Accommodations Worldwide

August 2004 issue

Greenmount House in Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland

We had an exceptionally good experience at Greenmount House (Gortonora, Dingle, County Kerry, IRELAND; phone + 353 [0]6691 51414, fax +353 [0] 66 91 51974 or e-mail info@greenmount-house.com) — overlooking Dingle town and harbor. A 5-minute walk from the town center.

This is a 4-star luxury guest house with six mini-suites (“superior” rooms) and six standard rooms, each with full bathroom, large sitting area, direct-dial phones, TV and tea/coffee-making equipment. Rooms and public areas are nicely decorated.

Mary and John Curran are excellent hosts and have won numerous...

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August 2004 issue

France's Etap motel chain

In FRANCE, we found an excellent motel chain called Etap (in France, call 0 892 688 900), part of the Accor chain. Located in most decent-size towns, they are spartan but clean and modern.

Rooms each have a double bed with a single bed bunk-style above plus a TV and shower bath but no phone; a phone is in the lobby. Room price is generally €33 ($40) per couple and €4 ($5) per person for Continental breakfast.

Most have free parking, but the one near the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris charged €5 ($6) overnight. (February ’03)

LOIS & PETER MANES Williamsburg, VA...

June 2004 issue

Castlelodge Guesthouse in Surrey

On a July-August ’03 trip to England, we found a very good B&B convenient to Gatwick Airport, Castlelodge Guesthouse (28 Massetts Rd., Horley, Surrey, RH6 7DF, U.K.; e-mail info@castlelodge-guesthouse.co.uk).

They charged £50 (near $94) for the room for one night, and airport transfer was included. The Continental breakfast, available to us before we left for our early flight, was a real spread: juices, coffee, yogurt, fruit, pastries and, of course, cereal.

Our room, with private bath, was clean and quiet. A kettle with tea plus coffee and biscuits were provided as...

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August 2004 issue

Hotel Nouvel, Barcelona

In Barcelona, Hotel Nouvel (Santa Ana 18-20, 08002 Barcelona, SPAIN; phone 93 301 8274 or fax 93 301 8370) is ideally located just a block off the Ramblas and two blocks from Plaça de Catalunya. It is in the pedestrian area, but taxis (only) can get in if you have much luggage to carry. You can easily walk down the Ramblas to the water.

The hotel is away from the traffic, so we found the rooms quiet, but the plumbing was noisy!

The décor is Art Nouveau, with a beautiful marble floor of intricate design.

For two people in a double room, the rate in May ’02 was €138...

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June 2004 issue

Columbia Hotel, The Dolphin and Prinsted Guest House in the United Kingdom

We booked into the Columbia Hotel (95/99 Lancaster Gate, Bayswater, London W2 3NS, ENGLAND; phone +44 [0] 20 7402 0021, fax +44 [0] 20 7706 4691, e-mail columbiahotel@btconnect.com). The location is within walking distance of Paddington Station and three underground lines, and it is on two bus routes. Kensington Gardens is just across the street.

This is a former officers’ club for U.S. forces in London. It is now a 100-room hotel, but they still give a discount to U.S. military personnel, active and retired.

The rooms are large. The full English breakfast, included,...

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August 2004 issue

Petit Palace Bristol in Valencia, Spain

One of the High Tech Hotels group, the Petit Palace Bristol (L’Abadia de San Martin 3, 47002 Valencia, SPAIN; phone + 34 963 945 100, fax +34 963 943 850 or e-mail bri@hthoteles.com) offers free high-speed Internet access in all rooms. Plus, if a High Tech Room is requested, it comes complete with a PC with a 15-inch flat-screen monitor. There also is a business center, not to mention two flat-screen PCs in the lobby for use.

The hotel is in the heart of the Old Town, steps away from the Ceramic Museum and the large Lladro store and near many restaurants. It had been renovated...

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June 2004 issue

Hotel Regence in Nice

We stayed at the Hotel Regence (21 rue Massena, 06000 Nice, FRANCE; phone 011 33 4 9387 7588), located in a pedestrian zone two blocks from Promenade des Anglais, in 1999. It was a good 2-star hotel, with helpful, friendly owners and staff.

In February ’04 we returned to celebrate my husband’s birthday. The hotel has been remodeled and is excellent, with individual thermostats in the rooms, lighting we could read by and heated towel racks in the large bathroom. Rooms with two beds cost €60 ($77) plus tax.

The breakfast room has been remodeled in the Art Nouveau style....

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August 2004 issue

Hotel Della Punta, Bordighera, and Hotel Le Petit, Turin, Italy

Piecing together off-the-beaten-train-track itineraries in Europe can make for very long travel days; we prefer to take some breaks. Here are the hotels we used for two overnight stops we made in June ’03 in ITALY.

• Hotel Della Punta (Via S. Ampelio, 27-18012 Bordighera [IM], Italy; phone +39 01842 62555, fax +39 01842 68925, e-mail info@hoteldellapunta.it) — in Bordighera, one of the small towns on Italy’s “Flower Riviera” just across the frontier from France.

We stayed during the shoulder season for €88 ($107) for a double with breakfast. We drank prosecco at a café...

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