Incredibly, 22 local hotels, restaurants & attractions (i.e., museums, spas – even the opera!) have signed up to offer discounts for The Orange’s run through the NCAA tournament. To receive all deals, interested parties need to simply mention the “1 for 1 All the Way.” Please find a full list of “Syracuse’s 1 for 1 All the Way” deals at:  www.visitsyracuse.org/alltheway

If wacky travel is your forte, then you must check out Woodlyn Park, located on the North Island of New Zealand.

Woodlyn Park is a working farm and home to the popular “Billy Black’s Kiwi Culture Show,” where you will see a sheep shearing demonstration and get to know the different varieties of bush animals. The owner decided to build on the idea of his cultural heritage show and added on various motels, housed in relics of New Zealand history.

The Plane Motel is set in a 1950’s Bristol Freighter that was one of the last allied planes out of Vietnam.  The plane features two self-contained rooms that each sleeps four…one in the cockpit and one in the tail of the plane.

The Train Motel is housed in a 1950 train cart and features three separate motel rooms. If sleeping in a train does not fit your style then why not try out a night in the Waitanic…a grounded WWII Patrol boat that was built in Auckland in 1942.

My favorite is the newest edition to Woodlyn Park, the Hobbit Motel.  Built into the side of a hill and featuring oversized furniture…this place really lets your inner Frodo free.

Woodlyn Park is located only two minutes from the Waitomo caves, home of the infamous glowworm…and many guests that come to see this natural wonder decide to crash at Woodlyn…so advanced reservations are recommended. All this wackiness starts at the bargain price of $75 per night.

For more info visit www.woodlynpark.co.nz

If you happen to by kayaking in the Austrian city of Ottensheim, you will come across three lonely segments of concrete drainage pipe hanging out on the shores of the Danube River.  No, a lazy construction company did not leave it’s trash out…..it is actually a hotel….Dasparkhotel to be exact.

Dasparkhotel has turned three large sections of drainpipe into a boutique budget hotel. Located in a grassy park, the seven foot wide pipes are fitted with a large double bed, side table, lamp and a small window; also located on the property are a cafe, bar and restrooms.

As if turning a pipe into a room wasn’t innovative enough, the way you access your room opens new horizons as well.  Once you make your reservation online, at dasparkhotel.net, you are emailed an entry code for your room.  The code is valid only for your stay and is punched in directly on a keypad located at the pipe’s door….through this system they have eliminated the entire check-in/out process.

Since concrete provides no insulation and Austrian winters are a bit nippy, the hotel is only open from May to October.  As for the price, well, there is none!  They ask you to leave what you can in the room when you depart….they call it the “pay as you wish system.”

You know recycling is everywhere when you find yourself sleeping in a concrete drainage pipe!

What I have always loved about Mammoth is that there are plenty of budget accommodations to be found…from Motel 6 to cheap condos for rent. But when booking this last trip to Mammoth I found that one of the best budget accommodations in town was the least expected…the Mammoth Mountain Inn.  

Located right next to the Main Lodge with ski in/out access, I had always thought that the Mammoth Mountain Inn would be one of the most expensive places to stay in town…but I was wrong. Turns out that rooms at the Inn start at $189 per night, which compared to the Holiday Inn and Quality Inn, which start at $140 per night, you only pay an extra $50 dollars to be on the slopes.

The reason for the great deal is that the hotel is older and not as up-to-date as other accommodations in town.  In the mornings I could hear the avalanche patrol bombing the mountain, and my neighbors yappy dog sounded like it was living in my closet…but being a few steps from a lift at this price is hard to beat.

Info at www.mammothmountain.com

The fourth Utah personality….

THE FAMILY ON A BUDGET:

Wolf Creek is a family paradise.  Where else can you rent a brand new luxurious 7 bedroom home, with 3 family rooms, home theater and a gourmet kitchen, that sleeps 16 for only $575 per night…that boils down to only $35 per person for five star luxury. For those with smaller families, Wolf Creek also has condos starting at $125 per night.

The budget conscious yet spacious digs is not the only reason I deem this the ultimate family playground…the ski resort has family written all over it.  The tone is set by the base lodge, which is housed in a vintage dairy barn, instantly giving it a non-intimidating family feel.  The mountain has tons of beginner terrain and even a kid’s ski school set in a Yurt…with lift tickets only costing $32, everyone in the family can join in on the fun.

If your kids are the next Picabo Street or Flying Tomato, then more challenging terrain is not far, with Snowbasin just a short ride away. Owned by the Sun Valley Resort, this super posh mountain has some of Utah’s longest downhill runs.  With no lodging offered, lift ticket prices are still moderate ($63) considering the vast terrain. For more info visit www.wolfcreekutah.com, www.snowbasin.com

Check out Part III by clicking here

Check out Part II by clicking here

Check out Part I by clicking here