Hotels and Lodging

Having traveled to more than 100 countries, my wife, Jane, and I were looking for an exotic, off-the-beaten-track destination. We found it in Guyana and Suriname, traveling there March 14-23, 2014, with Wilderness Explorers (141 4th St., Georgetown, Guyana; phone +592 227 7698 or, in the US, 202/630-7698, wilderness-explorers.com).

In arranging our private tour, we dealt mainly with Joetha and Amarylis, who answered our emails promptly and helped us prepare well for the trip.

In northeastern China, my wife, Meg, and I visited Harbin, Jan. 19-25, 2015, to attend the International Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival (Jan. 5-Feb. 25, 2015).

Before arriving in London, my adult son and I visited Rome, Oct. 24-29, 2014. We stayed at Hotel Fori Imperiali Cavalieri (Via Frangipane, 34, 00184 Rome, Italy; phone +39 06 679 6426, www.hotelforiimperialicavalieri.com) and were very satisfied. The staff was great, especially Paulo (I think that’s how he spells his name). He was a sweetheart.

I travel overseas about three times a year. I don’t usually write reviews, but when I do, it’s because it’s an exceptional hotel or place.

I stayed for one night in Casa El Edén (Calle Esmeraldas Oe 3-30 y Guayaquil, Quito 170401, Ecuador; phone +593 2 228 1810, www.casaeleden.com) on Dec. 30, 2014. 

Situated in the heart of Quito, this excellent hotel is a 5-minute walk from the Central Market and the spot where people meet for the city’s free walking tours. 

A few years ago, my husband, Bernard, and I spent time in Germany along the Mosel River when the grapes were ripening. We had great memories of that trip so decided to visit there again. We flew into Amsterdam in September 2014, rented a car at the airport and headed off.

On the Internet, I had found the Mosel-Landhaus Hotel Oster (Moselweinstrasse 61-63, 56814 Ediger-Eller, Germany; phone +49 0 26 75 232, www.hotel-oster.de). We stayed two nights and paid €72 (near $81) per night for both of us. The staff was very friendly.

As of Jan. 1, 2015, at any of the hotels operated by the Hilton or Marriott hotel groups, any guest who wishes to cancel a reservation must do so by 11:59 p.m. the day before his scheduled arrival or he will be charged for a single night’s stay. 

Previously, many hotels within these chains allowed guests to cancel up to 6 p.m. on the day of check-in without penalty.

The Agatha Christie International Festival (www.agatha christiefestival.com), held annually in Devon, England, will celebrate the 125th anniversary of Christie’s birth in 2015. The festival will take place Sept. 11-19 at Torre Abbey in Torquay, the town where Christie was born (on Sept. 15, 1890) and raised.

An hour outside of Venice and 10 minutes from Vicenza, four of us spent a week in June 2014 at a wonderful villa in Italy’s Veneto region: Villa da Schio (Piazza G. da Schio n. 4, 36023, Costozza di Longare [Vicenza], Italy; phone +39 0444 555099, www.costozza-villadaschio.it/new/ing). 

We had two large bedrooms with private baths and a large sitting room with a small kitchen plus a beautiful terrace for €150 (near $183) per night for all four of us.