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.
For my January ’04 trip to BELGIUM, I found two great hotels offering extra services, good prices, 4-star ratings and family-friendly atmosphere. Also, both were in their city centers.
Here are some notes on our October-November ’03 trip to New Zealand. We spent 13 days on the North Island and 16 days on the South Island.
During the latter part of October ’03 we visited London and stayed at the hotel De Vere Cavendish St. James’s, located just behind Fortnum and Mason. In general, we were very pleased with our hotel stay. . . until we received the final billing.
My wife, Jackie, and I took an 11-day trip to Bhutan in October ’03. The trip was arranged by Ron at Starlink Tours (5250 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 617, Los Angeles, CA 90045; phone 866/337-0909 or visit www. starlinktours.com). The cost of the entire trip, including plane fare from Los Angeles, hotels, all meals (including mid-morning and afternoon tea or coffee), a private guide and driver and all sightseeing was $2,989.
I led a group through the Himalayas, Sept. 23-Oct. 17, traveling in India and then entering Bhutan at the southern border town of Phuntsholing.
by Jack C. Ogg, Houston, TX; part 1 of 3 on the Balkans
From IRELAND, Jan. 19, ’04
• Flew Aer Lingus from New York’s JFK to Shannon airport in Ireland. Flight was on time, with friendly service. Cabin was clean but slightly cramped.
ITN performed an invaluable service for travelers in publishing the reader’s letter entitled “Mystery Charge on Credit Card” regarding Internet hotel reservations (Dec. ’03, pg. 30).
I, too, made a reservation over the Internet with a hotel in Dublin. This was in 2001. After returning home I got a bill from an unknown “travel arranger” in England. I was billed in pounds for my hotel in Ireland, which at the time used punts. I had paid the hotel directly in Ireland.
by Betty and Dick Wood, Seattle, WA