The Real Deal: Round-trip airfare, one local flight, and five nights' accommodations, from $1,649 per person — plus taxes of $95 per person.
When: Oct. 27-Dec. 4, 2008; add $150 for Aug. 25-Oct. 26; $260 for Aug. 8-24, Dec. 5-23.
Gateways: L.A., Portland, San Francisco, Seattle; add $50 for Fresno, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Reno, San Diego, Tucson; $60 for Albuquerque, Boise, Dallas, Denver, Houston, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City, Tulsa; $90 for Detroit, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Omaha; $110 for Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Knoxville, Louisville, Milwaukee, Nashville, New York City, St. Louis; $180 for Albany, Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, D.C., Greenville, Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Raleigh, Richmond, Savannah; additional cities available.
The fine print: Prices are based on weekday travel; add up to $60 per person for Friday-Sunday departures. Hotel taxes and service charges, airline fuel surcharges, and a flight between Tokyo and Seoul are included. Airport taxes and fees are an additional $95 per person. Airport-hotel transfers are not included but can be purchased through Go-Today for an additional $34 per person in Tokyo; Go-Today doesn't offer transfers in Seoul. Based on double occupancy; single supplement is $260. U.S. passport holders do not need a visa to enter Japan or South Korea. Read these guidelines before you book any Real Deal.
Book by: Aug. 7, 2008; the package can be booked after this date, if there are still spaces available.
Contact: Go-Today, 800/227-3235, go-today.com.
Why it's a deal: According to a recent search on Kayak, the lowest multicity airfare, L.A.-Tokyo-Seoul-L.A., for travel from Oct. 28-Nov. 3, 2008, starts at $1,724, including taxes (multiple carriers). For an additional $20 per person, including taxes, Go-Today covers the international airfare and the flight between Tokyo and Seoul as well as five nights' accommodations.
Trip details: The Tokyo and Seoul package includes multicity airfare, arriving in Tokyo and departing from Seoul, as well as a one-way flight between the two capitals on a United carrier. The advertised rate also covers a total of five nights' accommodations split between the two cities.
The trip begins in the Japanese capital, where you'll spend three nights at the 257-room north tower of the Shinagawa Prince Hotel. The sprawling property just south of Tokyo overlooks the city and Tokyo Bay. Amenities include a swimming pool, an indoor golf center and tennis courts, a 10-screen theater, a cabaret, a bowling center, and the new Aqua Stadium featuring aquariums, dolphin shows, and roller coasters.
The hotel complex is near Shinagawa Station, a major train station known as the southern gateway to Tokyo, and Wing Takanawa, a trendy shopping arcade. The Hatakeyama Memorial Museum and the Hara Bijutsukan contemporary art museum are within a short walk.
After exploring Tokyo, you'll take a short flight (about two and a half hours) to Seoul. You'll stay two nights at the 100-room, centrally located Biwon Hotel. A few sightseeing suggestions: the famous Changgyeonggung palace, Changdeokgung palace, Deoksugung palace, and the Jongmyo royal shrine. You can also stroll to the nearby Dongdaemun commercial district, where you'll many shops and restaurants.
Need more time to explore the two cities? Additional nights start from $48 per person per night at the Biwon Hotel in Seoul and from $86 per person per night at the Shinagawa Hotel in Tokyo.
You can upgrade to the Sunshine City Prince Hotel in Tokyo and the Best Western New Seoul in the Korean capital from $110 per person.
Before you go, visit the official tourism Web sites for Japan and South Korea.
