June 2004

The Coventry Transport Museum relaunched in March following a major refurbishment. It displays the world’s largest collection of British vehicles, with over 230 cars and commercial vehicles, 90 motorcycles and 250 cycles. It’s open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and admission is free.

Contact Coventry Transport Museum, Hales St., Coventry, CV1 1P, U.K., phone 024 7683 2425.

by Nancy Eager, Hayward, CA

ITN asked you to name your favorite museum, but not one of the usual, obvious choices like The British Museum or the Louvre; we wanted to hear about your favorite “special interest” museum — the exhibit or collection that really hit a nerve or sparked your imagination, someplace like the Ferrari Museum in Modena, Italy, or the Resistance Museum in Copenhagen. Below are some readers’ selections.

If you have one to suggest, write to My Favorite Museum, c/o ITN, 2116 28th St., Sacramento, CA 95818, or e-mail editor@intltravelnews.com (please include your surface-mail address).

We stayed at a delightful B&B, the Kerikeri Village Inn (165 Kerikeri Rd., Kerikeri, Bay of Islands, NEW ZEALAND; phone 0064 9 407 4666, fax 0064 9 407 4408, e-mail stay@kerikerivillageinn.com), in early November ’03.

It is run by Peter and Sandrine, who are extremely hospitable and helpful hosts. We enjoyed three days at their comfortable and beautifully decorated home only minutes from the friendly village and a scenic hike from impressive Rainbow Falls.

We spent three weeks in northern ITALY, including the Lake District, Venice and the Cinque Terre, Oct. 3-24, ’03, and would like to recommend two hotels and two restaurants that we think are worth mentioning.

• Albergo Centrale (Via Regina, 39 - 22012 Cernobbio, Como, Italy; phone 011 39 031/511411, fax 011 39 031/341900, e-mail info@albergo-centrale.com), located 50 meters from the lake.

Portofino, the jewel of the Italian Riviera, is a tiny village on the Gulf of Genoa where local fishermen and their families rub shoulders harmoniously with the world’s rich and famous whose million-dollar yachts float at anchor in the picturesque harbor.

The little town with its busy piazzetta that slopes to the water’s edge looks across the bay to the lovely church of San Giorgio and the imposing Castello Brown. High up over the bay, the 5-star Hotel Splendido reigns supreme over the harbor.

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.

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.