Expedia's 24-Hour Sale is On Today!

We have scored some phenomenal sales with Expedia's 24-hour sale in the past. It's hard to predict exactly which hotels will be covered but you're sure to find a good range of hotels on sale wherever you're going. We've saved anywhere from 10 to 50% of published prices, to Caribbean all-inclusives, five-star resorts, great hotels in Europe, Canada and right here in the US, so if you're planning a trip in the foreseeable future, go check it out before it ends tonight at 11:59 pst.

Royal Decameron, Montego Bay

We spent a few days at the Royal Decameron, Montego Bay in early July of this year. It is in the middle of the spectrum of all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica and an excellent value.

Situated in the heart of the Hip Strip, the tourist section and nightlife district of Montego Bay, it would be hard to find a more convenient location. Of course, the resort doesn't provide much reason to leave as the pools, beach, and activities offered could easily keep you occupied for days. Although the resort beach is compact and manages only a sliver of sand, this is Jamaica so it is still breathtakingly beautiful. We found that the free snorkeling here was among the best we have ever experienced at a resort. One downside is that we also discovered a surprising number of sea urchins very close to the beach. We are not sure if they were poisonous, so watch where you step! If you prefer a more spacious beach, you are also in easy walking distance of the famous and best beach in Montego Bay, Doctor's Cave, a site also known as essentially the birthplace of Jamaican tourism.

We found the food and service to be great and were pleasantly surprised to find an authentic sampling of local dishes. There are different offerings each day, but you can definitely eat like a local if you want. We had salt fish and callaloo for breakfast and jerk chicken and grouper fish for dinner. We also found that the bars were plentiful and conveniently located, and the drinks strong and easily customized to your liking.

The rooms were spacious, renovated, clean, and it seems that all face the beach. There are a variety of room options with some providing ground level patios and terraces. Wi-fi is also available, but sadly it is not part of the all-inclusive rate, and has to purchased in 15 minute increments. The reception was also patchy and completely unavailable in certain parts of the resort, and we had to go back to the main lobby to get a good signal. This was definitely less than ideal, but also something that we quickly forgot about as we enjoyed a rum punch at the swim-up bar. This is not the place to go if you need constant Internet access, but then again, do you really need constant Internet access in paradise?

The price is right too at about $75 per person per night and we have even seen it as low as $70 per person. We enjoyed it so much that we not only plan to return, but have already booked our next visit. Book yours now too! Enjoy!

Book Your Next Trip on BezLu and You Could Save $100!

You can now book flight, hotel, and car rental deals directly on the BezLu site using the Orbitz booking widget available in the right column on every page! We use Orbitz frequently ourselves and have used it to find and book excellent travel deals. In addition to great deals, we also find that Orbitz is the only major online travel booking service that displays the total, real price on the first page of results, including all fees. The competitors often tease you with just the base price of the airfare or hotel and only reveal the fees involved later in the process. It also doesn't hurt that Orbitz does not charge any booking fees on flights either... forever. So, please keep this widget in mind and make BezLu the first place you go when you are planning your trip.

As an added bonus, use the code "PRIDE2009" and get $100 off your trip! Book a qualifying hotel or flight + hotel package between by September 7, 2009, for 5 or more nights for travel between May 1, 2009, and November 15, 2009, via Orbitz and instantly receive $100 off your booking.

The Expedia 24-hour Sale... hotel deals in a hurry

If you haven't already, consider making the Expedia 24-hour Sale site a part of your travel planning repertoire. This site is truly an undiscovered gem. We know that there are a ton of hotel booking resources available online, but, if you are flexible on your choice of hotel and/or looking to save a few dollars, the Expedia 24-hour Sale site can reveal some remarkable discounts. There is one catch... these hotel deals are available for one day only (from midnight to 11:59 PM, Pacific Standard Time). To be clear, you can book your stay in advance, however, you have to actually make the reservation the day that you see the deal.

This isn't an empty recommendation. We have used this site several times to book hotels and each of these were instances when we were not expecting to find a deal anywhere, for example, a decent hotel with availability in Waikiki for under $100 per night in the week between Christmas and New Years. That was quite a find. We don't always find a great deal here, but we do often enough to keep this site very much on the radar.

One note of caution when purchasing through Expedia, check the refund policy before you hit the final submit button. We find that some reservations are refundable, while others are not or sometimes incur a change penalty.