Hotels and Lodging

My favorite hotel would be the Hotel Colmar Garni (Lange Strasse 34, Baden-Baden, GERMANY; visit www.hotelsingermany.com) because it has it all.

In fall 2003 I led a group through the Himalayas on our “Jewels of the Himalayas” program, Sept. 23-Oct. 17. Among places we visited in India were Darjeeling, west and east Sikkim and Kalimpong, then we entered Bhutan at the southern border town of Phuntsholing.

by Fred and Ann Abeles, Frederick, MD

by Deanna Palic (Part one of two)

We had been alternating cheap and luxurious hotels, $60 one night and $6 the next, during our September ’02 trip to Morocco, and now we were looking for a cheap place to stay between the Moroccan desert and the city of Fez. We had been told that Midelt was a nice town, and our guidebook reported that there was a family-run hotel in the middle of it, Hotel Atlas. As two women traveling alone, we were drawn to the idea of a family-run place. Also, the price was right: $6.

My husband and I were very pleased with the travel arrangements made for us by MIR Corporation (85 South Washington St., Ste. 210, Seattle, WA 98104; phone 800/424-7289 or visit www.mircorp.com). We used their group tour to Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and Romania followed by their Bulgaria post-tour as models for our “independent traveler” trip. (The itineraries can be found on the website, so we won’t go into any detail).

Back in 1996 on a freighter trip down the Pacific coast, the captain of the MV Widukind took five of us passengers ashore at Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica, to while the day away as the ship was being loaded and unloaded. We went to the resort Fiesta Hotel (Apostado Postal 171-5400, El Roble, Puntarenas, Costa Rica; phone 506 663-0808, fax 506 663-1516 or visit www.fiestaresort.com), which impressed us greatly with lots of activities going on for the hotel guests, both children and adults. We were impressed enough to consider returning.

In March ’03 we spent six nights at the Bedarra Inn (P.O. Box 1213 Sigatoka, FIJI; phone 679-6500476, fax 679-6520116 or e-mail bedarrahouse@connect.com.fj).

We can highly recommend these six hotels from our August-September ’02 trip to GERMANY. All were in the “Quite Comfortable” category (single little house icon) in the Michelin Red Guide. All had large rooms and immaculate bathrooms. All except Studtmann’s Gasthof offered a bountiful buffet breakfast. All provided free parking. Reservations were made via e-mail.

After completing a Norwegian Coastal Voyage cruise in October ’03, my husband, another couple and I spent four to five days in Bergen. Not having made reservations, we were a little apprehensive about obtaining reasonably priced, comfortable lodging; fortunately, we chose private, self-catering accommodations in the home of Lesley and Axel Algaard (Kalfarlien 4, N-5018 Bergen, NORWAY; phone +47 55 31 21 35, fax +47 55 31 59 42).