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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.
by Steven Cole; Grand Rapids, MI
On a trip to Taiwan in 2001 I visited the Great National Treasures of China collection in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. It’s a mindblower. My eyes almost dropped out of my head! Here are many treasures of Imperial China that were saved by the KMT in 1949, spirited away from the Communists.
Only about 20% of the collection is on display. It ranges from prehistoric ceramics, ironwork and pottery to weapons and much more. There are the most beautiful paintings, porcelain and woodcarvings and especially the most spectacularly carved jade.
In August ’03, my husband and I took a wonderful 12-day trip to Russia with Lexcorp Cruise & Tour Marketing (3401 Investment Blvd., Ste. 3, Hayward, CA 94545-3819; phone 800/578-3401). They have over 20 years’ experience in travel.
I noticed in the Travelers’ Intercom section a couple of rather negative reports of Russian riverboat experiences (March ’04, pg. 32 & April ’04, pg. 82). Having enjoyed three such trips over the past six or seven years, I would like to reassure other travelers that these trips can be exceedingly enjoyable and interesting.
In reading the March ’04 issue, on page 32 I came across a reader’s comments concerning a cruise aboard the Novikov Priboy in Russia. Contrary to the general impression left by those comments, I found my two Russian river cruises — on a different ship — to compare favorably with any.
Along with another couple, my wife and I “narrowboated” the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal in southeast Wales at the end of July ’03. We hired our narrowboat through Beacon Park Boats and had a wonderful experience.
Alistair and Sarah Kirkpatrick, the owners of BPB, furnished us with a practically new, 52-foot narrowboat that had two separate bedrooms with adjoining shower/toilet/sink (as well as a cellphone, in case we had any problems). The rental cost for one week, Saturday to Saturday, was $1,700; i.e., each couple paid $850.
My husband, Joe, and I traveled to the Dominican Republic and Haiti, Feb. 2-11, ’04, to complete visits to all the nations of the Western Hemisphere. We made Internet arrangements with Alyssa Johnson of SAS Travel & Tours in Santo Domingo (e-mail agencydr@yahoo.com) for a 10-day trip encompassing history, culture and ecology. Included was a 3-day trip around the country and to the Haitian border. Our excellent driver/guide for all 10 days was Severino Polanco, a 6'5" former national basketball player and policeman, now running his own travel business.
I returned March 13, ’04, from a month-long trip to Honduras, Guatemala, Yucatán and Belize with Adventures Abroad (Richmond, B.C., Canada; phone 800/665-3998). I found them very thorough in covering the architectural and cultural parts of those countries.
My husband and I took a trip to Mauritius, Madagascar and Seychelles, Feb. 23-March 9, ’04, with Zegrahm Expeditions (192 Nickerson St., Ste. 200, Seattle, WA 98109; phone 800/628-8747). In Madagascar, one of our carry-on bags was stolen. It contained items such as sandals, bathing suit, medicines and travelers’ checks. While the loss of all these items was not life threatening, it could have affected our trip.