BudgetTravel

The Real Deal: Roundtrip airfare, a five-night stay, cultural programs and a half-day city tour of Hong Kong from $999 per person

When: Nov. 16 - Dec. 23, 2005

Gateways: Los Angeles, San Francisco; New York City (add $150); Boston, Chicago, Miami ($250); additional cities available

Details: The $999 rate is based on midweek travel; Fri. - Sun. flights are an additional $50 per person each way. Hotel taxes, daily American buffet breakfast, and roundtrip airfare-hotel transfers are included. Airport taxes and fuel surcharges totaling roughly $160 per person apply. $250 single supplement.

Book By: No deadline but book early to ensure availability 

Contact: Ritz Tours, 800-900-2446, ritztours.com

The package includes roundtrip airfare on Cathay Pacific and a five-night stay at the Harbour Plaza Kowloon Hotel, on bustling Nathan Road in Kowloon side, a 10-minute ferry ride from Hong Kong island. A Cultural Kaleidoscope of free programs such as tai chi or pearl grading lessons, a feng shui lecture, an architectural walking tour, and a ride on a Chinese junk is included as well as a half-day sightseeing tour with stops at Victoria Peak for jaw-dropping views of Hong Kong and its harbor; Stanley Market; and Aberdeen's Floating Community, a small fishing village noted for its houseboats.

Travelers can extend their stay at the Kowloon Hotel for an additional $50 per person per night or upgrade to the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers for an additional $200 per person for the entire trip.

There's more to Hong Kong than shopping in dazzling state-of-the-art malls and overcrowded lane markets, sampling dim sum and taking British tea, wandering about in public parks and historical sites, and sizing up its new Disneyland. Read up on its outlying islands and quieter side: Hong Kong Chills Out

Pleasant temperatures in the 60s and the drop in Hong Kong's otherwise unforgiving humidity make winter a terrific time to visit. Better yet, travelers can take advantage of steep discounts like this $999 air-hotel rate when flights alone can easily cost more than $1,000 in summer. For early December travel, roundtrip airfare between Los Angeles and Hong Kong is currently $733 (United Airlines).