Three Golden Holiday Packages

Golden Tours for Senior Citizens is offering three Christmas packages, one of which is in Las Vegas at the Flamingo Hilton. This package includes round-trip motor coach from either Alhambra or Pasadena, departing Dec. 23, three nights at the Flamingo, the “City Lights” show with two drinks, plus three dinners and two breakfasts. Price $160 per person, double occupancy, or $220 single.

Christmas in Santa Barbara is another Golden Tours package, leaving by bus the morning of Dec. 25. It includes round-trip transportation by motor coach, overnight accommodations at the Santa Barbara Inn, a Christmas dinner buffet at Don the Beachcomber and a full breakfast the next morning.

Several sightseeing attractions are scheduled, including a wine tasting, an Arabian horse farm, an art gallery and time in Solvang for lunch. Price $120 per person, double occupancy, $145 single.

A one-day trip on Christmas Day to Hotel Del Coronado, San Diego, includes motor-coach transportation, an elegant Christmas dinner, stops en route for coffee and visits in San Juan Capistrano and at Hadley’s fruit farms in Carlsbad. Same day return. Price $45 for the round trip and Christmas dinner.

Parking available in both Alhambra and Pasadena, where the buses are boarded. For information and reservations on these or other trips, contact Golden Tours at (213) 283-786 or (818) 289-6271.

A recent Mature Traveler column told of special packages and other inducements being offered by hotels in Bermuda, which lies about 600 miles off the East Coast of the United States. Another special package has been added by the luxurious Sonesta Beach Hotel and Spa, which, with 400 rooms, is one of the largest hotels in Bermuda.

The Sonesta is offering a Golden Getaway for mature travelers over age 55, available until March 31, at $475 per person, double occupancy.

The package includes six nights in an ocean-front room with balcony or patio and color TV, a full American breakfast each morning, one gourmet dinner, two days of greens fees at a nearby golf course or two days entrance to the spa and the use of whirlpool, steam bath, sauna and fitness equipment.

The package includes free tennis, use of heated indoor and outdoor pools and a discount on spa services.

The package does not include transportation, taxes or gratuities, and excludes major holidays.

For reservations or information, call (800) 343-7170 or write to Sonesta Hotels, 200 Clarendon St., Boston, Mass. 02116.

Mature travelers who plan to visit the San Francisco Bay Area between now and Feb. 28 may take advantage of a specially designed discount program called Senior Season.

Pier 39 is a 45-acre complex on the San Francisco waterfront containing 12 restaurants and more than 100 specialty shops and attractions. It claims to be the second most visited attraction in California.

Pier 39’s Senior Season packet offers substantial discounts at selected restaurants, shops and attractions at the festival marketplace. A highlight is a 75-minute narrated boat tour of San Francisco Bay, viewing such famous landmarks as Alcatraz, the Golden Gate and Bay bridges and the city’s skyline. A regular $6 price has been reduced to $4 for seniors.

For a free Senior Season packet, send a post card to Senior Season Packet, Pier 39, P.O. Box 3730, San Francisco 94119.

A British-based airline, Virgin Atlantic Airways, unfortunately does not serve West Coast gateways, but is nonetheless offering a moderate fare for mature travelers called Sixty Plus.

Virgin Atlantic flies to London from either Miami or Newark, N.J. Round-trip flights daily except Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Travelers may leave from Newark and return to Miami or vice versa at no extra charge.

Fares for mature travelers who are over age 60 at time of travel is $369 round trip. Obtain information from your travel agent or call toll-free (800) 862-8621 for reservations or information.