Accommodations Worldwide

Europe

When I saw that their e-mail address was “frogetrosbif,” I knew we’d enjoy staying at La Belle Demeure (Le Bouscot, 24250 St. Cybranet, FRANCE; phone 5 53 28 57, e-mail frogetrosbif@wanadoo.fr or visit www.labelledemeure.com). “Frog” is English slang for the French, and “rosbif” is what the French call the English, so I could tell our hosts would represent both nationalities and have a sense of play as well!

The B&B is in the tiny town of St. Cybranet in the midst of the most fascinating and scenic part of the Dordogne Valley, only a few minutes from the charms of Beynac, Castelnaud and La Roque-Gageac and 20 minutes from Sarlat.

And, indeed, we had the most welcoming and gracious hosts one could wish for. Staying with Richard and Phillipe was like staying with favorite relatives; they made us feel instantly at home. Both were fluent in English and French.

The B&B’s rooms were cozy and had private baths. The cost for our double room was €55 ($73). There was a lovely terrace with a pool.

In addition, Richard is an excellent chef, and the table d’hôte dinners, which afforded an opportunity to dine with the our hosts and the other guests, are not to be missed.

Richard and Phillipe were full of advice for sights to visit plus restaurants. La Belle Demeure proved to be a convenient base for many of the attractions of the area, among them the fascinating Museum of Medieval Warfare in the castle at Castelnaud; the village of Beynac with its fabulous Vietnamese-French restaurant La Tournelle (try the €16 menu); the multistory prehistoric dwellings of La Roque-St. Christophe, and the mesmerizing cave art, 13,000 years old, in the village of Rouffignac.

— DIANE STEELE, Davis, CA

In Paris I enjoyed a delightful apartment (49 rue Mazarine, 75006 Paris, FRANCE) in November ’04. It was perfectly located just off blvd. St-Germain on a pedestrian and market street in the university district and Latin Quarter.

We rented from agents Jane Hanay and Sylvain Labbe (e-mail lfa125@yahoo.com) for €750 ($978) per week. They arranged for every convenience, even assisting me to unload my bags, and answered all my questions.

I looked at a lot of Paris rentals and am glad I chose this one. The apartment was spotless and everything worked as advertised. Just downstairs there were two delightful cafés to choose from on the corner.

— STEVEN SCHROEDER, Marysville, CA

Hotel Maier Garni (Ludwigstrasse 83, 82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GERMANY; phone 08821-909599, fax 08821/909588, e-mail info@ hotel-maier.com or visit www.hotel-maier.com) — on the quieter, Partenkirchen side of the resort town, about a 10-minute walk from the Bahnhof. We like to walk, but the town bus from the train station stops right outside the hotel for those with excess luggage.

This is a small, charming, family-run hotel. Since we were there Nov. 27-28 ’04, in the off-season, we paid only €64 ($84) for the two of us. Our room was enormous (it could have held four people) and had a beautiful view of the mountains from the balcony.

There was no restaurant, but there were at least 10 restaurants within a 5-minute walk just up the Ludwigstrasse.

We have stayed at Hotel Maier several times, enjoying the friendly welcome from Mr. and Mrs. Gailer, the owners. They speak a little English and respond in English to e-mails. We loved the charm, the location, the views and the spotless, well-maintained rooms.

— ELIZABETH JOHNSON, Lees Summit, MO

We stayed in Florence for six nights, May 6-12, ’04, at Hotel River (Lungolago della Zecca Vecchia 18, Florence I-50112, Italy; phone 00390 5523 43529 or visit www.florence.hotel-river.tobook.com/Italy or www.hotel-florence.it).

We booked with Eurobreaks (Inghams, London) through Travel Sense (91 Victoria Rd., Horley, Surrey, U.K.; e-mail eurobreak@inghams.

co.uk). The cost for six nights, including British Air flights from London to Pisa and return and buffet breakfasts, was £940 (about $1,713).

Hotel River is within easy walking distance of main sights. I had a quiet room with a private bathroom. Very comfortable. Very friendly and helpful management.

• Good restaurant — La Mangiatoia (Piazza San Felice, Florence, Italy; phone/fax 055 224060). We lunched there twice. Chicken, roast potatoes and wine for two persons was €22 ($26). Turkey breasts, roast potatoes, mixed vegetables and wine and coffee for two cost €28 ($33).

— Valerie Pacheco, Zephyrhills, FL

Here are four hotels from a May-June ’04 trip to GREECE:

• Hotel Olympic (Kornarou Square, Iraklion, Crete, Greece; phone 2810/028 8861, e-mail info@ hotelolympic.com or visit www.hotelolympic.com) — in central Iraklion. There was bus service across the square to Knossos.

This was a nice, quiet, basic hotel with a decent-sized (not large, not tiny) double room and bathroom. Refrigerator in room. €68.2 ($85) per night. Breakfast (included in price) served until 9:30. No extras such as laundry service. (I stayed here in early June.)

• Hotel Phillippos (3 Mitseon St., Athens, Greece; phone 320/210/922 3611) — within walking distance of the Acropolis. A few blocks from the subway.

This was a nice, quiet, basic hotel with a small double room with refrigerator and a small bathroom. Good breakfast buffet included in the price; the breakfast room had a nonsmoking area. Internet available (one PC). €100 ($125) per night. (late May)

• Pension Acronafplia (Vasileos Konstandinou 23, Nafplion, Greece; phone 011-30-27520-245-481) — on a quiet street near the harbor and the steps to Palamidi Fortress.

Large, pleasant room (double) with large bathroom and refrigerator. €57 ($72) per night. Breakfast not included in price but available downstairs from the menu at extra cost. Free Internet in the morning (one PC). (early June)

• Holiday Inn (Attica Avenue 40, Paiania 19002, Greece; phone 800/465-4329 or visit www.holiday-inn.com) — about 15 minutes from the Athens airport.

A brand-new hotel, partly uncompleted in mid-June. State-of-the-art room, with a light that even shines only on the floor at the nightstand plus electric opening/closing of the drapes.

I’m not sure if the king-sized bed I got was standard, but that was what we got when a double was requested and the hotel was not full. €109 (about $135) per night. Internet available but expensive.

— PAT MINAMI, Rockville, MD

Pacific

During our November ’04 trip to NEW ZEALAND, we stayed in the following accommodations.

• Austria Motel (36 Selwyn Rd., Paihia, Bay of Islands, New Zealand; phone 64 9 402 7480 or visit www.austria.motel.net.nz). The location near the center of Paihia provided for easy access to many restaurants as well as the ferry terminal. Covered parking was available on site.

Our room was spacious, with a queen bed as well as a twin bed, a small sitting area, bath en suite, kitchenette (coffee and tea making supplies restocked daily) and a balcony with a partial view of the ocean. The rate was NZ$95 (US$69) per night.

Kath Stanley was a very welcoming hostess who provided excellent advice regarding tours and restaurants. She also was able to book tours from the motel and provided discounts for some.

• Westminster Lodge (58a Mountain Road, Rotorua, New Zealand; phone 64 7 348 4273 or visit www.westminsterlodge.co.nz) — situated on the slopes of Mt. Ngongotaha overlooking Rotorua.

This is a small farm, and Barry and Gill Gillette were very welcoming hosts. Resident animals included sheep, pigs, chickens and doves. The property is attractively landscaped and includes a spa.

Some of the accommodations are in the main house and some are in a recently constructed addition. Our room, with bath en suite, had a queen bed and a couch that converted to a double bed, plus TV, microwave, fridge, toaster and coffee- and tea-making facilities. NZ$100 (US$73) per night included Continental breakfast.

Breakfast, served in the main building’s kitchen, consisted of cereal, toast, fresh fruit, yogurt, homemade muffins and hard-boiled eggs from the farm’s free-range hens.

• Copthorne Auckland Harbour City (196-200 Quay St., Auckland, New Zealand; phone 64 9 377 0349 or visit www.copthorneharbourcity.co.nz).

We chose this hotel because of its excellent location across the street from the ferry terminal. We paid NZ$190 (US$138) per night. We would not, however, recommend this hotel.

Upon our arrival we were given a room that was in need of extensive renovation and hadn’t been cleaned properly. Paint was peeling from the walls and was entirely missing in some places. The carpet was stained well beyond what should be acceptable and was puckered up in the hallway creating a hazard that could cause someone to trip. Near the coffee-making supplies there were stains on the counter that could have been wiped away easily if the room had been cleaned properly. Despite this being a nonsmoking room, there were cigarette ashes along the windowsill inside and out.

When we went to the reception desk, we were told there was only one other room vacant in the building. That room was in a similar condition, but we stayed there thinking we had no other choice. Upon turning down the bedding, we discovered the sheets and comforter were stained. Housekeeping did come up quickly to change the bedding at our request, but these items should never have been used in the first place.

The next morning we spoke to the manager and showed him the room. He agreed that it was in poor condition. Since there was some guest turnover that day, we were given a third room which the manager described as the “premium room.” This one had been painted, had new carpet and had been cleaned properly. If we had been given this room when we first arrived, we would have had no complaints with the hotel.

— NEIL JOHNSON, San Jose, CA