Welcome back to your desk. Good luck pretending to work. (Alaska Airlines even has stats showing that Cyber Monday morning sees a spike in flight bookings —and it's mostly solo trips. That family time over Thanksgiving must have gone well!) No worries, we’ll help you plot your next getaway. 
 
 'Biggest Sale of the Year' 
 
 Frankly, we received hundreds of hotel, tour, and flight deals —we read every single one, looking for worthwhile promos that aren't just gimmicks or regular rates repackaged as deals. (Don't forget to check our Black Friday flight and travel deals as well.) Let's begin... 
 
 Starwood offered “the biggest sale of the year” last year on more than 1,100 hotels; expect the same this year, like 20 percent off W’s newest property in Bellevue, Washington. 
 
 Salt hotels —including our editor-favorite The Chequit on Shelter Island and Asbury, which we think is the chicest new hotel on the Jersey Shore —has 50 percent off direct bookings through April by using the code CYBERSTAY on the hotel websites ; bookable until December 1. 
 
 The Cloister at Sea Island in Georgia is taking 90 percent off the third night when guests book on Cyber Monday and stay two or more nights between January 2 and February 28 at seaisland.com. 
 
 All week long, Viceroy Hotels promises savings at viceroyhotelsandresorts.com , like 40 percent off Hotel Zelos in San Francisco. 
 
 Hotel Commonwealth in Boston , which is right near Fenway Park, is offering $100/night rates for 100 minutes, starting at 10 a.m. EST. Enter offer code "Score100" or call 866-784-4000. 
 
 Book That Safari Now 
 
 All these deals seem to lure travelers to book directly with the hotels or chains. Priceline is answering by ramping up sales throughout the day. Look out for the Express Deal that lets you take $600 off any $1,200 in hotel stays; and do check out the app, which will let you take $15 off $100 for certain in-app purchases. 
 
 For that fantasy getaway, andBeyond select small group journeys to Africa and South Asia are 30 percent off at andbeyond.com/cyber-monday-offer. 
 
 Abercrombie & Kent ’s annual holiday sale sees up to 40 percent savings on nine different trips, like the Botswana Private Journey —save $2,200, bookable until December 1. 
 
 Oasis , the home rental/hotel hybrid in 20 destinations around the world, is knocking $200 off a stay with the code DIGITALGETDOWN on November 27. 
 
 Princess Cruises will take up to $1,000 off per stateroom, plus reduced fares for the third and fourth guests. Guests also receive 50 percent off deposits on bookings made on Cyber Monday. 
 
 Royal Caribbean’s Cyber Monday sale includes 50 percent off the second guest and various onboard credits that appear fairly standard. You can book at royalcaribbean.com or via travel agent. 
 
 Yes, It's Okay to Visit the Caribbean 
 
 It may sound counterintuitive or even callous to consider the Caribbean, but the region needs your tourist dollars more than ever . 
 
 Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic is offering half off its villas. (Rumor has it Beyoncé stays here, though doubtful Queen Bey waits for a sale). 
 
 Barcelo Hotel Group is taking up to 60 percent off all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Costa Rica; these deals are only bookable on Monday. 
 
 Meanwhile, Grace Bay Club in Turks and Caicos is shaving 35 percent off nightly rates, including breakfast, at gracebayresorts.com. 
 
 Jamaica's Half Moon, Rose Hall is knocking up to half off room rates when you book three nights or more using the promo code PROC17 at halfmoon.com. 
 
 The tourism board of the Cayman Islands is pooling together several deals together at OnlyinCayman.com on Tuesday, one day after Cyber Monday. The deals include nightly rates at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman starting at $399. ||||| BOWDOINHAM, Maine The owner of an idyllic Maine country inn valued at $905,000 has plans to give it all away to the winner of an essay contest she launched early this year. 
 
 Applicants must be eager to run the business and convey their qualifications in an impeccably crafted, but spare, 200-word essay, the owner of the Center Lovell Inn and Restaurant, Janice Sage, said on Monday. 
 
 Sage, who first launched her contest in January on Facebook, said in an interview that she aims to garner as many as 7,500 paid submissions by May 17th. 
 
 At $125 per entry, that would be enough to cover the estimated value of the 210-year old facility, plus an additional $20,000 for the next owner. 
 
 "There are a lot of talented people that can't, just can't, go out and buy an inn like this," she said. "Now all they need to do is write and convince me." 
 
 The hotel, together with a barn built in 1895 and other outbuildings, is located about 55 miles northwest of Portland and offers sweeping views of New Hampshire's snow-capped mountains. 
 
 Sage, who has run the inn for 22 years, will select the top 20 essays then pass them on to two unnamed local residents to judge the finalists and select a winner. 
 
 Other than the contest rules, vetted by Maine authorities and available online, Sage said she is not giving out any hints to help guide applicants. 
 
 There is some fine print. 
 
 The winner, Sage said, must agree to operate the business for one year following transfer of ownership, and will keep the inn painted its traditional white, with green or black roofing and shutters. 
 
 Even the idea for the contest is rooted in tradition, she said. 
 
 Sage herself took ownership of the inn in 1993, after she won a similar essay contest launched by the previous owner. 
 
 "I came here on angel's wings," she said. "I hope I can do the same for someone else." 
 
 (Editing by Scott Malone and Susan Heavey)
– Your next stay at Red Roof Inn could be about as close to free as it gets, but you need to be on the ball. The chain, with 350 US locations, is offering rooms for 1¢ from April 1-15, the Los Angeles Times reports, but you can book just 48 hours in advance, and there’s only one room at that price per location. Click here to try your luck at Red Roof’s “No Foolin’! 1-Cent Sale.”