Vegas Prices Going Through the Roof

If you're planning a trip to Las Vegas, better take lots of cash; prices are going through the roof. the one-armed bandits aren't the only stick-up artists in Vegas. Hotel rates at the big names like the Bellagio and Wynn are running an astronomical $400 to $800 a night for 5-star service. Of course you can find more moderately priced rooms. A room at the 4-star MGM Grand or New York New York will only set you back $100 to $150 a night, a bargain compared to comparable lodgings in other major cities. You'll find even cheaper rates the farther you go off the strip, but the strip is the place to be if you want to have the full Vegas experience. Of course, if you book a Las Vegas timeshare, like Marriott's fabulous Grand Chateau (above, left) you get 5-star luxury for the price of the cheap seats.

Here's a roundup of other cash-grabbers (and a few great bargains) you'll find next time you go to play the slots:

• Transportation. Forget the discounted shuttle buses at the airport and take a cab. The shuttles are chaotic and run on a sporadic schedule. Why start your vacation in a frustrated snit? Around the Strip, the monorail is fun but access is poor and it only serves a limited area. Save your $5 and buy an all-day pass ($5) on the double-decker busline that shuttles up and down the Strip from Freemont Street. You'll never have to wait more than 7 or 8 minutes during the day. At night, buses run every 17 minutes, still not bad. It's the fastest, smartest way to go casino and attraction hopping.
• Shows. If you're dead set on seeing a certain show, blow the budget and purchase your tickets online well before you leave. Otherwise, see the shows that give you the best deal after you get there. You'll find the best deals at the "half-price" ticket outlets that dot the Strip.
• Restaurants. Be prepared to blow a bundle if you eat at any of the big Strip resort restaurants. Entrees start at $20 to $40 a la carte. Add in an appetizer and dessert ($8 to $20 each) and an $80 bottle of wine (that's from the low end of the wine list), and you're talking $250 to $300 for dinner for two. Fortunately you can find less expensive options at restaurants along the Strip and on side streets. Aren't you glad your timeshare has a kitchen? If you eat breakfast and lunch at home, you can rationalize blowing big bucks at a fancy dinner at the Bellagio.

They say what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas --that applies to your money too!

Join the Fun as Quebec City Turns 400!

Time to brush up on that high school French you've never had a chance to use. If you've never been to Quebec City in Canada, this is the year to go. Quebec City is celebrating its 400th birthday and is pulling out all the stops: a floating dance floor the size of Kansas, roaming costumed opera singers, fireworks, the World Hockey Championships, an 1,800-foot multimedia screen, more fireworks, and parades of giant characters with a grand finale from the always fabulous Cirque du Soleil.

Sometimes called the poor man's Paris, Quebec City evokes favorable comparisons to European cities with its narrow, twisting streets filled with eclectic shops. Horse-drawn carriages, open air markets, galleries, churches, centuries-old buildings, and quaint inns all give Quebec City a distinct Old World flavor. Walking through Quebec City, sampling the shops and restaurants tucked around each bend in the road is a delightful way to spend a day. Walking is the preferred mode of getting around in the city, but you may want to take the funiculars (cable-driven lifts) to navigate some of the steeper steps and slopes. Taxis abound, but try a carriage ride for a delightful visit to the past.

Special events are planned throughout the year, starting with the city's famous Winter Carnival from February 1-17 to the Cirque du Soleil grand finale on October 19. There will be so many amazing things to do and see in Quebec City this year, you may want to book more than one week in a nearby timeshare. If you plan to go for Winter Carnival, the Chalets la Falaise (above, left) are nestled in the mountains in the middle of downhill and cross-country ski country and just minutes from Quebec City. An all-season resort, Chalets la Falaise offer summer boating, whale-watching and are an easy trip to the St. Lawrence River spectacular, The Walking Road, planned for August 15.

No matter when you visit Quebec City this year, prepare to be dazzled. For a complete listing of timeshares available in the Quebec City area, click the post title.

For New Year's, It's Vegas, Baby

Las Vegas is calling! It's time to make your New Year's reservations. If you want to ring in the new year with glam, glitz and fabulous entertainment, there is no place more exciting than Las Vegas.

Las Vegas offers lots of fun shopping, gourmet restaurants, premium entertainment, world class golf courses, delightful spas and, of course, opulent casinos. You can tour the world from the elegant Italian Riviera to the mysterious Mayan empire by visiting the many themed casino resorts along "the strip."

In Las Vegas, timeshares come in every shape and flavor. From the newly remodeled Jockey Club (right), located right on the exciting neon-bathed strip, to the secluded desert oasis provided by the Cliffs at Peace Canyon (below, left), your perfect New Year's getaway is available on Timeshare Giant. Just click the post title to preview all 30 outstanding Las Vegas timeshare properties.

While the opulent casinos are still the big draw in "Sin City," modern Las Vegas offers so many other exciting attractions that it's become a major vacation destination. You may be so busy going to the amazing shows, shopping in the unique shops, relaxing at the spas, sampling the gourmet fare or soaking up the sun around the pool that you may never shake the hand of a one-armed bandit!

Vegas has been called the adult's "Magic Kingdom," but it offers plenty of family activities and entertainment, too. On the strip you can watch an exciting water battle between pirate ships, paddle through Venice in a gondola, walk the storied streets of New York City, screech down a giant roller coaster, swim amid waterfalls -- if you can dream it, you can do it in Las Vegas!

Make sure you get off the strip long enough to tour historic downtown Las Vegas. You won't want to miss the dazzling light show on legendary Fremont Street. If you need a change of pace, Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon, the Valley of Fire, the Grand Canyon, Death Valley and Lake Mead make easy day trips.

Nominations Sought for 7 New World Wonders

Nominations are being sought for a new list of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. In a global poll scheduled to begin in January 2009, people all over the world will be able to cast a vote for their favorite natural wonder. Nominations are now being solicited over the internet. So far 300 suggestions have been received from six continents, but there's plenty of time to enter your favorite site. For more information or to make a nomination, visit http://www.new7wonders.com/.

More than 100 million people around the globe participated in the first contest to replace the ancient Seven Wonders of the World, most of which no longer exist. That contest, which concluded in July, asked voters to choose seven existing structural wonders of the world. Voters selected:

1. Taj Mahal in India
2. Great Wall of China
3. Colosseum in Rome
4. Manchu Picchu in Peru
5. Statue of Christ the Redeemer in Brazil
6. The rock city of Petra in Jordan
7. Chichen Itza pyramid in Mexico

The contests are sponsored by the nonprofit foundation New7Wonders. The organization was formed in 1999 by Swiss-Canadian adventurer Bernard Weber to, in his words, "create respect and enthusiasm ... for the beauty of our planet. The closer we bring the beauty of our planet ... to the people, the more likely they will say, 'Oh, we have to do something to conserve it.'"

It is expected to take several years to winnow the nominations down to a list of finalists, conduct the vote and tally the results. In early 2009, the 77 sites receiving the most nominations will be reviewed by experts who will select a list of 21 finalists for a global vote. Winners will be announced in 2010. America is a land filled with natural beauty. What will you nominate? The Grand Canyon? Brice Canyon? The Everglades? The Great Smoky Mountains? The giant Sequoias?

The Joy of Off-Season Timeshare Travel

Everyone loves Aspen during the ski season, or the Caribbean when the cold winds of winter are blowing back home. While it's always exciting to vacation in your timeshare during the peak season, traveling off-season has its own special delights.

Personally, I love the peace and quiet of vacationing in a timeshare during the off-season. The solitude is restorative. I return from vacation relaxed and rejuvenated. If I'm staying in a timeshare resort, the service is even more attentive than usual. There are no lines at my favorite local restaurants. Without the noisy hubbub of peak season crowds, I can dally over my coffee and actually enjoy a pleasant conversation with friends. I can browse through my favorite shops without dodging elbows. There's no line at the register and I can enjoy personal attention from the staff. Actually, during the off-season many smaller shops let their staffs go and you'll receive personalized service from the owner herself.

Resort towns take on a different aura once the tourists go home. When you visit off-season you get to see a town as it really is. You overhear gossip in the checkout lane at the grocery and hear people catching up on each others' lives on street corners. Local folks are willing to engage in friendly conversations and share a bit of their lives. I've gotten some of my best tips on great restaurants, darling little shops, interesting museums and the most scenic hiking and biking trails from town locals during off-season chats. Without all the stress and crush of tourists, local folks have time to get to know you and share a bit of their town's history and stories with you. I find these moments make for some of my most magical memories.

One of my favorite off-season destinations is Aspen, Colorado. The high country west of Denver is gorgeous from the bloom of spring flowers, through the dense greens of the summer forest, and into the changing colors of fall. Right now the aspens are glowing, bright yellow leaves shining amidst their stark white and black-streaked trunks. Kebler Pass and McClure Pass near Aspen are prime leaf peeping areas in the fall. I love to rent a horse and just amble along the trails for hours, taking in nature at its finest. Cycling is also enjoyable and the landscape isn't all hills, though you will build up your leg muscles! Hikers will find many wonderful trails and you don't have to bother with snowshoes in the off-season. White-water rafting, kayaking, mountain climbing and para gliding are available for the more adventurous. Traditionalists can enjoy excellent fly-fishing, tennis, golf and numerous other outdoor activities.

Exchanges offer some great deals on off-season timeshare vacations. You won't mind the lower prices at local restaurants or shops either. One of my favorite timeshares in the Aspen area is the elegant Hyatt Grand Aspen. I love the grand Victorian air and luxuriously appointed suites. Located right in the heart of downtown Aspen at the base of stunning Ajax Mountain, the Hyatt Grand Aspen is just steps away from Aspen's fabulously eclectic shops and charming restaurants. Click here for more information. Photos shown in this post are of the Hyatt Grand Aspen. To preview other great timeshares in Aspen, Colorado area, click the post title.

Vacationers Should Apply for Passport Now

If you're planning to travel to a timeshare on the warm, sunny beaches of the Caribbean or Mexico for the winter holidays, make sure you apply for your passport now. The government has finally caught up on its processing backload and the temporary reprieve is over. Beginning Monday, October 1, U.S. citizens returning to the country from Mexico, Bermuda, the Caribbean or Canada will be required to show their passports.

Although the new passport rule went into effect in January, it was temporarily rescinded in June because government workers couldn't keep up with demand. In January the average wait for a passport was 6 to 8 weeks; 3 weeks if you paid for expedited service. By the beginning of summer, more than 2 million people were still waiting for their passports. Public ire over missed and cancelled trips led the government to accept photo ID and proof of passport application in lieu of an actual passport over the summer. (If you left the country before September 30, you can still return using an ID and proof of application.)

"Right now, all of our passport service agencies are back to a 6- to 8-week processing time for routine passport applications and no more than 3 weeks using our expedited service, said Cy Ferenchak, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs. "If you plan ahead under those standards you should have ample time to apply for and receive a passport before your scheduled departure time."

Before the terrorist fears of 9/11, U.S. citizens could travel between Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Canada without a passport. Now air travelers must show a passport to return to the U.S., and in 2008 land and sea travelers will also have to meet the requirement which could cause another logjam of applications in early 2008. The standard passport application fee is $97 for delivery in 6 to 8 weeks; add $60 plus the cost of overnight delivery for expedited 3-week service. Passports are good for 10 years. For more detailed information on passport regulations, visit the U.S. State Department's website at http://travel.state.gov/travel.

You'll find application forms on the State Department's website, but you can also apply at many post offices. This fall many communities are sponsoring passport events at local town halls and libraries. The goal of these community events is to make winter travel easier for residents by bringing to one location forms, passport photo services and officials who can answer questions and accept completed passport applications. Check with your local government community affairs office or post office to see if such an event is planned in your area.

If you're planning a trip, click the post title for one-stop shopping on Timeshare Giant. We can assist you with all your travel needs.

Persian Gulf Fast Becoming Timeshare Vacation Mecca

Americans may not consider the Middle East a vacation hot spot, but luxury tourism is flourishing in the Persian Gulf region. The second annual Middle East Leisure Real Estate Symposium just concluded in Dubai, vacation mecca of the Middle Eastern elite. Hosted by timeshare giants Group RCI and NorthCourseSM Leisure Real Estate Solutions, the symposium gave Middle Eastern developers a master class in leisure site development with "access to some of the best brains in the business," said Claude Attala, Managing Director of NorthCourse's Dubai division.

The timeshare and fractional ownership industries in the Persian Gulf region are expected to surge over the next decade, bringing in revenues of $1.2 billion. Recent research shows that 68% of Persian Gulf nationals are interested in purchasing timeshares or fractional ownerships.

Diamond of the United Arab Emirates, Dubai is perhaps the most elite tourist destination on the Persian Gulf. Once the unassuming home of Bedouin traders, the modern gem is an eclectic and exciting mix of the new and old. Its ultramodern skyscrapers thrusting into the clear blue Gulf sky, Dubai's storied beaches and throbbing nightlife beckon the rich and chic of the Middle East, Africa, India and an increasing number of Europeans. Westerners will feel at home in the modern city where English is as easily spoken as Arabic.

Drawn by Dubai's renowned tax-free shopping, tourists browse chic shops of all kinds from high couture fashions to high-end electronics. The pristine beaches and clear turquoise water of the Persian Gulf make Dubai a top water-sport destination and world-class diving center. At the Nad al Sheba racetrack you can bet on camel races by day and sleek thoroughbreds at night. More than 400 restaurants showcase Dubai's ethnic diversity. Gorgeous golf courses, beautiful beaches, premium shopping, exciting nightlife, pampering spas and fascinating historic sites provide tourists with endless choices in Dubai.

Shown at top right is Dubai's famous Palm Island, home of the exclusive Royal Club at Palm-Jumeirah, a premium timeshare destination.

Fleet Week in San Diego Filled With Thrills

If you want to feel your soul stir with pride and your spine tingle with excitement, you need to head to sunny San Diego for Fleet Week. A stirring combination of patriotic pride, joyful celebration, amazing dare deviltry, lightning speed, military precision and raw might, Fleet Week packs an abundance of activities into a month-long celebration of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Fleet Week runs from September 17 through October 27 with special activities planned for each weekend. Click here for complete information.

If you feel the need for speed, San Diego during Fleet Week is the place to go. Fast-paced thrills abound, from precision fighter jet demonstrations at the Miramar Air Show to classic vintage cars dodging displays of military hardware in the Coronado Speed Festival to the amazing Red Bull Air Race World Series.

Take the infamous Marine Corp Boot Camp Challenge and test your metal on the arduous 3-mile obstacle course. Tour a host of Navy ships for an insider's view of these awesome vessels. Don't miss the awe-inspiring Port of San Diego Sea & Air Parade as massive vessels from aircraft carriers to frigates ply the bay waters in a spectacular display of military might.

In between events, you won't lack for things to do in San Diego. Make sure you take time to visit the world renowned San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park. Boasting one of the most magnificent botanical gardens in the country, the zoo covers 1,900 acres and is home to more than one million plants. In the evening enjoy the eclectic shops, cozy restaurants and chic clubs in San Diego's historic Gaslamp Quarter. Marvel at Sea World's acrobatic porpoises or see what amazing things people can make from tiny blocks at Legoland. Seventy miles of Pacific Ocean coastline support year-round outdoor recreation from surfing to boating and swimming. Shop, play, golf, pamper yourself at a spa or just lie on the beach and relax! San Diego is your vacation wonderland.

If you want to be in the heart of the action during Fleet Week and at the center of all that San Diego has to offer, rent a San Diego timeshare. You'll find luxurious beach accommodations and chic in-town lodgings right in the acclaimed Gaslamp Quarter. Choose from resorts like the famed Coronado Beach Resort (right) or comfortable condos. Let Timeshare Giant make all your travel arrangements; just click the link and relax. We'll take care of all your vacation needs.

There is a wide selection of timeshare resort properties to call home while enjoying San Diego. Click here for a complete list of timeshare resort properties in San Diego.