Food & Wine

The food on our trip to Turkey was wonderful. Lots of lamb, of course, but the big surprise was the quality and variety of seafood. Best grilled fish ever! The surprise treat was the fried mussels on a stick. The mezes, or starters, were another surprise; a modest mom-and-pop restaurant would offer eight or 10 choices.

Restraint is in order, however, because you really should try the lentil soup — I tried it in 12 places and each version was delicious and different from the others — and you must leave room for the main course.

My wife, Judy, and I were in Amsterdam in April ’05 after a tulip cruise (good value) aboard the Viking Pride of Viking River Cruises (Woodland Hills, CA; 877/668-4546 or www.viking rivercruises.com).

We usually arrive a day early in Europe to get over our jet lag, and this time we spent the night before we boarded at the Victoria Hotel (Damrak 1-5, 1012 LG Amsterdam, the Netherlands; tel. +31 [0] 20 623 4255, fax 31 [0] 625 2997 or visit www.parkplaza.com).

Europe

We experienced similar cuisine in both Morocco and Tunisia during a trip in July ’02. In both countries, we stayed in 2- or 3-star hotels which had adjoining or nearby restaurants. The evening menus uniformly offered two or three dishes, usually including one or two tajines, usually chicken, beef or lamb.

My husband, Ward Hoffman, and I have been to Paris more than 20 times and, we confess, we go there these days primarily to eat and take walks, often covering eight or nine miles a day. Before we leave, we do a lot of research on where we want to eat. Once we arrive in Paris, one of our activities is to walk by the restaurants and “put our noses to the window” to check them out.

We enjoyed a driving tour of Greece and Turkey, May 3–26, ’05. We visited all the usual places, so I will limit comments to recommendations.

As the head chef at the famous Asian restaurant, Jade Garden, aboard the 5-star cruise ship Crystal Symphony, John Poh has reached the pinnacle of cruise cuisine. He owes his success to talent, hard work, a passion for food, and experience in over 100 kitchens around the world. I spoke to Mr. Poh while on a voyage from Lisbon to Rome in the summer of 2005.

We visited Tahiti years ago and always wanted to go back. When Princess Cruises announced their 2005 cruises to Tahiti, we booked a 14-day trip. It included pre- and post-cruise overnights at a hotel in Los Angeles. The price was $1,495, excluding airfare. Tips ran about $100.

On Jan. 11, we flew from Philadelphia to Los Angeles on U.S. Airways (using our frequent-flyer miles) and spent the night at a Comfort Inn. After a great buffet breakfast at the inn, we flew Air Tahiti Nui to Papeete, Tahiti ($900 round trip). The flight was smooth and we arrived at 11 p.m.

A delightful adventure: that was what I had on the “BORNEO Adventure” from smarTours (501 Fifth Ave., Ste. 1402, New York, NY 10017; phone 800/337-7773 or visit www.smartours.com). My trip, 15 days plus a 3-day Penang extension, took place Jan. 9-26, ’04. (The 2005 price for this tour is $1,899 from Los Angeles plus $299 single supplement and $299 for the Penang extension.)

The following is a listing of some of the hotels, B&Bs, etc., in which ITN readers have stayed over the past year or so (outside of North America and the Caribbean) plus restaurants or sights nearby. Prices are those paid at the time of the visit and conversion rates are approximate.

When writing to ITN about accommodations, always include the PRICES and addresses/locations, along with the date (month/year) of your visit. Also, please state whether the price is per person or per room and, if it is per room, whether it’s for a double or single room. Thank you.