Tours shine a light at San Simeon...

Tours shine a light at San Simeon Bay

Tours of a historic lighthouse just north of San Simeon, dating to 1875, are selling out quickly since they began in June.

The Gothic-style Piedras Blancas Light Station still casts a beam 24 hours a day, although its foghorn no longer sounds and its French-made Fresnel lens was removed in 1949. A modern light was installed last year by its operator, the federal Bureau of Land Management.

The two-hour Saturday tours, offered once a month and limited to 50 people, are sold out through October. The Nov. 22, Dec. 20, Jan. 3 and Feb. 7 tours were still available as of the Travel section’s deadline Tuesday. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children 5 to 16.

The site’s name was inspired by white rocks off the end of the point. The light station was built to guide ships away from the rocky shore of San Simeon Bay.

Tourgoers, arriving by bus from Hearst Castle several miles away, enter the 34-foot-wide rotunda at the base of the lighthouse to view the original clock mechanism. Volunteer docents dressed in costumes from the late 19th century describe the human and natural history of the 20-acre site, which affords scenic views of the coast below and of Hearst Castle above.

Three full-time employees, two of whom live on site, maintain the lighthouse, said Ron Fellows, Bureau of Land Management field manager based in Bakersfield.

For information, call (888) 804-8608 or visit www.piedrasblancas.gov.

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Life in the air

gets ‘suite’

for upper class

A tussle for well-heeled fliers is breaking out over the Atlantic.

Virgin Atlantic is revamping its upper class, the highest priced of its three classes, by installing seats that convert to flat beds.

It expects by next spring to have what it calls “upper-class suites,” complete with an ottoman that doubles as a chair for visitors, in all its Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A340-600 fleet based at London’s Heathrow Airport.

“We’re attacking the first-class and Concorde markets” of British Airways, said John Riordan, Virgin Atlantic’s vice president of marketing, referring to the supersonic aircraft favored by the jet set that will be retired in October.

“It’s flattering,” responded British Airways spokesman John Lampl. “Everyone is trying to imitate us.”

He said his airline was the first to offer flat beds in first class, in 1996, and also had them in business on most long-haul flights, including those out of Los Angeles. As for the future, he said, “we’ll see what they have, and do one better.”

Virgin Atlantic’s three classes are economy, economy premium and upper class. The latter is priced to match competitors’ business fares, Riordan said.

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Orbitz increases

air booking

fees by $1

It has become costlier to buy an airline ticket at www.orbitz.com. The airline-owned Internet travel seller earlier this month increased its air-ticket booking fee from $5 to $6 for most airlines, and from $10 to $11 for Alitalia, ATA and Frontier airlines.

By comparison, as of the Travel section’s deadline Tuesday, two of Orbitz’s competitors continued to list lower fees. At www.expedia.com, the service fee was listed as “up to $5.” At www.travelocity.com, the fees were $5 per ticket for airlines that pay the Internet site a commission and $10 for those that don’t.

Orbitz first imposed its service fees in December 2001. The latest increase was needed “to maintain the service levels that we do,” a spokeswoman said.

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Resort takes

the plunge with

‘surf butler’

Could this be the next wave? In Dana Point a “surf butler” is showing hotel guests how to hang ten.

At the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort and Spa, four-hour surfing lessons are included in an optional $15-per-day-per-room “resort passport” fee that also covers children’s activities, bike rentals, use of the fitness center, high-speed Internet access and some other services.

The lessons, limited to

four people and held Thursdays through Sundays, include the lowdown on safety and surf etiquette, use of a surfboard for four hours and transportation to a local surfing spot.

You must reserve in advance by calling the hotel, (949) 661-5000. Published room rates through Labor Day start at $209 at the hotel, rated four diamonds by AAA.

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DEAL OF THE WEEK

2-for-1 fares on

Western train

If you book soon, two can travel for the price of one on the Montana Daylight train, which slices through nearly 500 miles of Big Sky Country between Livingston, Mont., and Sandpoint, Idaho.

Under the deal, the total for two is $849 round trip (five days, four nights) or $499 one way (three days, two nights). Besides train passage, the price for “Discovery Service” class includes hotel stays and some meals.

You must book by Aug. 15 with Montana Rockies Rail Tours and travel by Sept. 20. (800) 519-7245, www.montanarailtours.com.

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FREE FOR THE ASKING

Fun-without-fees

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara County visitors on a budget will find helpful tips in the pamphlet “101 Free Things to Do in the American Riviera.” Sample ideas: Browse the Sunday Arts & Crafts Show along Cabrillo Boulevard in Santa Barbara, visit museums on free-admission days or go surfing at Leadbetter Point. (800) 676-1266.

-- Compiled by

Jane Engle