Accommodations Worldwide

For a visit to ROME I tried renting an apartment for the first time, as I was traveling with my son and his family and we needed accommodations for six. I was very fortunate to find a charming 2-story apartment at No. 45 Via Labicana through VRBO International, LLC (Vacation Rentals by Owner) (9800 Buccaneer Mall, Ste. 1, St. Thomas, USVI 00802-2409; visit www.vrbo.com).

Our apartment was listing No. 32035. The location was ideal for walking to Roman sites and to public transport, and we found a wide variety of food shops and restaurants in the area.

The apartment was every...

(Also see the March and January articles)

I booked the Central Railway Hotel (240 Chalmers St., Sydney, NSW 2000, AUSTRALIA; phone 612-9319 7800, fax 1004 or visit www.centralrailway.com) on the Internet.

This was the least-desirable accommodation I experienced on my entire 2-week trip, March 12-26, ’06. The room cost was reasonable, Aus$85 (US$62), but not a good value. The hotel was almost empty, but they put me in a room that was closet-sized. I was offered an opportunity to upgrade for an additional fee, but I declined.

• For future reference, the next day I found...

Our group of 10 enjoyed three restful nights at Momijiso (Momijidani koennai Miyajima-cho, Saeki-gun, Hiroshima-ken, JAPAN; phone 81-0829-44-0077, fax 81-0829-44-0076, or visit http://japaneseguesthouses.com/db/miyajima/momijiso.htm), a small, family-run ryokan (Japanese inn) on Miyajima, a lovely island off the coast of Hiroshima. The ryokan is located in Momijidani Park above the town and just below the cable car station.

Miyajima, which is easily accessible by ferry from Hiroshima’s port, is a popular destination for local sightseers, with several lovely temples (such as...