April 2006

A letter in ITN (April ’03, pg. 70) prompted me to make reservations with Claudine Hemelryk to stay five nights at B&B Olleros 3000*.

Claudine and her husband, Juan, welcomed us at their well-appointed B&B, where we paid $60 per night total for both a double and a single room in February ’05. The rooms were very quiet, clean and comfortable. The breakfast, included in the price, was delightful in taste and presentation. If we decide to return to Buenos Aires, we’ll immediately e-mail Claudine to stay at Olleros 3000 again.

Planning a trip to MOROCCO in the near future? Consider staying at one of the premier riads, or small hotels, in 14th-century Fez, near the Bab Boujloud (Blue Gate), the stunning main entrance of the medina. I stayed at the Dar Al Andalous (14, Derb Bennani, Douh, Quartier Batha, Fès Médina, Maroc; phone 212 [0] 55 74 07 00, fax 74 07 12 or visit www.daralandalous.com) in October ’05 and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Our group of 10 enjoyed three restful nights at Momijiso (Momijidani koennai Miyajima-cho, Saeki-gun, Hiroshima-ken, JAPAN; phone 81-0829-44-0077, fax 81-0829-44-0076, or visit http://japaneseguesthouses.com/db/miyajima/momijiso.htm), a small, family-run ryokan (Japanese inn) on Miyajima, a lovely island off the coast of Hiroshima. The ryokan is located in Momijidani Park above the town and just below the cable car station.

For a visit to ROME I tried renting an apartment for the first time, as I was traveling with my son and his family and we needed accommodations for six. I was very fortunate to find a charming 2-story apartment at No. 45 Via Labicana through VRBO International, LLC (Vacation Rentals by Owner) (9800 Buccaneer Mall, Ste. 1, St. Thomas, USVI 00802-2409; visit www.vrbo.com).

Our apartment was listing No. 32035. The location was ideal for walking to Roman sites and to public transport, and we found a wide variety of food shops and restaurants in the area.

From a 2-week trip to SWITZERLAND in September ’05, I recommend the following accommodations.

On a trip to France in April ’05, we stayed in Caen at the Kyriad Hotel & Restaurant (36 Ave. Montgomery, 1400 Caen; visit www.kyriad.fr) — near the Caen Peace Museum. One of the upscale Campanile hotels chain.

The room cost €68 (near $82) for two. The breakfast buffet cost €7, and the 3-course dinner, with salad bar, dessert bar and entrée, cost €35.60 for two. Our total for the room and one breakfast and one dinner each was $161.

My favorite chambre d’hôte in FRANCE is Le Lot (46320 Issepts, France; phone 011 33 [0] 5 65 40 17 61 or e-mail catherineissepts@wanadoo. fr). This is in the Quercy region, just south of the beautiful Dordogne area; Quercy is just as pretty and not as expensive as the Dordogne. Even with the unfavorable exchange rate, you can have a great vacation here for far less than in most regions in France. Our most recent visit was in December ’05.

STA Travel (7890 S. Hardy St., Ste. 110, Tempe, AZ 85284; phone 800/777-0112, fax 480/753-5847, or visit www.statravel.com) is primarily a student travel agency, but their modestly priced and comprehensive travel insurance policies are available to anyone.

We asked you to tell us places (outside of North America and the Caribbean) where you couldn’t resist buying an article of clothing — high-priced or bargain, fashionable or practical. In addition to describing the garment, we wanted you to pinpoint where you got the item, about how much it cost and when you were there. Clothes-buying shopping tips were encouraged. Following are replies received.

by Susan Tartaglino, Alvord, TX