TravelZoo is paid to advertise travel offers. Nevertheless, their weekly “Top 20” sometimes has some pretty good deals. Occasionally (though rarely) they’re truly exceptional. This week there were two that stood out to me: $799 per person from Los Angeles to Tahiti, transfers to the island of Moorea, and 5 nights hotel. Also $680 per person from Washington-Reagan National (less from New York) to Honolulu plus 7 nights of hotel.

As is the case with any package, the eye-popping appeal comes from the low price. And it isn’t going to be the most luxurious trip — airfares usually not upgradable, hotel that is decent but far from world-class. Nevertheless, these represent decent values.

On the other hand, discounters like GoToday.com and last minute package sites like Site59 give you nice deals with the ability to upgrade portions of the trip. (If booking with Site59, type MC59 into the Promotional Code field on the billing page during check out and use your MasterCard to purchase for $59 off. Offer valid through September 30, 2004.)