Travelers' Intercom

August 2013 issue

Flying to England
By Joan L. Welch

British Airways’ business-class seats on flights between Tampa, Florida, and England’s Gatwick Airport have been reconfigured,* with, basically, every other seat facing forward and the others facing rearward. That’s great for a couple but a bit awkward if you’re facing a stranger. Side privacy screens alleviate this but in flight only. 

The crews on each flight that my husband, Harry, and I took in April and May 2013 were the best we have encountered in a long time.

Also, after decades of international travel, we have adopted a practice that...

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January 2013 issue

‘Outstanding’ in Canada
By Anita & Tom Tomasi

We stayed in an outstanding B&B in South Rustico, Prince Edward Island, in April ’12. The Barachois Inn (Prince Edward Island, Canada; 800/963-2194) was a splurge, at about $240 per night, but a memorable one.

We stayed in a building built near, and in the same style of, the original inn. There was a large, comfortable living area and a bed area with a refrigerator and microwave. The bathroom had both a shower and a Jacuzzi. There was also a deck.

The owners were friendly and helpful and served an unusually good breakfast. We were there before, in the fall, which is a...

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July 2013 issue

Cape Town guide

Looking for a guide in Cape Town for our May ’12 trip to South Africa, my wife, Jane, and I saw that Denise Dick (denised@yebo.co.za) was recommended by ITN readers as a very competent guide (April ’04, pg. 92 & April ’10, pg. 14).

Denise lives in Hout Bay with her husband, who teaches sailing. She is a perfect guide for someone who goes to South Africa on a formal tour but wants to experience the area “one on one” without other tourists. 

In two days with Denise, we were introduced to a local food market; visited the not-so-often-seen areas of Cape Town; toured a lovely...

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November 2013 issue

Parisian Studio Apartment
By Allan Penl

My wife and I took a quick trip from London to Paris, staying two nights in the delightful, one-bedroom Parisian Studio Apartment (contact Marie Lefebvre, 4 Weymouth Ct., Newport Beach, CA 92660; 949/433-5110), located in the eighth arrondissement.

We found the apartment to be clean, comfortable and tastefully appointed, with complete kitchen facilities and WiFi access. The cost of our stay, July 29-30, 2013, was $282.50 per night, which included cleaning charges.

We walked two blocks to purchase our groceries from a fully stocked supermarket (similar to a SuperTarget). We...

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May 2013 issue

For Cinque Terre, stayed in Levanto
By Stephen O. Addison, Jr.
13th-century loggia, Piazza della Loggio, in Levanto.
Good luck sometimes comes wrapped in what appears to be misfortune. When planning, on short notice, for a September '12 trip to Italy, my wife, Paula, and I were unable to find accommodations that both fit our schedule and met our list of desired features. Looking farther afield, we found excellent lodgings in Levanto, an adjacent town to the northwest.
February 2013 issue

A studio in Paris
By Jack Dini
Early 1990s stained-glass cupola dome in Galeries Lafayette department store

My wife, Anne, and I spent a week in Paris in April ’12 prior to taking a superb trip with Road Scholar (Boston, MA; 800/454-5768) to the battlefields of Normandy. We rented a studio apartment ($1,395 for the week) from Marie Lefebvre (Newport Beach, CA; 949/433-5110, mariebalboa@cox.net), a frequent advertiser in ITN.

This delightful, ground-floor studio is located on rue Cambacérès in Paris’ eighth arrondissement, and we felt very safe there. The Ministry of the Interior building is across the street, the Élysée Palace is a block away, and it’s close to the American Embassy....

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January 2014 issue

Rooms for shoestring travelers
By Carl Boyer

While I am no longer trying to get the cheapest place in town on trips, five accommodations stand out as great bargains. You can find these places on Google and TripAdvisor or in Lonely Planet guides.

• Hotel Terrasol (Barricada Avenue, Granada, NICARAGUA), at $40 a night for a double, including a light breakfast, offers air-conditioning and cable television (American networks) plus a great restaurant and fantastic service. If you want a full breakfast for a little extra, order it when you check in. I last stayed there in February 2010, my tenth visit.

• On a visit to Asia in...

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October 2013 issue

Great views, cold rooms — Himalayas in winter with OAT
By Florence Drake

I was very pleased with the trip “NEPAL and the Mystical Himalayas” that I took with Overseas Adventure Travel (Cambridge, MA; 800/955-1925), my 11th trip with OAT. In addition to the 15-day tour, itself ($3,895), I took the 8-day pre-trip to BHUTAN ($2,395) and the 8-day post-trip to TIBET, China ($2,595). I had single accommodations throughout, with no single supplement charged.

I let OAT book my flights. Going from Richmond, Virginia, to Newark, New Jersey, and then on to Delhi, India, and back in coach class cost $1,430, but I upgraded to business class for an extra...

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