The Baja resort, an hour’s drive south of San Diego, is offering Saturdays at the Ranch, a one-day visit that includes fitness and spa activities, meals and a hands-on afternoon in a class at the culinary center.    

The ranch and spa, tagged World’s Best Destination Spa by Travel & Leisure readers in 2010 and 2011, is a 3,000-acre property that specializes in health and wellness activities.  Its multi-day programs include exercise, healthful cuisine, spa amenities and entertainment. Rates for seven nights start at $3,250, double occupancy.

But the Tecate, Mexico, spa’s Saturday experience is $235 per person, or $300 including a 50-minute massage.  Groups from 12-16 can also be accommodated.

The day includes round-trip transportation from San Diego, fitness class, free time to explore the gardens, pool and tennis courts, lunch, a three-hour culinary...

The Time Warner Center in the curve of Columbus Circle in New York City houses markets, restaurants and shops -- what better combination of services for shopping and relaxing? A free pass is available with discounts and freebies for dining and shopping at the center as well as packages that add a massage or museum tickets.

The deal: The VIP Shopping Pass applies to the center's Shops at Columbus Circle and the Restaurant and Bar Collection. Some examples: a free appointment with a stylist at J Crew, $50 off purchase of $250 or more at C. Wonder and a free glass of wine with a reservation at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola.

Then there are Explore New York as an Insider packages with six themes that all come with a VIP pass. The Food, Fashion, Fun option features prix-fixe lunch for two at A Voce Columbus, two tickets to the Museum of Arts and Design and drinks for two at Porter House New York. The cost? $110 for two people. The Day of Leisure package costs $135 per person for a 50-minute massage...

More than a simple price calendar, Momondo’s Flight Insights tool considers six essential factors that determine the price of a ticket for a particular flight search: number of days in advance, time of day, day of the week, seasonality, airport and airline. 

Even if you are booking a last-minute ticket, this tool can help determine which airline normally has the lowest price fares for a particular route.

Momondo says more than 400 searches currently offer Flight Insights, including most flights from/to New York, London and Copenhagen. The tool is offered on routes between LAX and Chicago, New York, Honolulu, Las Vegas, San Francisco, London, Berlin, Cophenhagen, Stockholm and Tehran. Although flights from San Francisco and Chicago aren’t yet in the mix, Momondo is working hard to add more Flight Insights daily with the goal of...

It’s now possible to enjoy stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) in the Mojave Desert only about half-an-hour from the Las Vegas Strip. Paddle to the Core offers boarding experiences at all levels on the tranquil waters of Lake Las Vegas, located in an upscale (think Celine Dion) community adjacent to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Stand-up paddleboarding is a water sport that’s quickly growing in popularity. The experts at Lake Las Vegas treat SUP as much more than just a fun activity during a visit to Vegas. They also approach it as a fitness — and even spiritual — experience through their Pilate sand yoga classes.

Stand-up paddleboarding is offered daily from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the summer months. The journeys begin on the beach at the Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort and Spa at 101 Montelago Blvd. in Henderson, Nev.

The company also arranges other outdoor activities such as biking, hiking and historic tours.

Info: (702) 567-2187

Twitter: @LATimesTravel | Fa...

Campers and visitors are urged to take extra care with campfires when visiting Yosemite National Park  because fire danger is higher than average for this time of year, according to a park announcement.

Fire season in the park officially starts Monday. "The park is currently transitioning to fire season preparedness and fire resources will be available seven days per week for suppression efforts within the park," the statement said. 

Some safety tips for campers, from the park's website:

• Campfires are allowed only between 5 and 10 p.m. from now through September in Yosemite Valley camps.
• Don't leave fires unattended. Douse them completely with water.
• Buy firewood at stores near the campground. You can't gather wood, pine cones, pine needles or other kindling in the park, and officials discourage folks from bringing firewood from more than 50 miles from the park for fear it may carry unwanted pests.

The National Interagency Coordination Center, which coordinates resources for...

If the pine trees, hiking trails and clear blue skies of the San Bernardino Mountains are calling to you, hop online fast or grab a phone. Big Bear Lake is kicking off the vacation season with a flash sale for Memorial Day weekend.   

But you need to act fast: The sale lasts just 72 hours, from 9 a.m. Monday (today) through 9 a.m, Thursday.

The deal: Big Bear Lake Resort Assn. is offering 50% off lodging accommodations for a three-night holiday weekend stay.  

When: Friday-May 27.

Details: The Memorial Day weekend special offer is a one-time 72-hour sale that is available onlineor by phone from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday of this week. A three-night stay is required for the special, which is valid for new reservations only. The special must be mentioned at the time of booking; there is limited availability, participating lodges only, blackout dates and other restrictions may apply, and it cannot be used with any other specials or promotions. I was able to take a sneak peek at the...

Fans of National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service can meet the people behind the broadcasts on the seven-night “Newsmakers and Tastemakers” tour of Washington and New York City.

Notables (subject to change) are expected to include Gwen Ifill, moderator and managing editor of “Washington Week” on PBS and senior correspondent for “PBS NewsHour”; Scott Simon, host of NPR’s “Weekend Edition Saturday”; filmmaker Ric Burns, whose series “New York: A Documentary Film” premiered nationally on PBS; and Charlie Cook, publisher of “The Cook Political Report.”

In D.C., participants will meet Ifill and other staff at PBS studios and tour NPR’s new national headquarters. They then will board restored Pullman cars, pulled by Amtrak’s Northeast Regional train, for a weekend in New York that will include a performance of the Broadway musical “Motown,” dinner at Sardi’s restaurant,...

Hollywood actor-turned-bad boy Charlie Sheen will bring some star power to the Memorial Day Weekend party in Las Vegas at Sapphire Pool & Day Club, which bills itself as “the world’s largest gentlemen’s club.”

Sheen will mingle with male guests and scantily clad women on Saturday. A red carpet walk is scheduled for 2 p.m.; the meet-and-greet is expected to continue until about 5 p.m.

Admission is $50.

Sheen’s big break came in 1986, when he landed a leading role in the epic Vietnam movie “Platoon.” By 2010, he had become one of Hollywood’s best-paid actors, earning a reported $1.8 million per episode on TV’s “Two and a Half Men.” His well-publicized struggles with drugs and alcohol led to his departure from the hit show in 2011.

Sapphire, just west of the Strip at 3025 S. Industrial Road, features free limo transportation to and from patrons’ hotels.

The club’s newest feature, Sapphire Grill, opened in early...

A unique new haunted attraction opening this summer at a small United Kingdom theme park will combine a walk-through horror maze featuring live actors with a dark ride journey inside an abandoned mine shaft.

The Hobs Pit maze and ride is set to open June 2 at Pleasurewood Hills theme park in Lowestoft, England, located about 100 miles northeast of London on the North Sea coast.

Theme Parks: What may come to Wizarding World of Harry Potter 2.0 at Universal Orlando

The 30-year-old amusement park has been promoting the new attraction with a clever viral marketing campaign that hints at the ride's paranormal back story.

As the story goes, artifacts found on the site of an abandoned mine where the ride is being built suggest demonic activity. A journal from 1835 indicates that a group of crazed miners trapped in Hobs Pit turned on each other with pickaxes. Those who managed to survive the slaughter eventually fell to their deaths down a shaft that led straight to hell.

Theme Parks: What the...

“The Hangover Part III” is just the start of Memorial Day weekend in Las Vegas, which also includes the debut of Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson tribute and a bounty of nightclubs overflowing with widely known DJs.

The comedy film's famed Wolfpack once again will overindulge, cinematically speaking, at Caesars Palace, whose gift shops will be awash in movie-themed merchandise.

To celebrate the release of the movie, Caesars will offer two themed packages beginning Friday. The Hangover Package includes a two-night stay and a $40 retail credit for movie-related items. Beginning Friday, use online booking code ICHOP. If you're booking by phone at (800) 223-7277, use the code PKGCHOP.

The Ultimate Hangover Package upgrades guests to a two-story suite like the one featured in the movie “Rainman.” It also includes the gift-shop credit. Guests must book by phone at (800) 223-7277, using code PKGCUHO.

Prices for both offers vary by date and are subject to...