeals@BudgetTravel.com. Before you book... These trips and starting prices ("From") sell out quickly, and details may change. Call the companies for complete info. Most rates are based on midweek dates; weekend travel can raise the price. Under "Why It's a Deal," round-trip flights are based on the lowest April departures on kayak.com at press time. Usually not included: service, security, and visa costs; hotel, car-rental, and airport taxes. Check each listing for fuel surcharge details. Prices are per person, with two people sharing a room, unless otherwise noted. The single supplement ("SS") is the fee charged to solo travelers. Some companies will pair singles at no additional cost. UNITED STATES Orlando Extravaganza, from $449 The most unfun thing about Disney World? Planning the trip. This package does the work for you (flight, hotel, car), so all that's left is getting to the park and letting the magic happen. The fine print: Air from Atlanta, D.C., New York or Philadelphia to Orlando; five nights at a Disney-area hotel, such as a Clarion Inn & Suites, with breakfast daily; six-day car rental; and fuel surcharges. Plus, a dinner/show for two at family-friendly Capone's. Mention TD-10. Why it's a deal: Comparable packages cost at least $100 more. When: Through Dec. 15. Other gateways: Chicago, Phoenix ($75); L.A. ($99). SS: $199. Contact: Travel Themes and Dreams, 877/870-7447, travelthemesanddreams.com. Sonoma County, Calif., from $300 Select from one of four wine-country hotels and get your third night free with any two-night stay. Participating hotels: Healdsburg Inn on the Plaza, Healdsburg Modern Cottages, Camellia Inn, and the Irish Rose Inn. The package also includes a wine-and-cheese basket upon arrival, all-day bike rentals for two, and a bicycle-friendly food lover's map created just for BT readers. Mention BUDGET TRAVEL. Why it's a deal: You save up to $575, depending on which hotel and room type you choose. When: Through June 30. SS: None. This price is per room. Contact: Healdsburg Lodging Coalition, 310/464-0896, healdsburglodgings.com. CARIBBEAN Curaçao, from $436 Five nights at the all-inclusive Breezes Curaçao Resort, Spa & Casino, a property on a 1,500-foot white-sand beach that's prime territory for snorkeling and scuba. Includes meals, drinks, and land and water sports. Plus, the resort has a no-tipping policy. Airfare not included. Book by Apr. 30 and mention BUDGET25. Why it's a deal: The price is 25 percent off Breezes' standard rates. When: May 1–Dec. 31. SS: $240. Contact: 877/273-3937, breezes.com/budget. CENTRAL AMERICA Belize, from $1,369 American Airlines flights from San Francisco and an eight-day tour with a three-day car rental, three nights in a deluxe cabana at Black Rock Lodge, round-trip air from Belize City to Placencia, and four nights at the Inn at Robert's Grove. Mention BT100. Why it's a deal: Airfare alone starts at $590, and the hotels total $603. When: Through June 30. Other gateways: New York ($20), D.C. ($30). SS: $690. Contact: Capricorn Leisure, 800/426-6544, capricornleisure.com. Costa Rica Take 25 percent off several Classic Journeys tour extensions in Costa Rica. Offerings include walking tours and family outings, such as a four-day trip to Tortuguero National Park. Mention BT10. Why it's a deal: Most extensions cost around $599; with the discount, BT readers pay $449. When: Select departures Apr. 4–Dec. 27. SS: $255. Contact: Classic Journeys, 800/200-3887, classicjourneys.com. A Five-Day Tour Through Classic Guatemala, from $449 Airfare from New York to Guatemala City and a guided five-day group trip (usually 10 to 15 people) with three nights lodging at Barceló Guatemala City and one night at Mayan Inn in Chichicastenango, breakfast daily, all transfers, excursions—like a day at Tikal and a trip to Lake Atitlán—and fuel surcharges. Book by Apr. 30 and mention BTGT100. Why it's a deal: Airfare alone starts at $255; this is $100 off the package rate. When: Select departures through Dec. 24. Other gateways: Miami ($26), Chicago ($78), Boston ($87), L.A. ($216), Houston ($278). SS: $171. Contact: Gate 1 Travel, 800/682-3333, gate1travel.com. EUROPE Move to Provence for Two Weeks, from $2,429 Round-trip airfare from New York and 14 nights in a private apartment or cottage. You get to choose from the company's 11 Provençal properties, such as a restored stone farmhouse in St.-Didier. Also includes a 15-day car rental and fuel surcharges. Mention BUDGET TRAVEL. Why it's a deal: Airfare alone is around $930. When: Apr. 2–May 5 ($2,429); May 19–June 16 ($2,839). Other gateways: Chicago ($190), L.A. ($317), Atlanta ($360). SS: $1,223. Contact: Untours, 888/868-6871, untours.com. ASIA Vietnam, from $1,799 A six-night tour of North and South Vietnam with Cathay Pacific flights from L.A. or San Francisco to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, three nights each at Hanoi's Anise Hotel and at an Asian Ruby Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, a daylong boat tour of the Mekong Delta, a day trip to Ha Long Bay, a flight within Vietnam, other transfers, and more. Mention EUVTNS10. Why it's a deal: Airfare alone starts at $863. The exclusive Ha Long Bay cruise has a $100 value. When: Select midweek departures through Nov. 30. Other gateways: Seattle ($140); New York ($200); Denver, Salt Lake City ($240). SS: $580. Contact: Escapes Unlimited, 800/243-7227, escapesltd.com. AFRICA Modern Comforts in Cairo With a Lake Nasser Cruise, from $2,299 This seven-day trip includes nonstop airfare from New York to Cairo, all flights within Egypt, three nights at Cairo's recently opened boutique Villa Belle Époque hotel, a three-night cruise on Lake Nasser in an upper-deck cabin, guided tours with an English-speaking Egyptologist, fuel surcharges, and more. Mention BTMAG273. Why it's a deal: Airfare and three nights at the Cairo hotel normally total at least $1,395, and this deal includes flights within Egypt and the three-night cruise. When: Apr. 7, 21 ($2,699); Apr. 14, 28 ($2,299); May 5, 12, 19, 26 ($2,999). SS: $499. Contact: FIT Tours, 800/248-3487, fittours.com. SOUTH PACIFIC Five Nights at Your Own Beach Bungalow in Fiji, from $2,189 Air Pacific flights from L.A. to the capital city of Suva, five nights in a private beach bungalow at Toberua Island Resort Fiji, all meals, and water sports (including snorkeling, kayaking, and low-tide golf), plus fuel surcharges and transfers to the resort's private island. Book by May 15 and mention TOBBT. Why it's a deal: Airfare alone starts at $1,084. You receive a bottle of sparkling wine, a fruit basket, and a massage at no extra cost. When: Apr. 1–June 30. SS: $480. Contact: All About Tours, 800/274-8687, allabouttours.com.

FOR THE CAMPER Santa Cruz, Calif. Students at Richard Schmidt Surf School sleep in tents, but they're not exactly roughing it. Mornings begin with yoga, and every camper gets a midweek sports massage. Surfing sessions are videotaped, and then everyone gathers in a tent to hear Schmidt's critiques. 831/423-0928, richardschmidt.com, five-night camp $1,000, including all meals. FOR THE PAMPER-ME TRAVELER British Virgin Islands The three-to-one student-teacher ratio at the weeklong Surf Camp Tortola means the odds are good you'll pick up some serious skills. But even if you never catch a wave, it'll be hard to complain. "Campers" stay at the oceanfront Lambert Beach Resort and are chauffeured to secret breaks each day. And evenings are spent listening to reggae bands and sipping drinks called painkillers: rum, cream of coconut, pineapple juice, and orange juice. 866/844-7873, wbsurfcamp.com, $2,195, including all meals except dinner. FOR THE NOMAD Australia The four- to seven-day program run by Waves Surf School starts in Sydney and travels 500 miles north to Byron Bay, stopping for the best swells along the way. Cabins on Australia's North Coast serve as base camp. 011-61/180-085-1101, wavessurfschool.com.au, four-day trip $439. FOR THE GLOBE-TROTTER Portugal As the first operation of its kind in the country, Baleal Surf Camp staked out a top surf spot: the gentle, consistent break at Cantinho da Baía beach, on the Peniche Peninsula on the country's west coast. Camps last 3, 5, or 10 days and include two 2-hour training sessions a day. Students can choose to stay in hostels or in apartments, both less than a five-minute walk from the beach. www.balealsurfcamp.com, three-day camp from $262, including accommodations.

Surfing should be in my veins. I grew up in southern California, a few miles from the legendary breaks at Huntington Beach and Newport Beach, the sort of place where kids plan their lives around the morning surf report. But my early attempts were a profound bust. There was the afternoon camp in San Diego seven years ago, where a single harried teacher tended to eight students. (I spent almost the entire lesson waiting for my turn.) Then there was the overheated instructor in Mexico who encouraged me to find my balance by yelling, "Stand up!" at the top of his lungs (not the most effective technique). So when my friend Kathy asked me to join her at a school in Costa Rica, I was very ready to get up on my own two feet. Most surf camps bundle a hotel and several days' worth of lessons into a preprogrammed package, but Kathy and I were looking for a more flexible experience. Our aim was to start with a single class, practice relentlessly, and then sign up for additional lessons as necessary—a DIY surf camp of sorts. And even though we sought the best experience, we didn't want to have to fight the hordes for every wave. Our search took us to Sámara, a village on Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula, on the country's northwest coast. A tiny town of about 1,000 people that's stretched out along the edge of a wide, jungle-fringed bay, Sámara is a rare throwback to a time when Costa Rica's beach towns were all about laid-back living, not all-night partying. Over the years, I've explored every inch of the country's coastline, and I was certain I didn't want to go to a place like Tamarindo, to the north, which starred in the 1994 Endless Summer sequel, or Nosara, one of the most common stops for vacationing surfers. Sámara, on the other hand, has always had a hold on me. The roughly one dozen square blocks—sandwiched between a hilly range and the Pacific Ocean—are dotted with low-key inns and beach cottages. Howler monkeys bellow from the treetops, iguanas scuttle across dirt roads, and carefree young couples stroll along the uncrowded beach. Sure, it has the classic Costa Rican activities—kayaking, horseback riding, and watching sea turtles nest on the nearby beach of Ostional—but without the relentless soliciting that has become an unavoidable part of the travel experience in the country's more popular beach spots. Most important, it's also not a drag to get there: The town is at the end of a paved road (rare in these parts) that's accessible from both of Costa Rica's international airports. For me and Kathy, looking at a quick, five-day itinerary, that had real appeal. Another draw was approachably tame waves. Sámara is on a protected bay and, unlike other parts of the coast, doesn't have powerful riptides or undertows. On any given day, you'll find native—and master rider—James Flores, 29, greeting friends on the sand. In addition to being the unofficial mayor of these parts, James teaches at Jesse's Sámara Surf School and Gym. The 10-year-old setup has a staff of eight English-speaking instructors and a one-to-one student-teacher ratio. James says proudly that he can get anyone to ride. "I've worked with 4-year-olds and 75-year-olds," he told us. "They all stood up on the board by the end of the day." Kathy and I planned to spend most of our time on the beach, but our B&B, the Hotel Entre Dos Aguas, was a pretty sweet place to recoup at day's end. Set on a forested hillside three blocks from the water, the hotel has a pool and a manicured garden; the location, away from the beachside bars and restaurants, ensured us a respite from the random truck driving down the main drag. Run by Brandon and Lilah Park, transplanted 30-something New Yorkers, the chalet-style building has seven whitewashed rooms accented with driftwood shelves, linens in primary colors, and stone showers. On our first morning, Kathy and I fortified with a pre-surf breakfast on the Dos Aguas terrace: scrambled eggs, house-made granola, fresh papaya, and steaming Costa Rican coffee from beans grown in the Central Valley. At 8:30 a.m., we reported to the surf shop, about a 15-minute walk from the hotel along the broad, brown-sand beach. Kathy and I got sized up for boards and rash guards (the thin Lycra surf shirts that protect your skin from the elements), and we listened to a safety discussion. Then James laid out a pair of foam longboards on the sand and walked us through how to get from our bellies (paddling position) to the bent-knee stance. Rather than pop up in a single move (the point at which most beginners topple), we were to take a series of deliberate steps: Push up onto hands, slip the left foot forward, pivot the right foot down, lift hands. Voilà, you're Laird Hamilton! James also marked the boards to show us where our various body parts should go, a simple step that proved inordinately helpful. Once we were in the water, our teachers launched us into the waves so our timing would be just right. No matter how much we floundered, James kept up the encouragement. And, sure enough, before the lesson was half over, Kathy and I both managed to rise and ride a swell—and, yes, we were totally stoked. For the next four days, we returned to Jesse's to rent boards and hit the break in front of the shop as often as the tides allowed (at least twice a day). James always managed to pop by to give us complimentary pointers and help us refine our skills. For all the effort we exerted in the water, Sámara was the kind of place that made me feel utterly entitled to relax. Kathy and I spent our non-surfing time lounging by our hotel's shaded pool, chatting and reading books that had been stacking up for months. In the evenings, we ambled over to what had quickly become our favorite open-air beachside barbecue joint, El Lagarto, and worked our way through the menu. The tender-to-the-bone grilled chicken figures into several dishes, always accompanied by simple, fresh salads and (for us, at least) ice-cold Imperials, the local lager. Our last day in town, we were intent on getting in as much wave riding as possible. Since we got to the beach a little late at 10 a.m., we remained in the water for hours and hours. As the sun started to set, we were still holding strong. Sitting on our bobbing boards, we looked back at the shore and saw the dark-green jungle illuminated by a brilliant orange light. I may have had to leave California to learn how to surf, but it was clear I'd chosen the right spot. LODGING Hotel Entre Dos Aguas 011-506/2656-0998, hoteldosaguas.com, from $40, including breakfast FOOD El Lagarto 011-506/2656-0750, ellagartobbq.com, entrées from $8 ACTIVITIES Jesse's Sámara Surf School and Gym 011-506/8373-3006, samarasurfschool.com, one-hour lesson $40

Picture the classic sleepaway camp...cabins in the pines, a fully outfitted lakefront, kids with bug-juice mustaches. Add parents and even grandparents to the mix, and you have a curiously little-known phenomenon: Family Camp, weeklong programs in which all ages are welcome. We visited New Hampshire's Sandy Island, a 112-year-old, YMCA-owned property in the middle of Lake Winnipesaukee. As campers sailed, fished, and clobbered each other at tennis, we got them to tell us what keeps them coming back here summer after summer. Every August, three generations—and up to 16 members—of the Goodman family gather at Sandy Island Family Camp: Seth, from Lexington, S.C.; grandfather Norman, from Boston; Adam and Millicent, from L.A.; Adam and Millicent's son, Jonah, 5; family friend Mikaela Del Priore, 9, from Winthrop, Mass.; and Seth's daughter Caroline, 9. Seth, a pilot with Delta, comes with his two daughters while his wife stays home. "She says camp is too much like camping" Norm, the family patriarch, wisecracks, "The only thing I've ever caught on this island is a cold!" Adam is known for grabbing the karaoke mike and doing a long, soulful late-Elvis imitation for a pack of 6-year-olds. Millicent is the one on the sidelines in morning stretch class, doing her own extreme-yoga positions. Like father, like son: Jonah, at the weekly talent show, belted out "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." Mikaela learned how to kayak, play four square, and hook a worm last summer. Why is Caroline smiling? She won the camp limbo contest! THE WATERFRONT CREW The Begg family: Patti; Patrick, 13; and Duncan, from State College, Pa. Duncan Begg, a mechanical engineer at Penn State's Applied Research Laboratory, designs torpedoes for the Navy. Suffice it to say, he's a natural at sailing, a skill he picked up racing Lightnings as a boy on Long Island Sound. Friends lured Duncan to Sandy Island when he was a college senior. A few years later, he returned to camp with his then-girlfriend, Patti, an elementary school music teacher. These days, whenever the wind picks up on Lake Winnipesaukee, the whole family (including their 18-year-old daughter, Victoria, who had to be at school this past summer) hits the water. "Sometimes we have to do a bit of nudging," says Duncan, "but once we're all out there, braving the elements, we instantly go into 'relax' mode." Years attending: 23 Favorite ritual: Every summer, for a good workout, Duncan and Patti walk the mile and a half around the island in the water—waist deep aside from the short section they actually have to swim. Reason to wish for a rainy day: "There's always a fire going in the lodge," Duncan says. Sandy Island souvenir: Patti's braided wristlet made by her pal Patrice: "Last summer, my friends and I joined the teens and had our own friendship bracelet craze." Banner event: The salad bar's debut 10 years ago. Their cabin: On the Rocks. Perfect, explains Patrick, because they can "walk out the front door and catch crayfish right off the shore." Why We Come: "After seven days at Sandy, it feels like so many unnecessary stressors have been stripped away. I always leave determined to make real life feel more like camp." —Patti THE OLDEST LIVING CAMPER Alice Erickson, of Needham, Mass.; and grandson Tom Erickson, 23, of Storrs, Conn. At the age of 26, when Alice Erickson met her future husband on the Sandy Island dance floor, she was already one of the old-timers. "I was 9 when I first came with my family," says Alice, now 85. "We had kerosene lamps, and everyone bathed and washed their clothes in the lake." Over the years, she's welcomed the addition of electricity, plumbing, and refrigeration ("we used to get blocks of ice from the lake"), and she's watched the saplings in front of the lodge grow into towering pines. During her 71st year at Sandy, Alice played canasta and cribbage with her daughter, son, and daughter-in-law on the porch overlooking the lake. She also rediscovered shuffleboard. And she never missed a dance. Years attending: 71 Shuffleboard score: Alice 17, Tom 8 Greatest camp improvement to date: Flush toilets. Amazing fact only Alice seems to know: John Updike and his first wife worked at Sandy—he in the office, she in the store. Updike's 1962 short-story collection, Pigeon Feathers, opens with "Walter Briggs," in which a couple reminisce about a family camp. It's filled with descriptions of people Alice recognizes, including "a chain-smoking failed minister" who ran the place and a camper with "nostrils shaped like water wings." As for Updike himself, "I wish I had paid him more attention," says Alice. THE JOCK FLOCK The Geuthers: nephew Carson Sample, 16, from Tampa, Fla.; son Scotty, 16; mom Laura; daughter Kate, 19; son Dan, 21; and dad Jim, from Bay Village, Ohio Singles tennis, mixed doubles, log wars, basketball championships, the big softball game—at virtually all the camp sports competitions, you can bet that bank manager Jim Geuther will be the first to show, and his kids (once they roll out of bed) will be right behind him. Jim's wife, Laura, came to Sandy with her family as a child. She and Jim, high school sweethearts who still live in their Ohio hometown, have been bringing their family to the island since 1997. Along the way, the Geuthers have explored plenty of vacation alternatives, including sailing the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas, their all-time favorite. "But everyone agrees," says Laura, "Sandy is a very close second." Years attending: 13 Year-round camp reminder: Jim's psychedelic boxer shorts, worn under his banker's suit—"On Wednesdays at camp, everyone tie-dyes up a storm." Favorite food: The Sunday omelets. "The rest is marginal," says Kate, "but there's always peanut butter and Fluff." Request to the management: Bathrooms in all the cabins. It happened here: "During capture the flag, Dad collided with a player and then had no idea where he was," says Dan. "Now, it's the one game he skips." Why We Come: "After 13 summers, we have lifelong friendships with so many other families. I'm sure that someday our kids will want to share Sandy with their kids." —Laura THE FIRST-TIMERS Donald Fraser and his 5-year-old daughter, Fiona, from Rosendale, N.Y. What's it like to be a newbie camper at the age of 52? That question arose for Donald Fraser after his wife, Lori Gross, a former Sandy Islander, called the camp on a whim and lucked into a cabin thanks to a last-minute cancellation. And so, with daughter Fiona, the family (Lori is a massage therapist and Donald an educator at a historic mansion) drove north, lugging a cooler of blueberries and energy bars. Although concerned the place would be cliquey, they made their first friends on the boat ride over. And Fiona immediately settled into the Little Red Schoolhouse, a gingerbread-trimmed building where kids 3 to 5 spend their mornings singing, painting, and planting seeds. Freed up, Lori headed to her old hangout, the crafts cabin, while Donald put his name at the top of every sign-up sheet. By the end of the week, he had taken tennis and sailing lessons and tried to get up on water skis, all firsts for him. Next year's goal? "Learning the camp dance steps." Years attending: 1 Talent-show performance: Donald and Lori played an old-time Appalachian banjo duet. The two passed most afternoons strumming on a bench under the pines. Craft-shop creations: A silver pendant and a T-shirt with a batiked dragonfly. Favorite hangout: The kid-filled sandy beach on the island's northern end. Fiona's description of camp: "It was like heaven." SANDY ISLAND'S BRADY BUNCH Liz Fiore-Ward and Britt Ward, of Medway, Mass., and their brood: Aurora, 8; Richard, 10; Antone, 20; Devon, 21; and Michael, 12 In 1982, when Britt Ward and his (now ex-) wife first arrived at Sandy, it was 14-year-old camper Liz who showed them the shuffleboard court and other key attractions. In 1995, Britt and Liz, each newly divorced, were the only single parents during their week at camp. And each had a young son, so they "kept crossing paths at all the activities," says Britt. Their wedding took place two Augusts later at the Sandy Island outdoor chapel, with the entire party, including bride, groom, and fellow campers, in tie-dye. And in quick succession, their kids Michael, Richard, and Aurora arrived—and joined the fun. Years attending: Liz: 32. Britt: 28. As a combined family: 13 Most useful lessons learned: How to swim (Michael), how to dance (Aurora and Richard), how to open a bottle using a lighter (Devon). Secret perk: No need to write letters home—at least 30 relatives from Liz's family come the same week every summer. Annual highlight: The water carnival, a day of canoe wars, shaving cream races, and log fights. Favorite camp dance: Liz's vote: Rock Lobster. "We jump around, we spin, and at one point, everybody gets down on their knees and starts banging on the floor." THE NATURALISTS Maggie and Jeremy Weiss, and their son Shiloh, 3, of East Calais, Vt. Maggie Weiss hails from a family that's been coming to Sandy Island for 50 years, not a single summer missed. In fact, she made her first visit while in her mother's womb. "It's a real community," she says. "One year, word got out I was planning to pierce my nose, and the whole camp tried to counsel me against it." She ignored the advice, and returned with a pierced lip, too. In 2005, she and Jeremy Weiss, an organic-seed technologist, were married on the island in a silent Quaker-style service. Maggie is now a graduate student in speech pathology, and she and Jeremy grow most of their family's food. At Sandy, the fare may be a tad processed for their taste, but they get to take a real break—check in with four generations of relatives, play guitar, stroll the woods, and give their boys, Amariah, 11, and Shiloh, 3, that first taste of freedom Maggie remembers so well. Years attending: 32 Memorable camp moment: The summer Jerry Garcia died, Maggie was 16: "That night, the most unforgettable bloodred full moon appeared over the lake." Wish list: Better coffee, organic food, more yoga. Thing we most look forward to: Says Maggie, "I love hearing the water lapping on the rocks outside our window at night." Why We Come:"We're all family; it feels as if there are 100 sets of eyes looking after each of the kids on the island." —Maggie BEHIND THE SCENES This story was shot last August during week six at Sandy Island Family Camp, situated on its own private island on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. Campers stay together as families in cabins with bunk or twin beds and screened windows; a few setups have private bathrooms, but most are communal. The nearest airport, Manchester-Boston Regional, is an hour and a half away. The 10-minute boat ride to the island leaves from the Sandy Dock in Mirror Lake, N.H. Camp reservations can be tricky to come by, but slots are often available at the beginning and end of summer. There are organized kids' programs for ages 3 through 12. Sandy Island Family Camp Adults and kids 13 and over $700 per person for a weeklong stay (including boat transport, meals, activities, and use of a stroller if you need one), seniors $645, ages 9–12 $555, ages 6–8 $450, ages 3–5 $345, ages 2 and younger free; 9 one-week sessions from July 3 through early September, plus a long weekend over Labor Day. si.bostonycamps.org.