REPORT ON NETHERLANDS…
One of the opening events of the flower season in Holland is the Bloemencorso (Flower Parade), this year on April 21, which travels a 25-mile route ending in Haarlem.
Instead of trying to figure out the best town from which to view the parade, my husband, Ed, and I opted to go to Haarlem the following day to view the floats parked in the Grote Markt. The floats are similar to but smaller than those in the Rose Parade in Pasadena.
Haarlem has a lot to offer and, in my opinion, is nicer than Amsterdam. It’s definitely a city in which you could spend two to three days.
What they say about Holland in spring is absolutely true! There is field after field of flowers, like someone has thrown a huge, colorful quilt across the landscape.
• We passed these fields on April 23 while traveling on a tour bus from Amsterdam to Keukenhof Gardens with Viator, Inc. (San Francisco, CA; 866/648-5873). Apparently the Holland contact for Viator is Lindbergh Tour Company (Damrak 26, 1012 LJ Amsterdam; phone 020 6222766), as all our information and the invoice came from them.
We had the option of a ½-, ¾- or full-day tour and chose the three-quarters (six hours, 12:30-6:30), for $50; surprisingly, this cost the same as the half-day. This was to include the bus, garden entry ticket and a 2-hour tour, but the tour did not occur.
There was a tour guide on the bus who provided commentary in what might have been three or four languages as we traveled out to the gardens, but we couldn’t hear a word he said. We had about five hours in the gardens on our own.
Nancy Norberg, Mount Pleasant, SC
REPORT ON Brazil...
• My husband, Peter, and I booked a day tour in Rio de Janeiro with Niels Petersen (owner, Adab Tours; e-mail njp@adab-tours.com). A Danish citizen, Niels has lived in Rio for over 40 years. Our 8-hour tour on Feb. 23, 2012, cost $320.
We had visited Rio before and wanted to do some sights off the beaten path. Niels more than came through, driving us to museums and sights the average tourist can’t get to.
He is an expert at what a first-timer’s visit to Rio should include and can offer advice on trip planning and visiting other parts of Brazil.
• Peter and I are bird-watchers, so we also hoped to see some nature. On the advice of other bird-watchers, we stayed at Casa Caminho do Corcovado (Rua Filinto de Almeida 283, Cosme Velho 2221-170, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; phone 55 21 2557 2359 or 9911 3809), a B&B located near the cable car station you take to ascend Corcovado, the mountain with the statue of Christ atop it.
Adjoining the state forest, the lovely old villa is a peaceful oasis in the big city. We stayed in the bungalow, 50 yards from the main house. There we could sit in the beautiful garden, surrounded by the jungle, and see monkeys and birds attracted by the fruit put out for them daily.
For the nights of Feb. 22-24, 2012, we paid $138 per night (minus 10% for paying with cash). This place had great breakfasts.
Owner Helena and son Diogo speak fluent English, can answer all of a tourist’s questions (on museum hours, bus lines, etc.) and have favorite cab drivers they can call for you. We ate at several restaurants they recommended and were very pleased.
Diogo can be hired as a city guide and will drive you to tourist spots and beaches. For a ride from or to the airport, he charged $48.
Helena was so nice, when we left after four days we felt we had made a new friend and were already planning our return!
Linda Beuret, Santa Barbara, CA
REPORT ON HONG KONG...
My son, my sister and her daughter and I stayed in Kowloon at The Salisbury YMCA (41 Salisbury Road, Kowloon, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, China; phone [852] 2268 7000, fax 2739 9315), Jan. 2-10, 2012.
The rooms were excellent. Including service charge, the per-night room rate for a standard double room was HKD1,100 ($142) for the first six nights and HKD1,265 for the last two nights, as the Chinese New Year was approaching.
Meals we ate in the Salisbury’s dining room were superior. With the senior discount and including service charges, we had a very good buffet lunch there for HKD128 ($16.50) each, and we enjoyed their lavish buffet breakfast for HKD135 ($17) each.
The Salisbury Road YMCA is located across the street from the Museum of Art and the Science Museum. The Peninsula hotel is across the street on the east side. A short walk takes you to the Star Ferry or the MTR (subway).
Marjorie Klingaman, Mexico, MO
