Scouting the globe for autumn bargains

Except for New England and other areas graced by beautiful autumn colors, September brings a slowdown in travel. Three popular places -- Hawaii, Costa Rica and the south of France -- turn far less expensive when summer turns to fall.

Although the weather in Hawaii is near-perfect in September and October, these months are generally regarded as low season for America’s tropical state, and airfares and hotel rates drop sharply starting Sept. 1.

You can get an idea of the price decrease by accessing the website of Hawaiian Airlines, www.hawaiianair.com. Flights from Sept. 4 through Dec. 16 that are booked online start at $238 round trip from LAX to Honolulu. That bargain fare is available for several dates and flights in autumn, though not for all of them.

My advice: Grab a low fare, get a confirmation number for it, and then rush to a bookstore for guidebook recommendations of charming Hawaiian B&Bs; or small, tourist-class hotels.

Or access the low-cost, high-rise hotels in the budget-priced Ohana division of Hawaii’s Outrigger Hotels, (800) 462-6262, www.ohanahotels.com. Either way, you’ll pay “SimpleSaver” rates of less than $100 a night for a double room (less than $50 per person) and thus enjoy a week in Hawaii for about $900 per person, including airfare, room and three modest meals a day. The beaches are free.

The low-cost star of the fall season in the Caribbean/Central America region is Costa Rica. I get numerous letters from readers rhapsodizing about their stays there. Some add a rave for Tico Travel, (800) 493-8426, www.ticotravel.com. Tico’s seven-night “Budget Package” to Costa Rica in autumn is a combination of flights, hotel accommodations in two locations and a car rental.

The Tico trip begins with an overnight stay in San Jose’s three-star Best Western Irazu. Then drive through the mountains to the Pacific Coast beach of Quepos and stay six nights at the three-star Villa Teca, near Manuel Antonio National Park.

From now until Oct. 31, prices start at $969 per person, double occupancy, with round-trip airfare from Los Angeles.

Provence, Alsace, Burgundy, the Loire Valley and Normandy in France offer appealing villa rentals, and September is the time when prices plunge. Bungalows can be found for $1,500 per week; call Provence West Ltd., (303) 674-3726, www.provencewest.com.

Properties include such nuggets as a single-story villa overlooking the Mediterranean in the charming seaside village of Carry-le-Rouet, 18 miles west of Marseille. (A private beach is just steps down from the house.) You couldn’t hope for a more memorable holiday.