Just one hour south of San Francisco and Napa Valley, and two hours north of Monterey and Carmel lies the Sheraton Palo Alto Hotel. The hotel has slashed weekend travel through December to $86-$95 per night, while surrounding dates are $199.

This discounted rate is available Nov. 23-24; Dec, 1, 7-8, 14-15, 21-23, 28-30.

Free high-speed Internet access is available in the business center. Take the Caltrain, a 50-minute train ride to downtown San Francisco, located one block away. Stanford University, California's Great America Amusement Park and local wineries are all nearby.