10 GREAT VACATION VALUES FOR THE COMING YEAR
By Debra Wishik Englander

(MONEY Magazine) – This is one of those good news/bad news situations: The surge in oil prices has sent the cost of travel soaring -- up six times higher than the consumer price index this year. As a result, nervous operators are courting vacationers with fly/drive packages, room discounts and airline/hotel deals. At a recent Travel Industry Association conference, Martin Shugrue Jr., trustee of struggling Eastern Airlines, predicted a 1991 season of ''innovative pricing, because the industry must now provide good value for the travel dollar.'' Our forecast is that trips won't come cheap. If you shop around, however, you'll have a swell time. Here are 10 terrific getaways -- from palm trees to Prague (rates are per person, double occupancy): -- BEACH IDYLL. With coastlines on both the Pacific and the Caribbean, Costa Rica offers the ideal sun spot. American Airlines' round-trip fares to capital San Jose run $508 from New York and $534 from Chicago. A 20-minute plane ride ($10) from San Jose lands you at La Mariposa (800-223-6510), a small resort in the hills above the former banana port of Quepos. Relax on the terrace of your two-story cottage ($150 a night, including two meals) or ramble down the cliff to the beach. -- FAMILY SKI PACKAGE. At the Big Mountain (800-858-5439), just west of Montana's Glacier National Park, kids under 12 stay free and kids under six ski without charge. Five nights at the Kandahar Lodge, with lift tickets, is $365 per person. Rooms at the Bed & Breakfast Hibernation House run $54 a night. Near Aspen, Ski Sunlight (800-445-7931) caters to families with condo and lodge rates of $35 to $60 a night, including lift tickets.

-- EASTERN EUROPE. Czechoslovakia or Hungary will give you glasnost and comfort too. One typical tour from American Express provides a 10-day taste of Prague, Budapest and Vienna (call your travel agent; $839 to $1,139 until March, plus air fare). Among the sights: Prague's Old Town Hall and Wenceslas Square, People's Stadium and the Roman ruins in Budapest, and Vienna's Opera House and Schloss Belvedere. -- THE SPA DEAL. Le Sport, a new Caribbean resort/spa on St. Lucia, is modeled after Spain's Alhambra palace with its Moorish luxury. The spa's (800-544-2883) weekly rates -- $1,540 to $2,870 -- are better than many U.S. spas, plus you get a $300 air-fare rebate. The rate includes massages, mineral baths, tennis and snorkeling. -- OLD-WORLD CHARM. If the faltering dollar has you skipping London or Paris, consider Barcelona. A cosmopolitan city getting ready for the 1992 Olympics, it offers first-class art, culture, Catalan cuisine and a better break on the dollar (see the map on page 175). You'll find rooms at the Condes de Barcelona on Paseo de Gracia (487-3737; $200). Or splurge at the Hotel Ritz on the Gran Via (318-6200; $400). Iberia and TWA fly to Barcelona. -- SPORTING GOODS. At John Gardiner's Tennis Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz. (800-245-2051), grueling drills or leisurely doubles are followed by a whirlpool soak. Jogging trails and golf courses are nearby. From Dec. 23 until April 27, weekly rates run $1,525, including meals, 21 hours of instruction, and unlimited court time. -- THE TAILOR-MADE TRIP. Off the Beaten Path (406-586-1311) organizes customized trips for two or a group to hike, fish or ride horseback in the & Rockies. Stay at ranches or camp out -- your choice. Samples: Wyoming horseback trip ($150 a day) or a guided trout-fishing expedition near Yellowstone (about $300 a day for two).

-- CRUISING. If the idea of cheerleader deck activities has put you off cruises, then Seabourn Cruise Line (800-351-9595) may be for you. The line's two ships accommodate 212 passengers each -- about half that of other cruises. All 106 outside suites are tastefully designed. And you choose your own meals. The '91 schedule includes: Trans Canal -- a seven-, 14- or 21-day sail from Los Angeles to Acapulco and then to Fort Lauderdale, costing $3,775 to $10,075, including air fare; from the Amazon River to French Guiana and then to Fort Lauderdale (14 days, $9,000 per person, including air fare).

-- SOFT ADVENTURES. Trips organized by Wilderness Travel (800-247-6700) feature experienced guides and are rated for difficulty. Options include a 19- day safari to Namibia's Etosha National Park ($2,690 plus air fare) or an eight-day Swiss Alps hiking trip ($1,050, plus air fare and meals). -- FIVE-STAR GETAWAY. Learn to cook like a pro at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. (800-624-6070) with Anne Willan, founder of the noted Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne in France. Half-day classes with up to 60 students run Feb. 24 to May 3 ($1,300 for a week of lessons, lodging, breakfast and dinner).

CHART: NOT AVAILABLE CREDIT: Source: Runzheimer International CAPTION: YEAR-END EXPENSE REPORT While airlines are sticking it to business travelers to cover higher fuel costs, expenses on the ground aren't coming down to earth either. Worst hit are visitors to New York City, where taxes on most hotel rooms just went from 13.25% to a whopping 19.25% (plus a $2 surcharge). Here are averages for an overnight stay in four cities: