Report Cards for July

From Beijing, CHINA, May 24, ’05. . .

• Holiday Inn Chang An West (66 Yong Ding Rd., Haidan District, Beijing; phone 86-10-6813-2299) — 10-minute walk from the Wukesong station on the subway.

Quiet. Clean. Excellent service — a responsive staff. The rate was RMB565 (about $70) with service — good price, for this quality. (This price was from the Holiday Inn website; the rack rate is much higher.) I stayed here May 19-24.

— Norbert Brockman, San Antonio, TX

From Dublin, IRELAND, May 22, ’05. . .

• Davy Byrnes Bar/Restaurant (21 Duke St., Dublin, Ireland). This place has the best panini sandwiches I’ve ever had. Many locals as well as tourists were there. The cost for sandwiches and wine for two was €24 (about $32).

• Princess Cruises’ May ’05 transatlantic crossing on Golden Princess — Tours offered from Le Havre (which shouldn’t be missed) are to Honfleur (a beautiful fishing village), Fecamp (Benedictine factory/museum — breathtaking) and Etretat (a small seaside resort).

— Nancy Grider, Roseville, CA

From Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA, April 30, ’05. . .

• Botticelli (Shop 67, The Firs, Rosebank, Johannesburg; phone 011 327-7479). Located in the upscale Rosebank area of the northern suburbs of the city, this restaurant serves Mediterranean-style food, and their specialty is Italian cuisine.

The scrumptious veal with butter, garlic and lemon sauce as well as the veal paillarde grigliate (finely filleted veal, grilled lightly and drizzled with olive oil) surpassed my expectations as a culinary choice. It was better than any meal we’ve had in Italy on our annual visits! The proprietors are Italian, and obvious pride is evident in their cuisine.

Even with a superb Greek salad, side veggies (potatoes, carrots and spinach) and the best rosé (Nederburg, West Cape), dinner for two was only 225 rand (about $37.50).

Most pleasant surroundings and gracious hosts. Open 11:30 a.m.-
2:30 p.m. and 6-10:30 p.m. daily.

– Dr. Bernard & Mrs. A.J. Goodhead, La Jolla, CA

On COLOMBIA, February ’05

• The Colombia Experience (c/o R. McCuen, 1724 Sara Rachel Ct., El Paso, TX 79928) is a new tour operator offering deluxe accommodations and many extras in Bogota, Cartagena, Barichara, Villa de Leiva, Tunja and Bucaramanga.

The cost of our tour, Feb. 18-28, including all excursions, entrance fees and domestic transportation, was $1,695. We paid for “land only” and arranged our own airfare, but the total cost from Miami, Florida, would have been $2,195.

This was a most fascinating, diversified and absolutely safe trip to many areas rarely visited by tourists.

— Ed Lifset, Oceanside, CA