Day-tour from Budapest. Hotel at Lake Garda, Italy. Regarding hotel phones in France.

REPORT ON HUNGARY…

While in Budapest, my husband, Mickey, and I went on a private wine-tasting tour with five friends from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 3, 2012. We had booked and paid for it online through Taste of Hungary (Jégverem utca 6, Budapest 1011, Hungary; phone [English] +36-30 298 0076), and the cost was $185 per person.

The company owner, Gabor Banfalvi, was our guide for the day and arrived at our hotel in an air-conditioned van complete with driver. Heading through the countryside to the Eger region, we were provided with bottled water and treated to local pastries.

We tasted six wines at the Nimrod Kovaks Winery, located in an old neighborhood of cellars and with a long underground cave system that we were able to tour.

In Noszvaj, we had a delicious lunch paired with six wines and a marc pálinka at a restaurant owned by the Thummerer Winery, then toured the cellar and wine-making facilities. Following a vineyard walk, we visited the town center of Eger.

Our third winery was the István Tóth Winery, where we toured the cellars and tasted six wines, accompanied by a selection of artisanal cheeses from a local cheese maker.

Gabor was knowledgeable about the wine-making process, the land and his country. Having lived in the US, he is fluent in English.

We highly recommend this tour (and they offer others).

Kay Witt, Columbus, GA

REPORT ON ITALY…

After deciding to see Lake Garda, my two daughters and I stayed at Hotel Benaco (Corso Italia, 126 - 37016 Garda (VR), Italy; phone [39] 045 7255283), May 3-6, 2012, and were very happy with our accommodations.

It is a small, very modern, 2-story hotel (no elevator) with a lovely, large lounge/bar area all in black and white.

Our rooms were good size, with two double beds, modern bath, hair dryer, etc. Including an excellent breakfast, rates were €100 (near $122) per night for a twin room or €60, single, with car parking at €10 per night.

The hotel is just across the street from the beautiful waterfront esplanade with all the restaurants. Even though the hotel is on the main thoroughfare through town, it was very quiet at night. There is a seating area outside where you can enjoy the sights with a glass of wine in the evening.

At the very fancy gelato areas on the esplanade, we could sit and enjoy the people. Each Friday they have a HUGE street fair right on the waterfront, and this we thoroughly enjoyed.

Elvera Rollins, Modesto, CA

REPORT FROM FRANCE…

Our trip to France, April 17-May 2, 2012, included four cities and we stayed in six hotels. Not one had a working telephone in the room!

For several years I have used inexpensive telephone cards for my calls home, and in the past I have always been able to use them from my hotel room. This time, either the phone wouldn’t give an outside line or it was dead. One hotel just said there was no phone service in the rooms.

In a 3-star hotel in Carnac, we inadvertently rang the headwaiter several times! We also stayed in Mont-St-Michel, Bourg-en-Bresse and Paris.

I was able to use the card at public telephones without any problem, although there seem to be fewer and fewer public phones available.

Rebecca Caraveo, Fresno, CA