Food & Wine

In January ’04 we took a self-directed trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and to Montevideo and Punta del Este, Uruguay. We experienced a delightful and safe adventure at a very reasonable price.

Over the years, I heard and read a lot about the Maginot Line, and I always wanted to visit the most impressive part of it. Because it extended from Luxembourg to Switzerland, with another section from Switzerland to the Mediterranean, I needed some help and turned to the French Government Tourist Office. The problem was that the tourist office couldn’t (or wouldn’t) answer simple questions like “Where is the best site to visit?” and “When is the best time to go?” I was referred to a website which was mostly in French, making it difficult to find answers.

To celebrate an anniversary or a spouse’s birthday while traveling overseas, have you ever decided to hang the expense and really “splurge” on a meal? We asked those of you who did so — and found that it was worth every euro, pound or whatever — to write in about the experience.

In addition to the name of the restaurant and its address or location, we asked you to tell us when you went, the approximate price of the meal and what made it so great. We also wanted to know if there were any special dishes you’d recommend, particular tables to sit at, etc.

On a cobblestone street in the heart of Sultanahmet, the historic Old City of Istanbul, is Special Artemis Hotel (Kücük Ayasofya Cad, Cayiroglu Sok, No. 25, 34400 Sultanahmet-Istanbul, Turkey; phone +90 212 516 58 65, fax +90 212 638 25 58, e-mail artemis@artemishotel.com or visit www.artemishotel.com).

Indeed a special hotel in every way, this is a relatively new, 24-room boutique hotel (which was being refurbished and renovated).

My husband and I enjoyed a tour of Costa Rica and Panama, Nov. 6-15, ’03, with Cruise West (2401 Fourth Ave., Ste. 700, Seattle, WA 98121; phone 800/426-7702 or visit www.cruisewest.com).

From Tegucigalpa, HONDURAS, Feb. 4, ’04. . .

• Hotel Istmania — at Calle Buenos Aires and Lempira Avenue, about five blocks from the center of Tegucigalpa.

by Philip Wagenaar, third of three parts

by Russ Ellis, ITN

In October ’02, I was a guest on a 4-night tour of Vienna jointly hosted by Austrian Airlines and the Vienna Tourist Board.

My wife, Esta Lee, and I visited New Zealand November-December ’02. As we didn’t expect to make other trips there, we wanted to spend a substantial period of time. We chose World Discovery Tours (P.O. Box 6145, Auckland, New Zealand; phone [1 p.m.-midnight PST] 800/880-0152, e-mail steve@world-discovery.com or visit www.world-discovery.com), which offered longer tours for less cost than the other companies we researched.

We enjoyed staying and eating at the Bucharest Marriott Grand Hotel (Calea 13 Septembrie, 90, Sector 5, Bucharest 050713, ROMANIA; phone 800/228-9290 or [40] 21 4030000 or visit http://marriott.com/property/propertyPage/BUHRO) in October ’03.