For Father's Day this year, we wanted to take a long weekend at the beach. We didn't want to drive too far, but we didn't want to endure the murky water at Galveston, either. So, we settled on Corpus Christi.

Corpus Christi is where we took Hoot to the beach for the first time. Well, not the Corpus Christi beach, but out on Mustang Island, which is just above the top of North Padre Island. The beaches are nice and clean, and some of them are still open to vehicles, which is super nice. Ok, well, not if you get stuck, but then the hunky guy in the truck pulled me right out and made my day in so many ways. But, I digress.

Now, we picked where we really wanted to go, but I had to make it happen. We are paying for my parent's hotel room as well, as a Father's Day present, so I really didn't want to break the bank.

As with all travel, I always start with what I really want. That way I know if I'm being realistic, and it doesn't always work out, but I'm not just going to say I can't afford it and not try. So, for the last four or five weeks, I've been surfing the web. I would really like to stay here, at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort. It's right on the beach out on the island and self contained. Not that I want to eat every meal at the restaurant in the hotel, but heck, I could if I wanted. No driving, just get up, hit the beach, shower, relax, go back and so on.

The cheapest I could find at the SunSpree was Pre-paid at $153 a night for a regular room. Total for two rooms, two nights: a whopping $704 when the fees and taxes were added. Um, no thanks. I could cut it in half and only spend one night, but that still leaves it at $352 for the hotel, plus we would only be there from 4 pm on Saturday until 11 am on Sunday. That's only 19 hours, which makes their rate just under $19 a hour for two rooms.

I kept looking. Directly across from the Holiday Inn SunSpree, is a Comfort Suites that I stayed in with Tee in the fall of 2006 when it was brand new. It's still out on the island, with the beach across the street. The price was a little more manageable than the Holiday Inn, but still it the price tag came to around $600, but the next time I checked, the hotel was sold out.

I dug around some more on all my favorite travel sites, especially Hotwire. On Hotwire, I was looking at a two star out by the airport for $49 a night. It's not on the island, but I've shot that price range to the ground. Two rooms, two nights plus taxes and fees would cost me $227. That's way cheaper than our other options! But, you know me. I've got to do better!

Priceline is a thing of beauty in my eyes and pocketbook. I've loved it and used it for so many years. I get a buzz off a great Priceline steal. I really do. So, I decide I'm going to start bidding. I know I can get a two star for $49 off of Hotwire, so I won't go over that price when I bid at that star level. But, I want to see if I can land a bit nicer of a hotel. So, I start out on the 3 stars on the island for $49 a night. Nope. I progress through the areas, never going above $49 and never below a 2 and a 1/2 stars. I'm not really bummed that I'm not landing anything because it's the first day of bidding. Heck, I've got my eye on that Hotwire deal so the pressure is off. So, when I have only one bid possible (I never go below a two star), I click on the two star option and decide to low ball. I bid $35 a room, a night. And I get one!

We'll be staying at the Extended Stay Deluxe Corpus Christi. I know some people don't care much for the apartment type hotels, but as a budgeteer, I love them! We'll have a full kitchen, and while I don't want to cook every meal, hey I am on vacation, it does save a chunk of money to have a few groceries in the fridge. We especially love to keep breakfast items on hand!

Of course, I have to know just how good of a deal I've gotten, so I price the same hotel on Travelocity. Two rooms, two nights, plus taxes and fees: $486! Priceline bid, two rooms, two nights, plus taxes and fees: $170! Roughly a savings of 65%! Oh, I just got that Priceline buzz again!

Current reading:
The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer