While I had been quite proud of myself a few weeks back for getting the best possible rate for travelling to the fabulous hotel complex in the Bahamas around Atlantis I believe I have been outdone by a more industrious soul. I was chatting with Tara from work about getting cheap rates using the Comfort Suites approach to staying near Paradise Island and she and her husband were also looking into a similar trip.

Through a comparitive survey of airfares and calls into the hotels she achieved the following rates. It is only anectdotal and may include taxes etc. but it sounded like a winner to me.

1. Jet Blue now has direct flights to Nassau from Boston Logan airport. My flights go through some ugly connections so by itself this would be a great strategy. The additional benefit is that the fares were quite reasonable. She quoted fares around $120 per person (round trip?) for the flight. So that would be $240 for Sarah and me with a baby on our lap.

2. She called the hotel (Comfort Suites Inn) and asked one receptionist what the cheapest discounting option was. The woman said that a Sam's Club membership offers the cheapest option at ~$179 per night for a room that would fit two addults and a kid or two. The rooms all have common areas included in them. So for five nights and six days this would come, rounded up with secret costs ($200/night) about $1000. Tara called back an hour or two later and claimed to have a valid Sam's Club membership to claim the high discount rate.

So her total for the same trip that I paid a total of $1944.94 would have been $1240 saving about $700 and taking a direct flight instead of one with connections. If only I had known earlier. I concede defeat as a bargain hunter to the better and cheaper skater.