Plus, many of the country’s highlights - including the historic colonial cities of Granada and León, as well as the surfing mecca of San Juan del Sur - are within a two- to three-hour drive of each other and the capital city, Managua. Although the travel experience is not as cushy as in Costa Rica, you’ll pay about one-third the price, said Leffel. People have been more hesitant to visit Nicaragua, Costa Rica’s northern neighbor, despite its similar attractions. And the region is popular, drawing the most international tourists in Central America in 2022, according to Islander News. beach city, said Tim Leffel, author of The World’s Cheapest Destinations. But it’s no bargain prices are comparable to those in the average U.S. Tourists flock to Costa Rica for its wildlife, lush rainforest, volcanoes and surfing beaches. BOOK IT: Your bargain vacation in Nicaragua Rooms at Hotel Dazzler, in the Miraflores district, recently started at a discounted rate of $69 per night for July 2023 if booked online 60 days in advance. You could recently book a round-trip flight from Boston to Lima in September 2023 for $389.įour-star hotels averaged $189 a night in the summer of 2023, compared with $233 in Barcelona, according to the latest available rates from Expedia. cities in May in the $400s, or in the $500s later in the summer (which is Lima’s mild winter). On the artsy side, pre-Columbian objects and textiles are on display at the Lima Art Museum and the Larco Museum. Or explore Huaca Pucllana, 1,500-year-old ruins that rise up in the upscale Miraflores district. You can tour the catacombs at the San Francisco Church and Convent for $3 or watch the changing of the guard outside Government Palace, the former residence of Francisco Pizarro, a Spanish explorer and founder of Lima. The old colonial town of Lima comes to life in its historic center, designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. Overall, restaurant prices in Barcelona are 75.1% higher than those in Lima, reports, a database of costs contributed by users from around the world. Three Lima-based restaurants, with cuisine ranging from Peruvian-Japanese “Nikkei” to ingredients sourced from different altitudes, landed on William Reed Business Media’s “World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list in 2017. If you simply want to spend a few days reveling in art, architecture and cuisine in a lively city, head south to Lima, Peru, instead.īut Peru has some excellent cultural finds awaiting you. But you will be far from alone: The city hosts more than 30 million visitors each year. Barcelona also features dozens of museums, Catalan cooking, a thriving nightlife and sandy beaches. BOOK IT: Your bargain vacation in Lima, Peruįans of architect Antoni Gaudí may settle for nothing less than a trip to Barcelona, where his sculptural buildings and towering Sagrada Familia enliven the city.

The bus ride takes about 45 minutes each way. Public buses connect both Snowbasin and Powder Mountain with several stops in Ogden ($10 for round-trip fare). But in nearby Ogden, you’ll have your pick of accommodations and après-ski activities, including indoor skydiving, rock climbing and stand-up comedy. There are condos and rentals near both mountains. For the same date, you could buy a lift ticket for $69 at Powder Mountain. A lift ticket for a Saturday in February at Vail recently cost $122 online. You’ll also pay less to schuss down the slopes.Facilities there are not as fancy as Snowbasin’s, but it has more than 8,464 skiable acres - more than any other resort in the U.S. “Snowbasin has bits of Utah all in one place, from the rolling mountains of Park City to the steep, rugged terrain of Cottonwood Canyons,” said Evan Reece, co-founder of Liftopia, an online seller of lift tickets.Īn excursion to the nearby ski resort of Powder Mountain can be tacked on to the same trip.

Trails are suitable for all levels of skiing across more than 3,000 acres, and the terrain is varied, too. But its location is just remote enough to put off the masses.

The facilities at Snowbasin, an hour’s drive from the Salt Lake City airport, were revamped for the 2002 Winter Olympics (the resort hosted the downhill, Super G and combined races). To spend more time on the slopes and less time shivering in line for the lift, venture further afield. BOOK IT: Your bargain vacation in Snowbasin, UtahĬolorado has a slew of ski resorts that draw plenty of season passholders and other visitors, thanks to a variety of terrain, high-quality facilities and plentiful lodging.

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