Hotels and Lodging

For travelers to West Africa seeking an accommodation in Kumasi, Ghana, the Four Villages Inn (Box KS 3374, Kumasi, Ghana; phone 233 51 22682 or mobile 020 766 7559) is an excellent choice — an inviting B&B in a quiet but very accessible neighborhood.

With a nice ambiance for getting to know other travelers, the inn is set in a large garden and has a wide covered terrace for those who like fresh air. There’s a huge living room where guests can find many publications about Ghana.

My husband, Ed, and I stayed in Hotel Yigitalp Istanbul (Gencturk Cad. Cukur Cesme Sok. No. 38, Sehzadebasi, Istanbul, Turkey; phone +90 212 512 98 60) in October ’10.

This was an absolutely charming, old hotel with a 1930s feel to it. The front desk staff was wonderful, providing helpful suggestions and even giving us umbrellas to use on the day it rained.

My wife, Sandy, and I are snowbirds who spend the winters in Puerto Vallarta. Each year we explore a different part of Mexico, and in March ’11 we made a six-day, five-night trip to the Guadalajara area.

We stayed at the bed-and-breakfast Casa Armonia (Reforma 43, Tlaquepaque, Centro, Jalisco, Mexico; phone, in Mexico, 01 [33] 3563 3218 or 3219 or, in US or Canada, 266/973-0128). It’s located one block from the city’s main plaza and Calle Juarez, one of Tlaquepaque’s main shopping streets.

by Philip Wagenaar (Last of nine parts)

by Joyce Bruck, Ocean Ridge, FL

For some time I had been looking for an interesting trip up the west coast of Africa. I finally found one, offered by Silversea Cruises, and, to my excitement, it offered free air travel and a deep discount.

The hotel “meta-search” engine Trivago.com has an application that allows smartphone users to search the Internet for hotel rooms while on the road.

by Philip Wagenaar, M.D. (Part eight of a series)

My fiancée, Maxine, and I spent four great days in London in September ’10. I had been there for business many times during the ’70s and ’80s, but this time it was strictly to enjoy the sights as enthusiastic tourists. It was Maxine’s first visit.

We traveled with another couple, who made arrangements through an online agency for a car from Heathrow Airport to our hotel, the Royal Park in Bloomsbury. (Unfortunately, she does not remember the name of the online agency.)

Barbara Glavish of Incline Village, Nevada, wrote, “Many readers have mentioned that they travel all over the world with just one carry-on bag. I do wonder how they cope with the rule prohibiting carrying greater-than-three-ounce containers of liquids, gels and pastes.* Do they carry lots of little bottles of body lotion, shampoo, face cream, toothpaste, etc? Do they purchase toiletry items on the go?

After reading “1,000 Places To See Before You Die,” our hearts were set on going to Morocco. Because Sarah Tours was so highly recommended by the author, in mid-August 2009 I called Hamid Mernissi, the owner, and our conversation about his tour certainly enticed our decision that Sarah Tours was the way to go.