Cool California hotel weekend deal

When times are tough, nothing beats a free weekend trip. That's why this announcement intrigued me: "This Memorial Day, Joie de Vivre – California’s largest boutique hotel collection – will kick off summer by giving away 25 Explore California Passports each valued at more than $17,000. Every one of the 25 no-strings-attached Explore California Passports features a two-night stay at each of Joie de Vivre’s 35 hotels (70 room nights), with two-year validity, transferability to friends and family, and no blackout dates."

What's a Joie de Vivre hotel? Well, it ranges from the family-friendly Americania Hotel in San Francisco to the hip Hotel Angeleno in Los Angeles and the sexy-surfer-chic Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach. Of course, to win, you do have to register at their website.

Sign up between April 16 and May 20, 2009 on www.summercalifornia.com. You'll receive a free tip sheet featuring 100 affordable things to do in California and a $25 credit for each room night booked on summercalifornia.com. The 25 sweepstakes winners will be announced via a video posted to the website on Monday, May 25, 2009.