Hotels and Lodging

My husband, Clyde, and I took a 35-day trip to India in March-April 2012 with arrangements made by Swagatam Tours (New Delhi, India; phone 91 11 25444000, fax 25444010).

My wife, Karen, and I took a bird-watching and nature trip to Guyana through Nature Travel Specialists (Dauphin Island, AL; 251/861-2524) and Wilderness Explorers (Georgetown, Guyana). We left Miami on Sept. 6, 2012, and returned Sept. 18, visiting four locations in Guyana.

My wife and I stayed in Brussels at the Floris Arlequin Grand’Place (Rue de la Fourche 17-19, B-1000, Brussels, Belgium; phone 00 32 [0] 2 514 16 15, fax 514 22 02), May 7-9, 2012, having booked online. The price was €397 (near $523) for three nights, which included breakfast.

After a 3-week tour (No. “CE-2”) of Central Europe in May ‘12 with Adventures Abroad (Blaine, WA; 800/665-3998), which was wonderful, my husband, Bob, and I flew from Prague to Venice on Air One ($100 for both tickets) for a 5-day stay.

We took a vaporetto into the city, getting off at the San Zaccaria stop. It was about a 3-block walk to our hotel, Locanda “Al Leon” (Campo Santi Filippoe e Giacome, 4270, 30122 Venice, Italy; phone +39 041 2770393, fax 5210348).

When my wife, Karen, and I headed from Washington, DC, to Walvis Bay, Namibia, in June ’12, we required a place to stay in Johannesburg after our flight of 17-plus hours and before our flight the next morning. Outlook Lodge (1 Ambleside Ave., Lakefield, Benoni, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa; phone +27 [0] 11 894 5406, fax +27 [86] 247 3664) was perfect.

REPORT ON AUSTRALIA…

I made my 24th annual visit to the island of Moorea in French Polynesia, March 3-31, 2012. Tahiti and its neighbors in this archipelago are the loveliest islands I’ve visited in the South Pacific.

Having paid $24 for a first-class one-way ticket, I was enjoying a relaxing train ride in Italy with no worries about when and where I was supposed to get off because my destination, Trieste, was the end of the line. The station was on one level, as in Venice, where I boarded, so there were no stairs to deal with, either.

With directions from a kind older lady, I turned right upon exiting the station. Do not turn left if you have luggage or you will have to go down a long flight of stairs that lead underground, then climb back up again.

We stayed in an outstanding B&B in South Rustico, Prince Edward Island, in April ’12. The Barachois Inn (Prince Edward Island, Canada; 800/963-2194) was a splurge, at about $240 per night, but a memorable one.

We stayed in a building built near, and in the same style of, the original inn. There was a large, comfortable living area and a bed area with a refrigerator and microwave. The bathroom had both a shower and a Jacuzzi. There was also a deck.

My two daughters and I stayed in three hotels in September-October ’11. (All prices given are current as of September ’12.)