Hotels and Lodging

NEWS FROM FRANCE…

by Philip Wagenaar (Second of two parts)

Last month I discussed Italian repasts and where to eat. This month I continue with phone advice and accommodation details.

Saltwater scents from the Ligurian Sea mixed with aromas of homemade focaccia from the nearby bakery, Forno di Monterosso, as my wife, Cindy, and I arrived at La Spiaggia Hotel (Via Lungomare 98, Monterosso al Mare; phone 0187-817-567), five minutes’ walk from the rail station.

Andrea Poggi has owned this grand, old hotel for years. Julia and Ella work the reception area and give the art of hospitality a new meaning.

by Mary Beltran, ITN

by Inga Aksamit, San Rafael, CA

As the warm water gently lapped over my ankles, I gazed at the setting sun — a romantic setting if only we were at the beach in Hoi An, Vietnam, rather than the front door of our hotel.

In Palermo, Sicily, in May ’09, we stayed at the three-star Hotel Joli (Via Michele Amari, 11 90139 Palermo; phone +39 091 61 11765) for a little over $100 per night for the small room. The larger rooms are more expensive. WiFi was free.

There is another hotel with almost the same name. The one we stayed in is in a small, beautifully renovated old building. The area is convenient, and parking is available in the area.

During my visit to Austria, I stayed at Hotel Congress Wien (Wiedner Gürtel 34, A-1040 Vienna, Austria; phone +43 1 505 55 06) — a real find for location and price. I booked it through www.booking.com and the cost for my stay, May 19-29, 2009, was €472 (near $710).

Arriving in Vienna by train, I saw the hotel’s sign before I got off at the Sudbahnhof. It was an easy walk from the station to the hotel with my bags.

From PARIS, France, Jan. 6

Strolling through the flower-lined canal streets in Amsterdam is a great delight in summer, particularly if you’re staying in a hotel that makes casual sunrise and sunset walks convenient.

After reading an article in the USA Today travel section in September ’07 about Nicaragua’s growth in tourism, we started making plans to travel there in mid-September ’08.