The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • 94

G2 THE OTTAWA CITIZEN SATURDAY, NOVEMBER'25, 1989 Travel 1 Thomas CookTravel Las Vegas adding 30,000 hotell rooms AT EATON PORTUGAL DELUXE ALGARVEESTORIL 32 nights departing February 11th 1649.00 per person, sharing twin ESTORILMADEIRALISBON, 21 nights departing March 3rd. $1899.00 per person, sharing twin Taxes not Included. Call for details. 7212330 BAYSHORE are fecai! jcss. A sampling By Luaine Lee Knight-Ridder EATON'S Registration SINCE 1979 TIRED OF FLORIDA? try HAWAII 2 WEEKS FROM 1199ffiYS1299 'i i aTores from fjrjjfc 1 AC or CrxLJb (ACt cXI, 319 I Excludes taxes CAI Canadian Airlines Inrl Booking restrictions could apply FA First Air Prices courtesy of Ottawa Travel (Sparks) LtdT AA- Amencan Airlines though Verbon admits that he had difficulty selling those ads at first because of the reference to gambling.

In approximately two years Las Vegas will have nine of the 10 largest hotels in the world. The MGM Grand will the largest with 5,000 rooms. (The second largest is the Rossiya Hotel in Moscow, also with 5,000 rooms but lacking MGM Grand's movieland theme park,) The Riviera is in the middle of a $200-million expansion, Verbon said, with an expected tally of 4,000 rooms. The Mirage, owned by Steve Wynn of Golden Nugget fame, is scheduled to open Nov. 22 with 3,049 rooms.

The Flamingo Hilton is adding another 750-room tower, bringing its total up to 3,553 rooms. The big-name entertainers, once, the mainstay of the Las Vegas Strip, almost priced themselves out of the market, said Sam Distefano, vice-president of entertainment for the Riviera. "But things go in cycles. When everyone wants the same act, the price goes up." Production shows became more and more prevalent after the cost of headliners became prohibitive. "With production shows you can plan and advertise for six months in advance," Distefano said.

The Riviera combines both a headliner for four days a month and its production show, Splash, for 28 days. Destafano says the casinos would like nothing better than booking Neil Diamond or Michael Jackson. "But those people don't want to work Vegas. They'd rather make albums and movies." ARIZONA 2 WEEKS FROM 799 olltv'879 4 WEEKS FROM 1299 aw 349 LAS VEGAS The stock market may be iffy but things in Las Vegas are exploding. Born in 1905, the city is now the largest started this century in North America, with a 700,000 population.

"In all the years from 1930 to 1985 there were 60,000 total rooms," Dave Verbon, vice-president of public relations at the Riviera Hotel and Casino, said. "Now they have announced that 30,000 rooms will be added to the city." For every 6,000 rooms that are built, the neon city must pull in 1 million more people a year to help pay for it. And that doesn't seem to be a problem. The major difference in the money making of the town, Verbon says, is the concentration on the slot machine. "In the late 70s they proved where the money really is," Verbon said.

Two hotels opened on the Las Vegas strip that specialized in the slot machine trade what used to be called the "grind" business. "The Flamingo Hilton and Circus Circus proved that they could be supported by the slots." That business used to take place in the city's downtown section, not on the Strip, Verbon said. "Now the place is being run by business types who have determined that the greater number of rooms is directly related to casino business," he said. The idea is to encourage the customer with travel incentives and even gambling packages, All prices are per person based SANTA BARBARA CALIFORNIA on double occupancy. Prices Include round trip transportation, accommodation 4 WEEKS ONLY $1399 -Robert Cross, Citizen transfers.

Prices does not include taxes ser- vices charge of 10 FOR COMPLETE DETAILS CALL Sun TRAVAC TRAVEL WFRTfiATP MAI I 1975 TARI IMf5 AUP 79R-1 Q3d ONT. LICENCE 1383584 Jf mm The mm. kL SPECIAL HELSINKI plus CRUISE TO STOCKHOLM 944. 6 DAYS. FROM TORONTO OR MONTREAL.

Per person dbl.occ. NOV 05, 12,19,26, DEC 03'89, JAN 14,21,28, FEB 04,1 1,18, '90. OJh All departures guaranteed. I avM0 CTOEfUHl to stay mm tubas winter! LENINGRAD You select the departure date and length of your holiday. We'll provide you with a list of specially selected hotels with favourable rates plus information for your tours to Leningrad and a luxury cruise to Stockholm from Helsinki.

Effective from Nov 01'89toMar 31'90. Do it your way! Call your travel agent or BlueWings Tours: 416 927-7470. 1-800-387-8688. an hour's drive away. Several companies offer sightseeing, snorkelling or scuba-diving boat excursions to Espiritu Santo, a rugged, uninhabited island near La Paz that's rich in marine and bird life.

Sports fishing also is excellent near La Paz; several sports-fishing fleets are based in the city and trips can be booked through major hotels or travel agencies. Midway between Cabo San Lucas and La Paz, the little community of Todos Santos gives a glimpse of small-town life. The outside world began coming to the town a few years ago when the road from Cabo San Lucas was paved. Once well off the tourist route, buses and U.S. tourists' cars now whisk through the town, only an hour's drive from Cabo San Lucas.

With the road, changes are coming; a hotel has been renovated (and its prices tripled) and some Americans have bought homes But Todos Santos remains a simple, sleepy town of about 8,000 people, a place of traditional ways and faded charm. The town sits on a hill about a mile back from wild Pacific coast beaches. Lush fields of corn and mango trees spread out around the town, for water is abundant here. Outside town are miles of wild, empty Pacific beaches where the breakers thunder onto the white sand. Those with a car can poke down dirt roads that lead from the main road, Mexico 19, to the beaches between Cabo San Lucas and Todos Santos.

The beach nearest Todos Santos is a half-hour walk away through the fields, past cows grazing and local boys frolicking in a muddy pond. There is a dirt track leading to the beach, but it's hard to find and rough on ordinary cars. Walkers will doubtless get confused since the foothpath is indistinct in places, but ask directions locally and just keep heading for the beach. Only a few houses front" the Todos Santos beach; mostly there's nothing there but sun, sea and sand. Occasionally village men come to spear-fish and cook their catch over an open fire on the beach.

A few miles south there's a beach where the local fishermen launch their skiffs through the rough surf (on most beaches around Todos Santos it's too rough to swim). For visitors, the appeal of Todos Santos is its quiet mood, its few streets of old colonial-style houses (some of them now abandoned) and the town square, where faded plastic Mexican flags flap in the wind. From page G2 story: La Paz: Sun, sea and duty-free shopping nial-style stone buildings with iron grilles on the windows. Away from the downtown are block after block of simple one- or two-storey homes and dusty streets. La Paz is a prosperous town by Mexican standards.

Its status as a duty-free port helps keep the economy humming: Mexican tourists come here to purchase TVs, refrigerators and other im-: ported goods that aren't burdened with the usual heavy Mexican import taxes. The city also is the capital of the state of Baja California del Sur (which covers the southern half of the peninsula; the northern half is the state of Baja California). Its state-capital status helps bring in jobs and money. There also are some small industries (such as fishboat-building), some commercial fishing and a univer- sity. There are plenty of tourist facil-' ities, but the city isn't a high-profile destination resort for American tourists.

However, many Mexican tourists come for sun, sea and duty-free shopping. The city's popularity with Mexican tourists and low profile for Americans compared to Los Cabos helps keep prices down. A high-quality hotel room can be found for around $60 U.S., a moderate room for around $35 and for budget travellers there are plenty of rooms for about $10. Restaurants also are much cheaper in La Paz than Los Cabos. There's even a health-food restaurant and a tiny Chinatown (with a few rather forlorn-looking restaurants and shops).

However, La Paz is not a sightseers' mecca: There's a small museum of Baja Californian history and anthropology (the somewhat erratic displays are described in Spanish only). There's the seaside boulevard and some high-quality (and some tawdry) craft stores along the boulevard. The streets and street life, while congenial, are not picturesque as in Mexico's old colonial cities. Instead, the appeal of La Paz is "for those who enjoy being in a where they can see the life "of ordinary Mexicans. It's also a Igood base for visitors oriented to the outdoors.

Swimming is poor right in the Ccity, but there are swimming beaches just outside the city and excellent wilderness beaches on I the Pichilingue peninsula about A Free Upgrade To A Bigger Car. per person for 3 nights plus 3 continental breakfasts December 1 February 28. 1990 COMPACT CAR, SUBCOMPACT PRICE USC1099 $1 A WEEK lV IN FLORIDA Plymouth A I) II STANDARD CAR, MID-SIZE PRICE US i D99 i A WEEK IN FLORIDA fl '147" Dodge JJL wetother Spirit pNJpcations In Florida and all over, rent any new economy through standard car from General and we'll put you in a bigger car free. Now you'll save big on all our cars. And every car comes with free unlimited mileage, no hidden charges and no airport access fees.

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Travel protection (LDW, PAI and PEP) is available. LDW from $4.99 to 12.99 a day, depending on car and location. Availability is limited and similar cars may be substituted. But that's it And, except for December 20-31, this special is good November 26 through February 7, 1990. Since advance reservations are required, just call your travel agent or General in Ottawa toll-free 1-800-361-7116.

FULISIZE CAR, STANDARD PRICE US 1 aTiLJ99 Come for the Convenience Beautiful executive suites, fully equipped with laundry- and kitchen facilities, with fitness centre, pool, jacuzzi and more, all exclusive to hotel guests. Stay for the Fun! Minutes away from Rideau Centre, National Arts Centre, National Art Gallery, Museum of Civilization, Congress Centre, Byward Market, Rideau Canal, interlude (February 2 to 11) and more! Special Package Bonuses Include: Holtz Health and Beauty Spa 20 off massage, facials, manicures and more! Cafe Nicole Complimentary dessert with any entree Ski Camp Fortune 10 to 30 off lift tickets and rentals, only 10 minutes away Rinaldo 10 off fashion accessories, cosmetics, hair and beauty products National Arts Centre 10 off prime tickets for: N.A.C. Orchestra i The Messiah, conducted by Trevor Pinnock A Gift to Last (theatre) Rideau Centre Present your hotel key for free Christmas gift wrapping (Rideau Centre purchases only) subject to availability-, based on double occupanq children under 14 stay free HO rue Besserer Street. Ottawa. Ontario KIN 9M9 (613) 232-2000 Canada I A WEEK IS Dodge fcjrZ Dynasty PORTUGAL A i LA Come into our Office to see on Video our Beautiful Apart-' ments, Hotels and Golf Courses.

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