According to Away.com, cost-conscious beachgoers will find a variety of free attractions in Cannon Beach - iconic Haystack Rock, a drive to nearby Ecola State Park, or head to Bay City for fresh seafood. Manzanita hotels go for as low as $70 a night during high season.

In addition to Cannon Beach, the list also includes the magnificent Outer Banks beaches in North Carolina; Huntington Beach aka ‘Surf City, USA’ in California; Destin in Florida; and Cape Ann in Massachusetts.

Here’s the full list of the top 10 cheapest beach vacations from Away.com.

1. Cannon Beach, Oregon
2. Tulum, Mexico
3. Placencia, Belize
4. Morro de Sao Paulo, Brazil
5. Negril, Jamaica
6. Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
7. Cape Ann, Massachusetts
8. Huntington Beach, California
9. Outer Banks, North Carolina
10. Destin, Florida

In a press statement, Eric Brodnax, general manager of Away.com, says that “In these tough times, people tend to forget that it is possible to take a beach vacation without spending your life savings. But it’s easy, and it all begins with picking a destination a bit off the beaten path.”

Photo by keepitsurreal via flickr (creative commons). Auto Insurance Miami vacation apartments

Oh, and there’s also additional cash and gift packages for first and second place winners.

That’s like one of the best Honolulu Hotels, and you could be the lucky sod who gets to stay there if you win Hawaii Magazine’s 11th annual photo contest, and the rules are pretty simple - You can send in anything you like, so long as the photo was taken in one of the Hawaiian Islands.

Course, it might help if the photo is a stunning view of one of the beautiful beaches in Hawaii, or other attractions which the magazine can tout as the ‘best of Hawaii’, if you get my drift. If it helps, here’s some slides of entries submitted by last year’s winners and finalists.

If you fancy your chances, send in your snaps before Aug 7, 2009. More details here - www.hawaiimagazine.com/photo_contest

The JW Marriott Hotel Washington, DC, which is just a short hop from the Smithsonian museums, is trying to tap this patriotic fervor by offering a Star-Spangled Banner package.

If you book this package, 5% of the room revenue will be donated toward the preservation of the Star-Spangled Banner. You get luxurious digs with spectacular Pennsylvania Avenue views at one of the most posh hotels in Washington DC.

You also get a complimentary American breakfast for two and a keepsake book, entitled “The Star-Spangled Banner,” providing a history of the original flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to pen our national anthem. 

Valid until Sept 7, 2009. Use promo code YX1. For more information or reservations, please call (800) 834-6418 or visit  http://www.marriott.com/specials/mesOffer.mi?marrOfferId=445251&displayLink=true.

Photo courtesy Smithsonian National Museum of American History (http://americanhistory.si.edu/)

The San Diego Convention Center is no longer sufficient to handle the humungous crowd that turns up for Comic-Con. There’s chronic overcrowding, traffic and parking problems. 

And the less said about accomodations, the better. Official bookings at San Diego hotels in the vicinity of the Convention Center made with the help of Comic-Con organizers dry up way too early.

Attendees are left searching for vacation rentals on Craigslist, or have to book into San Diego motels and just use it as a crash pad. Most people I know are planning on staying far off from the Gaslamp and having to use the trolleys, since renting a car and trying to find parking space would be downright stupid.

Bottomline is that San Diego Comic-Con is fast turning into more of something where the inconvinience needs to be tolerated, rather than a comic fest where the city helps attendees have as much fun as possible.

Apparently, other cities with bigger and better facilities - like Los Angeles and Las Vegas -  have been attempting a coup and trying to convince Comic-Con organizers to dump San Diego. And this is a high-stakes fight - Comic-Con’s 124,000 attendees pump $16 million in direct spending and $38 million in indirect spending into San Diego’s economy.

Will the attractions of San Diego overcome it’s limitations? Will San Diego be able to upgrade it’s facilities and keep Comic-Con from bolting? We’ll see next year. But at least for this year, San Diego still hosts the light saber duels, Joker-Jedi mock battles and the tattoes.

Photo by voicechasers via flickr (creative commons).

Travelers arriving for summer New York vacations will see muppets including Elmo, Big Bird and Cookie Monster plastered all over online and outdoor advertising, as well as on taxicab ads throughout the City.

This was announced by George Fertitta, the CEO of NYC & Company (New York City’s official tourism and marketing organization), in a bid to promote the City as a family- and kid-friendly travel destination.

Speaking against the lovely backdrop of the recently-reopened Statue of Liberty’s crown, Fertitta said that “We are excited to be celebrating summer 2009 with such enthusiasm and optimism. The energy and vibrancy of New York City was on full display this July 4th weekend, and we are confident that tourism will remain one of our strongest and most reliable industries in 2009 and beyond. On behalf of NYC & Company and all our members and partners, I would personally like to welcome and invite everyone this summer to come see all that the world’s second home has to offer.”

Apparently, all the enthusiasm is because 11.3 million visitors are expected to come and check out the attractions in New York this summer.

The press statement from NYC & Company also mentioned that New York hotels continue to top the national hotel occupancy rates - 83.3% as of the week ending June 27, as opposed to the national average of 65.4%.

The only cities which come anywhere close to NYC in terms of hotel occupancy rates are San Francisco (80.8%), Washington DC (80.6%) and Honolulu/Oahu (76.1%).

Muppets photo by nickstone333 via flickr (creative commons). George Fertitta speech photo credit - Julienne Schaer (courtesy NYC & Company - http://nycgo.com/).

The panel was asked to compile a list of America’s top 10 healthiest beaches and lake getaways. The beaches of Tybee Island, GA won the top slot as America’s healthiest beach.

Criteria used by the panel included air and water quality, the abundance of parks, the cost of a hotel room, etc. You can see the full list of America’s healthiest beaches and lake getaways on Health.com.

The other places on the list include Coronado, San Diego, CA; Monterey, CA; Osage Beach, Missouri; Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; Zephyr Cove, Nevada; Bonita Springs, Florida; Wailea, Hawaii; Kelleys Island, Ohio; and Provincetown, Massachusetts. 

Citing Tybee Island’s magnificent 3-mile stretch of beach with gorgeous water, the judges said that Tybee Island has abundant ‘healthy’ facilities, including bike rentals and eateries which serve up an abundance of good-for-you fare like fish tacos, salads, and veggie-filled sandwiches.

“The restaurants serve simple, heart-healthy dishes,” says judge Ruth Frechman, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

Biking is the preferred mode of transport on Tybee, and you can leave your bike or vehicle parked just about anywhere on the island.

And the panel also looked at the practical aspects - cost of living, for instance. Apparently, of all the towns shortlisted by the panel, the Tybee Island motels, hotels and other lodging facilities are the least expensive.

For more information about Tybee Island, visit www.tybeeisland.com/. Photos by rjones0856 via flickr (creative commons).

Forks is located in the heart of the Olympic Peninsula, between the Olympic mountains and the Pacific Ocean beaches. The town itself features as one of the stars in the movie - as Bella’s hometown.

Forks also provided the inspiration and location for the Twilight novels written by Stephenie Meyer. Apparently, Meyer chose Forks after googling for the rainiest place in America.

With such a long association with all things Twilight, Forks has acquired an unholy bloodthirsty lust for hawking anything to do with Twilight and bloodsucking vampires.

You’ll find twilight body glitter, a Twilight wine and ‘I Love Jacob’ Christmas ornaments on sale, and even a “Twilight” look-alike contest. Heck, even the Forks Chamber of Commerce website says ‘Home of Twilight’ on it’s home page. And they’ve got a special twilight page, which includes listings of points of interest for Twilight fans, Twilight retail stores and Twilight restaurant specials. 

Forks High School’s brick building on South Spartan Avenue was built in 1925 and is a landmark building, but tourists now visit it to check out the place where Bella and Edward attended school.

Said building is apparently in need of some saving, so if you want to help save it, visit http://www.forksforum.com/twilighters.

The property which serves as Bella’s house in Twilight is one of the prime tourist attractions in Forks, where visitors can have their pictures taken alongside Bella’s truck.

More importantly, Twilight-themed vacations in Forks, WA have suddenly become a hot ticket. The town offers four different daily tours of ‘Twilight destinations.’

If you’re planning to join the legions of vampires heading for Forks, then here’s a nice list of Forks motels. When you’re sleeping at these motels in the dead of night and the moon comes out, be afraid - very, very afraid, for there be blood thirsty creatures creeping up on you, with a very decent plan to suck your blood. Could be vampires. Or bedbugs…

Forks Motel photo by quinn.anya via flickr (creative commons). Forks High School building photo credit - Forks Twilighters forum.

Taking this opportunity to milk President Obama’s immense popularity in Ghana and timed to coincide with his visit to the African nation, and also the celebration of America’s Independence on the 4th of July, a new 18-room hotel named ‘Hotel Obama’ has opened it’s doors in East Legon, a posh residential area in Ghana’s capital city Accra.

The hotel’s promoter is entrepreneur and CEO of Town and Country Plaza, Mr. Kwame Owusu, who lived in the US for almost 25 years. Mr. Owusu told ghanabusinessnews.com that “I call it Hotel Obama, because, President Obama represents all that is possible in bridging all there is in ethnic and racial barriers, and a good example of all that is possible.”

Of course, the Hotel Obama, which offers air-conditioning, wireless internet and cable TV, probably can’t hold a candle to even the Washington DC motels lined up along Pennsylvania Avenue. But it does have what even the White House doesn’t - hotel rooms named the ‘Obama Suite’, ‘Michelle Obama’, ‘Martin Luther King’, ‘White House’, and even a room named after ‘Joe Biden.’

Not sure if the Hotel Obama has a Bo Obama room for guests with pets, but if they don’t, then they should.

Photo by Pete Souza, The Obama-Biden Transition Project (creative commons). Source: http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/new_official_portrait_released/

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Love apparently left behind dirty needles and used feminine hygiene products, and also flooded the floor. Damage caused was to the tune of $5,000.  Page 6 reports that on June 18, TMZ filmed her in front of the hotel, emptying the contents of her purse to reveal “a pill holder” filled with the sleep aid Sonata, “more pills,” and a syringe.

The Inn at Irving Place counts itself among the upscale and storied New York hotels, located in the heart of New York’s historical Gramercy Park, along with Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon and the Cibar Lounge. Built in 1834, the two landmark townhouses have been meticulously transformed to recreate a bygone era of gracious living.

Rooms range from $445 to $645 per night. Residences from $325 to $450 per night. All rooms are equipped with Frette bed and bath linens, hand-held hair dryers, Sony CD/Radio/Alarm or iPod docking stations, two line phone with teleport connection, wireless internet connection, minibar, work desk, air conditioning, remote digital cable television with HBO and DVD, Penhaligon’s fine bathroom amenities, and full-size mirrors.

Info: The Inn at Irving Place - 56 Irving Place New York, NY 10003; (212) 533-4600; www.innatirving.com/

Courtney Love photo by Tom Edwards via flickr (creative commons).

The Boston Globe reports that inspite of the heavy bill to taxpayers, some of these motels in Boston, Cambridge and Ashleigh provide only bare minimum living conditions.

“Many motels are in congested commercial districts on busy thoroughfares without sidewalks. They often are dingy, with poor lighting, worn carpeting, and - in some places - bedbugs. Families are not allowed to have visitors in their rooms, some of which lack microwaves and refrigerators. Children have parking lots as their only playgrounds.”

To make matters worse, some of the motels which are housing the homeless are the source of increasing complaints of irregularities, medical emergencies and criminal activities. After the fire dept. found illegal hot plates and toaster ovens at the Cambridge Gateway Inn, they’re now conducting weekly checks.

But the problem here is that the homeless families being put up at these motels do not have the support that they get at shelters - use of kitchens, medical care, living areas, playgrounds, etc.

This creates an atmosphere of hopelessness in the motels and leads to emergencies triggered by desperate families trying to bend the law in order to fulfill these simple yet unavailable needs.