The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday September 22, 2007 - 13 From Sam's mailbag Hi Sam: Just a word to thank you for your kindly advice about travel agents. Last April my daughter booked airline tickets to Newfoundland, which was okay. Then she booked a hotel close to the airport online. It cost us $160 for one night, extra for one week of parking, plus the cost of the shuttle to the airport. This week we booked through a travel agent for the same hotel. It cost $105 for the hotel plus free parking for two weeks plus a free shuttle to the airport. To do it yourself it looked cheaper online, but when you went it was different story. I really enjoy reading about your advice and tips each week. Reader Dear Reader: A good travel agent is worth his/her weight in gold, and can save you a lot of money, simply because they are dealing in the industry daily and know what is out there. A word of caution though, you need to research the agent the same way you would any other service you buy. Your letter arrived at the same time as one complaining that she had gone to an agent and paid $5,200 for two flights that her best friend paid $3,600 for. It was the same time and the same destination. The difference being one agent hunted hard for the best deal, and was well trained, and the other just brought up one airline on the computer and quoted that price. The old saying "buyer beware" still holds true. Agents are an unusual bunch though; I don't know another industry where the sales person will work so hard to lower their commission by saving you money, which is why they charge a fee now for booking air. The airlines have stopped paying commissions to agents for the most part. An airline executive told me with a straight face that agents should consider it a privilege to provide this service. A good agent -- one who is well traveled will give you excellent advice, but it won't always be the cheapest, if it is more convenient for you to pay more for a better routing or a better resort. They want you to be satisfied. Be good to your agent, don't spend hours of their time and then book with someone who is going to discount the trip by $50. Dear Sam: Just wanted to extend our sincere thanks for the wonderful article you wrote about us. The Queen Anne Hotel is currently welcoming a couple of your readers, who brought along your column and let me make a photocopy. They are staying with us for 8 days and are very thrilled to be in San Francisco. We can't wait to receive other readers who have your article tucked away. ate there. It was a little ways away from Union Square, closer in fact to Nob Hill, and all the other "must see" areas, but we could still walk everywhere, and if our feet hurt, we liked the idea that you provided a morning free limo service. The very nice continental breakfast and afternoon tea and sherry was a treat as well. Because it was in a neighbourhood, we discovered things we wouldn't have on the tourist track. One of the surprises was the Elite Restaurant at 1535 Franklin St. We had the best clubs we've ever eaten, and the price was a mere $5.25 each. I was almost sorry to write about it, it is such a little gem; I selfishly wanted to keep it as is! Dear Sam: Sam, the prices of allinclusives right now are almost too good to be true. Is the hurricane season over yet? If not, can we pay for it now and go when the danger is over? Nervous Girl Dear Nervous: Just give me time to dust off my crystal ball, and I'll have a look! Seriously, no one knows what's coming in the next six weeks, which are typically known as the "season". And that is why there are great prices. No, you can't pay now and go later. The prices right now reflect the fact that it is hurricane season. Sunwing Vacations though has introduced a Hurricane Threat Guarantee that runs until November 30th this year. Either check it online at www.sunwing.ca or check with your travel agent. -- Sam Ion can be reached at sion10@cogeco.ca Tell them to let us know. Cheers! Michael Dear Michael: We loved the Queen Anne, it reminded my daughter Jayne and me of a B&B, but with 48 rooms it offered more privacy. The price point was excellent at prices starting at $99. We were fascinated with the history of this Painted Lady. It seemed appropriate to stay in an elegant 1890s finishing school for young ladies. The restoration is fabulous, and the antiques furnishing this guesthouse completed the feeling that we really were in the San Francisco of novels. The large lounges beg for guests to stay a while, and we did. We entertained, took our drinks down to sip in front of the fire, and frankly used it as a living room. Some guests even ordered in and BEAVER TRAILS TO BERMUDA: The Grabke family took The Oakville Beaver on holiday to Bermuda. Pictured here are (l-r) Kyle, Sven, Nathan (baby), Donna and Leah (holding paper). Take along a copy of The Oakville Beaver on your next vacation and send it in for publication to Beaver Trails, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4 or e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. Vacations Begin at Best The CAA + SAVE $150* on your next dream holiday! For Hamilton Departures St. Maarten Punta Cana, DR $1,629 Mayan Riviera, MX $1,669 Mayan Riviera, MX + + SUNWING SUN SALE Sunwing has launched its biggest advance sale ever -- 10,000 package holidays for $695, including airfare. The sale, in effect from Sept. 15-29, features package holidays to select sun destinations, including Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Jamaica. The $695 price is p.p., double occupancy, and excludes taxes. All featured hotels are allinclusive. Destinations and hotels vary by departure point and availability is strictly on a first-come first-served basis. The sale applies to holidays starting Nov. 1 and is valid for new bookings only. (www.sunwing.ca) Mercure Simson Beach $1,379 Punta Cana, DR $1,379 Cancun, MX $1,399 Rocky Mountaineer Celebration Rocky Mountaineer Vacations is celebrating the arrival of its one millionth passenger (sometime next spring) with a special limited time offer. To mark the milestone, guests booking a minimum five-night vacation package by Jan. 15, 2008 will receive up to $800 per couple in added value. The bonus can be applied towards trip enhancements such as airfare, limousine sightseeing tours, meals or extra hotel nights. As an extra incentive, those booking a five-night vacation package from now until Jan. 15, 2008 could also be travelling for free as their names will go into the "One Millionth Guest" draw to win back the value of their trip. Call us for details. $1,699 Riu Santa Fe set to open in Los Cabos Riu Hotels & Resorts will open the doors to its newest and largest resort ever - the Riu Santa Fe - in November. The five-star property is RIU's 13th resort in Mexico and its second in Los Cabos. Located just outside of downtown Cabo San Lucas, Riu Santa Fe is situated in close proximity to RIU's other property in the region, Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas. The new resort features 902 guest rooms and suites and is designed in a distinctive architectural style reflecting its Mexican location. (www.riu.com) CAA Travel Store Click 1-800-992-8143 Visit McTavish At: www.mctavishtravel.com