If you’re looking for peace on Earth, consider the Casa Del Mar (Jalan Pantai Cenang, Mukim Kedawang, Langkawi 07000, Kedah Darul Aman, MALAYSIA; phone [60] [4] 955 2388, fax 955 2228, www.casadelmar-langkawi).
This modest, 2-story hotel (about 30 rooms) appears unassuming at first from the street. We found it by accident when walking along Cenang Beach on the island of Langkawi (northwestern Malaysia).
Hotel Sari Konak (Mimar Mehmet Aga Cad. No. 42-46, 34122 Sultanahmet, Istanbul, TURKEY; phone +90 [212] 638 62 58, fax [212] 517 8635, www. istanbulhotelsarikonak.com), which translates into the “Yellow House Hotel,” is located in the old section of Istanbul. My husband, Heinz, and I stayed there Oct. 24-25, 2007.
This hotel is simple but clean, and the location is perfect, since it is practically within spitting distance of both the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. We paid €89 ($130) per night for a double room. Breakfast, included in the price, was ample.
On a 12-night visit to Sicily, ITALY, in May ’07, our favorite hotel was the family-run Villa Belvedere (Via Bagnoli Croce, 79, 98039 Taormina, Italy; phone +39 0942 23791, fax 0942 625830, (www.villabelvedere.it). The location, difficult to find by car the first time, is very near the Botanical Gardens, which you walk through to reach town.
The public rooms are elegant, the gardens and pool area are gorgeous, the lunches by the pool were delicious (€8 for an antipasto plate with enough for two) and the included breakfasts were very good.
While in Rome, ITALY, in late October ’07, we experienced these hotels and restaurants.
by Edward Lifset, Oceanside, CA
My husband, Steven, and I took the 10-day “Life in Japan” tour, May 13-22, 2007, with General Tours. The cost was $6,328 for both of us, including one extra day in Tokyo, another in Kyoto and the optional tour to Nikko. We purchased airfare separately.
From TOURNUS, France, May 19, 2007. . .
As a recent widow, I want to encourage others in my situation to not give up traveling now that your spouse is gone. Changes can be made.
Zermatt’s beauty and remoteness had entranced me on a visit 25 years earlier, which I made without my wife, JoAnn, so I was anxious to share with her a delightful travel experience on our trip March 9-20, 2007.
Because Zermatt permits no cars or trucks, we parked in a large garage at the train station in Täsch (CHF26, near $25, for two nights) and took the 10-minute train ride into town (CHF31 round trip).
I spent three wonderful weeks in Viet Nam, Jan. 28-Feb. 19, 2007. I had never before taken a custom, privately guided tour and it was not my intention to do so this time. However, after contacting Vietnam Orient Tours (Fremont, CA; phone 510/794-8989, e-mail tourvietnam@aol.com or visit www.vietnamorienttours.com), I found myself letting them put together the whole trip.