Hotels and Lodging

My wife and I were on the tour “Christmas Markets along the Elbe River,” traveling in Germany with Grand Circle Travel (Boston, MA; www.gct.com), when we stayed at the Maritim Hotel Berlin, Dec. 14-17, 2015.

Soon after our group checked out of the hotel, I realized I had left a small green bag containing a camera, a spare battery, a charger and a new memory card on a ledge above the bed in our room. I advised our trip leader, Maggie Polus, who promptly called the hotel from Potsdam.

Gunmen attacked a hotel in central Mogadishu, Somalia, on June 1, killing at least 10 people, including two members of Somalia’s Parliament, and wounding more than 50. The attack was preceded by a car bomb that destroyed the hotel’s façade. 

The Islamist militant group al-Shabaab took credit for the attack. Al-Shabaab controls large areas of southern Somalia, though Mogadishu and its environs are controlled by the government.

The city of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, imposed new fees on hotel stays as of June 1. Hotel guests now will be charged a fee of AED15 (near $4) per night as well as a 4% “municipality fee” on their room bill. These fees are in addition to the 6% city tax and 10% service fee already charged.

The city of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, imposed new fees on hotel stays as of June 1. Hotel guests now will be charged a fee of AED15 (near $4) per night as well as a 4% “municipality fee” on their room bill. These fees are in addition to the 6% city tax and 10% service fee already charged.

On my trip to Switzerland in June 2015, I flew from London to Geneva. From the lower level of the Geneva Airport, I took the train to Lausanne after purchasing my round-trip ticket in the airport lobby for about $85. The train, which was very well maintained, left exactly on time.

Be sure to write your destination on a card, as the names “Lausanne” and “Lucerne” can sound the same if not carefully pronounced.

Based upon another ITN subscriber’s recommendation (Sept. ’14, pg. 46), in January 2015 I arranged for a private tour in Madagascar through Mr. Jenita Jaozandry, owner of Madagascar Natural Tours (Antananarivo, Madagascar; madagascar-natural-tours.com).

I planned to arrive in Madagascar on June 27, 2015, and fly out on July 17. Mr. Jaozandry arranged my ground itinerary and transportation and booked the best-available 3- or 4-star accommodations, all for $5,347. 

Having returned from my December 2015 independent trip to Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), my eyes are still glowing and my mouth is still agape from the marvelous sights, both modern and ancient.

One rarely hears the phrase “affordable and convenient lodging” used in the same sentence with London. I had been dreading tracking down a hotel for our December 2015 visit when our English friends John and Jennifer Bradshaw gave us a great tip about the Paddington neighborhood, located in northwestern Westminster, northeast of Bayswater and west of Marylebone.

Using Switzerland Tourism’s Winter Resort Finder website (http://winterfinder.myswitzerland.com), you can specify your preferred kind of winter vacation, from rustic to modern and from budget-conscious to opulent, and get personalized recommendations of resort towns across the country. You then can click on any town for more info, including weather, accommodation costs and local activities.

(Second of two parts)

Last month, I compared European breakfasts to American breakfasts. In this issue, I present an outline of different breakfast offerings in selected countries.

Breakfasts around the world

THE CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST — “Continental breakfast” is a ubiquitous term, and it refers to a light breakfast in a hotel or restaurant, etc. It usually includes baked goods, cereal, jam, fruit and fruit juice, coffee, tea or hot chocolate. The foods included in a Continental breakfast vary from hotel to hotel and may even include cold cuts and cheese.