When it comes to travel, the Super Bowl is kind of like New Year’s Eve: an occasion for airlines and hotels to charge astronomical rates. At this point, if you haven’t already secured tickets to the big game at MetLife Stadium, you’re probably not attending. But there are still Super Bowl travel packages where you can be close to the game, watching along with enthusiastic fans. If you haven’t caught football fever, take advantage of crowd-free days while everyone else is huddled around the TV. 

Football Fans Take New York

Affinia Manhattan is offering the “Super Close to the Bowl” package, delivering to fans two complimentary New Jersey Train Rail passes from Penn Station and a six-pack of locally sourced beer, for rates starting at $214 per night. The package requires a two-night minimum stay and must be booked by January 29 for stays between January 29 and February 3, 2014. Click here for more information and use the promo code SBOWL.

The Grand Hyatt New York, a hotel partner of the NFL, has just released special pricing (with rates starting $399 per night through the nights of January 26-February 3). Located above the Grand Central Terminal, it offers a convenient location for the Super Bowl experience.

Go Big or Stay Home

The Mandarin Oriental created the New York’s Ultimate Super Bowl Party Package. You can choose between two hotel’s signature suites: Presidential or Oriental, to kick off the event with your friends, watching the game under the city skyline. Included in the package is a gourmet spread of the tastiest stadium snacks and an array of desserts. A bottle of Louis Roederer’s “Cristal” Champagne can be included for an additional price. The Mandarin Oriental package is valid from February 1-3, or February 2-4, 2014 with a two-night minimum stay. Price starts at $17,800 for the Oriental suite and $23,800 for the Presidential Suite.

Ladies like football too, and The Smyth Hotel (located in downtown Manhattan) knows that. In fact, the Tribeca hotel created a package just for you. Not too far from the MetLife Stadium, guests can get one jersey from their favorite team, snacks, a selection of wines, and a suite accommodation overlooking the Manhattan skyline, with prices starting at $2,900. The package is for four people for the night of February 2. Click here for more information.

The “Mourning” After

Fans of the losing team can drink away their sorrows at Vander Bar, located inside The Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.  On Monday, February 3, from noon to 9 pm, the bar will offer percentage discounts in the amount of points by which the team lost (i.e. 15-point loss = 15 percent off tabs.)  Vander Bar offers a great selection of beer on tap, full bar, and a tasting-bites menu for lunch and happy hour.

The Alternative

While everyone else is gathered around the television, you can have the ski slopes all to yourself. Liftopia.com is offering Game Day discounts on lift tickets all around the nation. Last year, the average savings on Liftopia for Super Bowl day tickets was 33 percent. Sample deals include:

New Yorkers can save 35 percent on 1-day tickets at Plattekill, New York, with prices starting at $37. At Mountain Creek, New Jersey, you can save 27 percent (starting at $47), or ski/board Windham, New Jersey ,with 27 percent savings, starting at $54.

You can be sure most Colorado natives will be rooting for the Broncos, so you can take advantage of wide-open slopes: Save 41 percent at Crested Butte, with lift tickets starting at $58 and, at Copper Mountain, save 39 percent with tickets from $72 per person.

Visit Liftopia.com for more information and ski travel deals.

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• Avoid these common sports travel scams
• Grab one last Super Bowl hotel travel deal
• Get more travel deals in our daily deals column

By Lavinia Pisani for PeterGreenberg.com